Democrat Analilia Mejia handily won the special election to fill the congressional seat of Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).
The Associated Press called the election at 8:07 p.m. on Thursday with just 25% of the vote counted. Mejia had over 69% of the vote when the race was called — twice the vote share of her Republican opponent, the centrist Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway. Mejia’s victory further solidifies the increasing stranglehold of the Democratic Party’s left wing.
Mejia ran on a progressive Democrat platform, calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a $25 minimum wage, and other positions popular with the further-left members of Congress.
Mejia was endorsed by progressive Democrat heavy hitters, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Greg Casar (D-TX), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Maxwell Frost (D-FL).
The race had essentially been written off by Republicans nationally.
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“Let’s be honest: this race isn’t competitive for Republicans,” Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner. “It’s not evidence of some national Democratic wave, which we have seen elsewhere in special and off-year elections. It’s evidence that Democrats are doubling down on socialism.”
Mejia is positioned to even more handily win the district that her predecessor won by 15% in 2024.
