New Jersey 11th District Special Election Thursday

Voters in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District head to the polls on Thursday for a special election to replace Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who resigned from the U.S. House seat after winning the state's gubernatorial race last November. The contest pits Democrat Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer with strong union backing, against Republican Joe Hathaway, a local council member, and independent candidate Alan Bond. The winner will serve the remaining months of Sherrill's term, which ends in January, and both major-party candidates are also vying for the full two-year term starting then.

Mejia, the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants, emerged victorious from a crowded Democratic primary on Feb. 5, defeating former Rep. Tom Malinowski by less than 2 percentage points in a field that included former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way and Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill. Malinowski, who had represented the neighboring 7th District, led in fundraising early but faced heavy opposition spending of $2.3 million from a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which targeted him over his questions about unconditional U.S. aid to Israel....