GOP House majority shrinks as Democrat wins New Jersey special election

This story was originally reported by Marissa Martinez of The 19th. Meet Marissa and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy.

 

Democrat Analilia Mejia has won the special election for a safely blue U.S. House seat in New Jersey, Decision Desk HQ projects, further narrowing Republicans’ already razor-thin edge in the chamber and adding another progressive voice to the Democratic caucus.

Mejia defeated Republican Joe Hathaway and will complete the congressional term of fellow Democrat Mikie Sherrill, who was elected governor in November.

She emerged from a crowded field of nearly a dozen candidates to clinch a narrow victory in the February primary, running just ahead of former Rep. Tom Malinowski. Mejia’s contest against her Republican opponent had grown contentious in the past month, with Hathaway casting her as a “radical socialist” who is too left for their district and criticizing her for calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.

She entered the final days of her campaign with nearly double Hathaway’s fundraising and cash on hand.

Mejia, a union organizer, ran on a platform of affordability for the working class, including increasing funding for child care and raising taxes on the highest earners. She got endorsements from notable progressive lawmakers, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for whom she served as national political director in his 2020 presidential campaign.

She also backs abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and raising the minimum wage. Her campaign focused on upending the “any old blue” model of Democratic politics.

“I know that people are drowning in credit card debt. In the last year alone, their health care costs have skyrocketed, skyrocketed. Their energy costs have skyrocketed. Everything is more expensive because Republican policies have made it harder,” Mejia said during an April candidate debate.

Both Mejia and Hathaway will be back on the ballot in June, running in their party primaries for next cycle’s two-year term.

Republicans control the House, but their margin has gotten slimmer since the 2024 elections. With Mejia’s addition, Democrats will have 214 representatives, while Republicans have 217, and one independent caucuses with the GOP. She joins Congress in the wake of the resignations of Reps. Tony Gonzales, a Republican, and Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, who stepped down after allegations of sexual misconduct.

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