Eleven Democrats are competing in a special primary for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The primary winner will face the district’s lone Republican, Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway, in a special general election in April. The vacancy opened after Rep. Mikie Sherrill resigned soon after winning the state’s gubernatorial race last November.
This contest, one of the first congressional primaries of the year, offers an early look at what messages are resonating with Democratic voters in the 2026 cycle.
1. A progressive labor activist is a major force
Analilia Mejia, director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, has backing from prominent progressives — Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — and local support from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Sanders campaigned with Mejia in January at William Paterson University.
At the event, Mejia argued for bold action: “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 has called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying, “You can’t reform that. It’s not fixable. Get it out. Kick it over. It is done. Forget it.”
2. A former congressman is seeking to return
Tom Malinowski, who served two terms representing a neighboring district, is running for the seat and has Sen. Andy Kim’s endorsement. Kim praised Malinowski’s experience: “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 that district more Republican, a factor in his 2022 defeat. In a special-election setting with limited time, name recognition, funding and prior congressional experience can be decisive, analysts say.
Other Democrats on the ballot include former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way; Passaic County Commissioner John W. Bartlett; venture capitalist Zach Beecher; comedian-attorney J-L Cauvin; former Obama administration aide 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 central issues
Immigration enforcement has emerged as a focal point in the wake of fatal federal-agent shootings in Minnesota. The primary will test whether a far-left message on ICE — ranging from defunding to abolition — appeals to Democratic voters or whether a more moderate stance prevails.
At an AAPI New Jersey forum, candidates varied: some called for limiting ICE’s powers, others for abolishing the agency. Way said ICE conflicts with U.S. values and signaled openness to defunding it: “Budgets are supposed to be about values. As a congresswoman, I will definitely look at this budget and, of course, be open to defund it.” Beecher said he would champion “getting rid of ICE.”
Affordability also featured at the forum and remains a top concern for residents in a state with a high cost of living — an issue Sherrill highlighted when she ran for governor.
4. Regional infrastructure and the Gateway tunnel are at stake
The 11th District includes many commuters to New York City, and whoever wins the general election will quickly face pressure over the Gateway Program, a $16 billion plan to build a new two-tube rail tunnel under the Hudson River and rehabilitate the aging North River Tunnel. Billions in federal funding were frozen by the Trump administration last October, and a lawsuit was filed in early February aimed at restoring support.
Securing federal funds for Gateway was a signature priority for Sherrill during her congressional tenure, and analysts say constituents expect the new representative to make the project a top priority.
Political context
Sherrill flipped the district in 2018 after it had been reliably Republican for decades. After redistricting in 2022, the district became more Democratic, changing its electoral dynamics. The special primary — with a crowded field and a short campaign window — highlights internal party tensions between progressive and moderate factions, the salience of immigration policy, and the importance of infrastructure and affordability to suburban New Jersey voters.