Malinowski concedes to Mejia in Democratic US House special primary in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Former congressman Tom Malinowski bowed out to Analilia Mejia, a longtime progressive activist and former political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the crowded Democratic primary in New Jersey’s U.S. House special election on Tuesday.
A special election is being held to fill the vacant seat. Mikie Sherrill resigns to be governor.
“I look forward to supporting him in the April general election,” Malinowski said in a statement.
Mejia narrowly edged out Malinowski on election night. The Associated Press has not yet called Thursday’s race.
All three counties in the region reported that some mail-in ballots had not yet been processed. Additionally, mail-in ballots postmarked on election day may arrive and still be counted as early as Wednesday.
He has the support of prominent progressives, including independent Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Mejia, 48, a former director of the Working Families Alliance of New Jersey, is a well-known figure advocating for progressive causes in state politics. She served as Sanders’ political director during the 2020 presidential race and as deputy director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau under President Joe Biden.
Mejia will face unopposed Republican Joe Hathaway in the primary in the April 16 special general election.
Other prominent Democrats seeking the nomination included Brendan Gill, an elected commissioner for Essex County, and Tahesha Way, who until last month was lieutenant governor and secretary of state for two terms.
Also on the ballot were John Bartlett, Zach Beecher, JL Cauvin, Marc Chaaban, Cammie Croft, Dean Dafis, Jeff Grayzel, Justin Strickland and Anna Lee Williams.
The district covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey, including some affluent suburbs of New York City.
Sherrill represented the district for four terms after the 2018 election. He won despite the district’s historic allegiance to the Republican Party; This dynamic began to change during President Donald Trump’s first term.
