Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway Compete for Suburban New Jersey House Seat

The special election will decide which party controls the closely divided U.S. House seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill when she was elected governor.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 4:03am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A vibrant, fragmented painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes in shades of blue, green, and orange, conveying the high-energy and high-stakes nature of the special election for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.This special election in a key New Jersey swing district will be a pivotal test of the political landscape heading into the 2026 midterms.Passaic Today

Analilia Mejia, a former Working Families Alliance director with support from Bernie Sanders, and Republican Joe Hathaway, a Randolph council member, are competing in a special election on Thursday to fill the U.S. House seat in New Jersey's 11th District that was vacated when Mikie Sherrill was elected governor. The winner will serve out the final months of Sherrill's term, and the two could meet again in November's general election.

Why it matters

The contest will decide which party controls the seat in the closely divided House, with the midterms of President Donald Trump's second term on the horizon. The 11th District, which covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey's wealthy suburbs, was long a Republican stronghold but has become increasingly Democratic since Trump's first term.

The details

Mejia, who has support from progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, emerged from a crowded Democratic primary in February. Hathaway, a former aide to Republican Governor Chris Christie, was unchallenged in the GOP primary. Mejia has cast the race as a fight for democracy, criticizing Trump's pardons of Jan. 6 insurrection participants, while Hathaway has seized on Mejia's progressive credentials, with national Republicans casting her as a socialist.

  • The special election will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
  • The winner will serve out the final months of Mikie Sherrill's term, which ends in January 2027.
  • Both Mejia and Hathaway are also running for the next two-year term, which begins in January 2027.

The players

Analilia Mejia

A former head of the Working Families Alliance who has support from Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. She emerged from a crowded Democratic primary in February.

Joe Hathaway

A council member in suburban Randolph, he was unchallenged in the Republican primary. Hathaway has worked in healthcare, finance, and politics as an aide for former GOP Gov. Chris Christie.

Mikie Sherrill

The previous holder of the U.S. House seat, who was elected governor of New Jersey, leaving the seat vacant.

Donald Trump

The former president, whose second term is on the horizon as the midterms approach.

Kamala Harris

The current Vice President, who carried the 11th District by nearly 9 points in 2024.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“'The people here are ready to do something about it. We're not here to write strongly worded letters. Congress has real power.'”

— Analilia Mejia

“'I'm running to bring common-sense leadership to D.C & deliver results for our families, not push a far-left agenda.'”

— Joe Hathaway

“'I think we've been tilting a little bit more to the right lately, which worries me. I think that we need people in Congress who will fight for things that will help people as opposed to hurting them.'”

— Saran Cunningham, 86-year-old retired special educator

“'They want borders wide open. They don't want to enforce existing immigration laws. It's an extraordinary thing to watch.'”

— Rob Berkowitz, 62-year-old conservative voter

What’s next

The winner of the special election on Thursday will serve out the final months of Mikie Sherrill's term, and both Mejia and Hathaway are also running for the next two-year term that begins in January 2027.

The takeaway

This closely watched special election in New Jersey's 11th District will be an important test of the political landscape heading into the 2026 midterms, with control of the narrowly divided House at stake and the candidates offering starkly different visions for the district and the country.