Democrat Analilia Mejía, a progressive organizer with ties to labor interests, won Thursday’s special election in New Jersey for the seat formerly held by Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
Mejía was leading Republican Joe Hathaway, the mayor of Randolph Township, 70 percent to 29 percent not long after The Associated Press called the race for North Jersey’s 11th District shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern time.
She had been the presumptive general election winner since clinching a narrow victory over former Rep. Tom Malinowski in a Feb. 5 special election primary for the solidly Democratic seat. In 2024, Kamala Harris carried the district by 9 points over Donald Trump, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, while Sherrill was reelected by 15 points.