Progressive organizer Analilia Mejia held a narrow lead in New Jersey’s Democratic special primary for the state’s 11th Congressional District and declared victory after former Rep. Tom Malinowski conceded, even as some ballots remained uncounted and major race desks had not formally called the contest.
Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was leading the Democratic special primary for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District after voting on February 5, 2026, and her top rival, former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, conceded on February 10 despite the race not being officially called by some outlets.
The contest was held to choose Democrats’ nominee for the April 16, 2026 special general election to fill the vacancy created when Rep. Mikie Sherrill resigned her House seat after winning the 2025 New Jersey governor’s race. Gov.-elect Sherrill was set to be inaugurated on January 20, 2026, and Gov. Phil Murphy scheduled the special election calendar with the February 5 primary and April 16 general election.
Vote counting stretched beyond election night because mail-in and provisional ballots remained outstanding. Several days after the primary, reports still described the race as uncalled, but Mejia’s edge had widened in updated tallies. As of February 9, New Jersey Globe reported Mejia ahead by 889 votes, with 29.1% to Malinowski’s 27.7%; other reports on February 10 similarly put Mejia at about 29%, Malinowski at about 27%, and former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way in third.
While this 11th District seat—covering parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties—has trended Democratic in recent years, the special election will still pit the Democratic nominee against a Republican. New Jersey Globe identified Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway as the Republican nominee for the April 16 contest.
Outside spending and messaging around immigration and Israel policy became central themes late in the race. Federal Election Commission filings cited by The Guardian said the United Democracy Project, a super PAC linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), paid for more than $2.3 million in negative advertising against Malinowski. The New Jersey Monitor reported that Malinowski blamed part of his loss on that advertising blitz, which used his vote for a 2019 appropriations measure to portray him as aligned with Trump-era immigration enforcement; the Monitor also reported that Malinowski and several other New Jersey Democrats supported the 2019 bill.
Malinowski, who served in Congress representing a neighboring New Jersey district from 2019 through 2022, congratulated Mejia in a public post announcing his concession. He also said he would support her in the April special election, according to New Jersey Monitor.
Mejia, who previously led progressive organizing efforts in the state and had worked as a national political director for Sanders, framed her campaign as a push for more confrontational Democratic leadership. In a January appearance with Sanders cited by The Guardian, she argued that “any old blue just won’t do,” urging voters to elect Democrats who would fight harder for working people.
With ballots still being processed in the days after the election, election officials’ final certified totals were expected to determine the official margin. But Malinowski’s concession cleared the way for Mejia to focus on the April 16 special election campaign.
