Photo: Getty Images North America
The race to replace Mikie Sherrill in the New Jersey 11th in Congress has turned into an all-out free-for-all on the Democratic side, as several candidates vied for the nomination in Thursday’s election to pick their choice to run for the seat. The race has been declared too close to call, with progressive organizer Analila Mejia ahead of former Representative Tom Malinowski, with ballots still waiting to be counted. That, however, didn’t stop Mejia from declaring herself the victor in the campaign. If that result holds true, Mejia would then go on to face Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway in the April 16th special election to fill in the seat Sherrill vacated when she ran successfully for governor last fall. What would a Mejia win mean for the 11th district in particular and New Jersey and Congress in general? Award-winning NorthJersey.com columnist Mike Kelly appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning to discuss that situation- which, he quickly reminded everyone, has not come to fruition yet, despite Mejia’s declaration that she’s the candidate.
“The bottom line here is that she hasn’t officially won the race yet,” Kelly told host Larry Mendte. “Malinowski still has a slim chance. She’s got 18,572 votes and Malinowski has 17,644. That’s not a big margin, and there are supposedly write-in ballots and mail-in ballots yet to be counted, so we’ll see. The bottom line is that, if she does win, this is Bernie Sanders’ former national political director, and she follows in the footsteps of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and also Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. This is not exactly that kind of district. This is a suburban district, centered in very much the well-to-do and middle-class suburbs of New Jersey, and if she wins this, it will be, in my opinion, a political earthquake.”
Kelly therefore believes there’s an opening for Hathaway to crack wide open and win the general election, if he can get the Republican party to back him properly: “[Hathaway is] not exactly a political powerhouse, but nonetheless, I think the Republicans have a chance to steal a seat here, and I say that with all seriousness, and so, this could be one of the more interesting races to watch in the fall.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images