Overview
- Analilia Mejia defeated Republican Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election to fill former Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s North Jersey seat.
- Her arrival reduces the GOP’s working margin, with Republicans at 217 seats, Democrats at 214, and one independent caucusing with the GOP, according to current counts.
- The union organizer ran as a progressive backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, and she supports Medicare for All, a $25 minimum wage, higher taxes on the wealthy, and abolishing ICE.
- The campaign grew heated as Hathaway called her a socialist and highlighted her saying Israel committed genocide, while precinct results showed Democratic underperformance in heavily Jewish Millburn and Livingston.
- She will serve out the term, then face a June 2 primary, with a likely November rematch with Hathaway for a full two-year term.