Democrat Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey special election for US House over Republican Joe Hathaway
Last edited Thu Apr 16, 2026, 09:03 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: AP
Updated 8:47 PM EDT, April 16, 2026
DENVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the U.S. House on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to President Donald Trump.
Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill and serve until January.
Her victory is a win for progressives and means Democrats hold on to the 11th District seat in the House, where Republicans hold a thin majority. It also adds to a string of victories for Democrats heading into this year’s midterm elections. The Associated Press called the race for Mejia minutes after the polls closed.
Mejia emerged from a crowded primary in February and cast the race as a test of Trump’s leadership. She criticized his pardons of people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes and faulted him for freezing funds authorized by Congress.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-special-election-house-mejia-hathaway-4e06943281e19aa35b10ddf8acec889b
This was now-NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill's seat.
Article updated.
Original article -
DENVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the U.S. House on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to President Donald Trump.
Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill and serve until January.
Her victory keeps the seat in the 11th District, once a GOP stronghold, in Democratic hands ahead of this year’s midterm elections and adds to a string of victories for the party.
Mejia emerged from a crowded primary in February and cast the race as a test of Trump’s leadership. She criticized his pardons of people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes and faulted him for freezing funds authorized by Congress. “The people here are ready to do something about it,” she said recently. “We’re not here to write strongly worded letters. Congress has real power.”
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