Analilia Mejia wins Democratic primary in the 11th District

Analilia Mejia has won the race to represent the Democratic Party in the race for the 11th Congressional District seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

The race had not been officially called by presstime but Mejia was in the lead by about 850 votes and the closest candidate, former congressman Tom Malinowski, announced that he had conceded the race.

“Analilia deserves unequivocal praise and credit for running a positive campaign and for inspiring so many voters on Election Day,” Malinowski said via a statement on social media “But the outcome of this race cannot be understood without also taking into account the massive flood of dark money that AIPAC spent on dishonest ads during the last three weeks. … The threat unlimited dark money poses to our democracy is far more significant than the views of a single member of Congress on Middle East policy.”

Politico reported that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent $2 million to attack Malinowski, who is pro-Israel but does not support unconditional aid to Israel.

Thirteen candidates were on the ballot to represent the district that has towns in Morris County, Passaic County and Essex County, including Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Maplewood and South Orange.

Malinowski was closest to Mejia, who was the top vote getter in Essex County. Malinowski got the most votes from the Morris County towns while Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way finished on top in Passaic County, nine votes ahead of Mejia in the latest count available.

Mejia said she did not approve of what AIPAC did.

“I think it’s horrendous what AIPAC tried to do in this race,” Mejia said. “I think it is part of their brand to misconstrue facts, confuse voters, and create division just to get what they have explicitly stated they want: a blank, unquestioning submission. Our democracy should not function that way; representatives should first listen to the people and always prioritize them.”

Mejia also said she did not and would not take AIPAC or corporate money or “the bundled millions from lobbyists.”

“And it is not because we are anti-corporation – I have a 401k like many of you – and it is not because we reject an entire community,” Mejia said. “We believe in humanity and justice for all. I know that antisemitism, islamaphobia, anti-Blackness, and misogyny are all cut from the same cloth. They’re all undergirded by a belief that some people are not human and are not worthy of protection. I reject this wholesale, now and forever.”

National Republican Congressional Committee Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole put out a statement saying the election of Mejia over Hathaway would turn the state into a chaotic nightmare.

“Radical Democrat Analilia Mejia wants to defund the police, raise your taxes, and turn New Jersey into a socialist hellscape,” O’Toole said. “Republican Joe Hathaway is committed to making New Jersey safer and more affordable for working families.”

Mejia, a Glen Ridge resident, is a mother and the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants. She has worked as a union organizer and fought for the $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave as director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance. She was the National Political Director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and served in the Department of Labor under President Joe Biden. Today, she’s Co-Executive Director of Popular Democracy, supporting grassroots organizations across the country. The special general election is set for April 16.

Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, who was also a candidate for the seat, also conceded defeat and said he was supporting Mejia.

“For more than two decades, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with Democrats up and down the ballot, and I will continue to do so by proudly supporting Analilia Mejia,” Gill said in a statement. “She is a principled, proven progressive who will carry our shared values into this campaign and fight for them every day in Washington, D.C. And where we may disagree on policy, we will come together, listen, and work collaboratively to move our district and our country forward.”