Overview
- Analilia Mejia, projected the winner at 8:07 p.m. Thursday, will fill Mikie Sherrill’s vacated U.S. House seat and reduce Republicans’ working margin to 218-214.
- In the Democratic-leaning 11th District, early voting data showed a built-in advantage, with about 21,000 more Democratic ballots than Republican ballots before Election Day.
- Mejia, a progressive organizer and former Bernie Sanders aide, ran with backing from Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren and outraised Republican Joe Hathaway about 2-to-1, according to federal filings.
- Her narrow February primary win followed more than $2 million in attacks against Tom Malinowski by an AIPAC-aligned super PAC, which undercut the moderate frontrunner.
- She is expected to be sworn in soon to serve through January and will run again in a June primary and the November general in a district with roughly 65,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.