By NJ State House News Service
Former Congressman Tom Malinowski, Bernie Sanders presidential campaign ex-director Analilia Mejia and New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way are among the candidates who submitted petitions to replace Democrat Mikie Sherrill in the House of Representatives, according to an updated filing.
In all, 14 candidates – all Democrats, save for one Republican – are seeking to run in the Feb. 15 special primary election. The winners from each party will face off in an April 16 special election.
Sherrill’s fourth term was to expire in January 2027. She resigned from Congress in November, after she defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli to succeed Phil Murphy as governor.
Major-party candidates had a Dec. 1 deadline to file enough petitions to qualify for inclusion on the ballot, and an earlier release included just seven names. The 11th District field is likely to fluctuate still, as candidates may successfully challenge the validity of opponents’ petition signatures, and independent office seekers have a Feb. 5 deadline to file.
The sole Republican is Joe Hathaway, a Randolph Township Committee member who was an aide to former Governor Chris Christie.
Malinowski served two terms in the 7th District before he was defeated by Tom Kean Jr., a former state senator, in the 2022 midterm election. Mejia, a veteran progressive organizer, was the 2020 presidential campaign director for Sanders, the independent U.S. senator from Vermont. Way was appointed New Jersey secretary of state in 2018, when Governor Phil Murphy took office, and was named lieutenant governor in 2023 upon the death of Sheila Oliver, who had been Murphy’s running mate.
The other Democrats are:
- Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill
- Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett
- Community advocate Anna Lee Williams
- Army veteran and venture capitalist Zachary Beecher
- Former House press aide Marc Chaaban
- Former Barack Obama administration aide Cammie Croft
- Attorney and comedian J-L Cauvin
- Maplewood Township Committee member Dean Dafis
- Morris Township Committee member Jeff Grayzel
- Chatham Borough Council member and Army veteran Justin Strickland
The 11th District includes parts of Essex, Passaic and Morris counties. Registered Democrats dominate, with 55,709 voters, while Republicans have 45,228, according to November statistics. Another 61,689 voters are unaffiliated.
