Eleven Democrats are competing in a special primary Thursday to replace Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The primary winner will face the district’s lone Republican candidate, Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway, in a special general election in April. Sherrill resigned her House seat shortly after winning the state’s gubernatorial election last November.
This contest is one of the first congressional primaries of the year that could reveal which issues are mobilizing Democratic voters. Key items to watch:
1) A labor activist aiming to reshape the race
Analilia Mejia, director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, enters the campaign with endorsements from prominent progressive figures and groups, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, plus Newark Mayor Ras Baraka locally. Sanders campaigned with Mejia in January at William Paterson University.
At that event Mejia argued a more assertive progressive approach is needed, saying, “In a moment of rising authoritarianism, of economic insecurity, of state-sanctioned violence, any old blue just won’t do. If you send weak sauce to Congress, we will get weak sauce back.” She also called for abolishing ICE, declaring, “You can’t reform that. It’s not fixable. Get it out. Kick it over. It is done. Forget it.”
2) A former congressman seeking a comeback
Former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who served two terms representing a neighboring district, is running with the backing of Sen. Andy Kim. In a video endorsing Malinowski, Kim said, “Tom Malinowski knows the House of Representatives. He knows Congress. He knows New Jersey. He knows how to be able to stand up to Donald Trump, and that’s what I need right now is someone there as a partner with me in the Capitol.”
Malinowski lost his previous seat after redistricting made it more Republican and he was defeated in 2022 by Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Observers say Malinowski’s name recognition and congressional experience could be decisive in a short special-election campaign. “With a short runway of a special election – name recognition, money, experience – all can matter,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
Other Democrats on the ballot include former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way; Passaic County Commissioner John W. Bartlett; venture capitalist Zach Beecher; attorney and comedian J-L Cauvin; former Obama administration staffer Cammie Croft; Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill; Morris Township Deputy Mayor Jeff Grayzel; Chatham Borough Council member Justin Strickland; and community advocate Anna Lee Williams.
3) Immigration and ICE are front-and-center
The debate over immigration enforcement has intensified following the fatal shootings of Nicole Macklin Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota, making the role of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a focal point in the primary. At a forum hosted by AAPI New Jersey, the 11 Democratic candidates expressed a range of views, from proposals to limit ICE’s powers to outright calls for abolishing the agency.
Way framed budget decisions as moral choices: “Budgets are supposed to be about values,” she said, adding that ICE “is not being held true to the country’s values” and that she would be “open to defund it.” Beecher stated he would champion “getting rid of ICE.” The forum also highlighted affordability concerns—housing costs and cost-of-living pressures remain central issues in the district and were part of Sherrill’s platform when she ran for governor.
4) Regional priorities and the Gateway Tunnel
The 11th District includes many regular commuters to New York City, and whoever wins in April will quickly face pressing regional infrastructure questions, notably the Gateway Tunnel project. The $16 billion plan calls for a new two-tube rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River and rehabilitation of the century-old North River Tunnel. Billions in federal funding were frozen by the Trump administration last October, and a lawsuit challenging that decision was filed Tuesday.
Rasmussen noted the project’s importance to the district and its visibility during Sherrill’s time in Congress: “It was one of the biggest priorities that was a hallmark of Mikie Sherrill’s time in Congress.” Sherrill played a role in securing federal funding, and many expect the next representative to make the Gateway project a top priority.
Background and context
When Sherrill won the seat in 2018, she flipped a district that had long leaned Republican. After redistricting in 2022, the area has trended more Democratic, altering the political calculus for both parties. With a crowded Democratic primary and high-profile issues on the table—from immigration policy to commuter infrastructure—this special election will offer an early look at the direction of Democratic voters in a competitive suburban district.