Republican Joe Hathaway and Democrat Analilia Mejia are competing in Thursday's special election for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, a seat vacated when Rep. Mikie Sherrill stepped down in November after winning the state's gubernatorial election.

The winner will serve the final eight months of Sherrill's term. The district, located in northern New Jersey, is considered blue-leaning after Sherrill won re-election by 15 points in 2024 and carried the district by roughly the same margin in last year's gubernatorial race.

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive Democrats are rallying behind Mejia as a champion of the party's left flank. She is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, both leaders of the progressive wing.

Mejia previously served as national political director on Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Her victory in the February Democratic primary, where she narrowly defeated former Rep. Tom Malinowski in an 11-candidate field, was seen as another boost for progressives over the Democratic establishment.

North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America supported Mejia's candidacy, though the group recently criticized her acceptance of an endorsement from J Street PAC, a liberal pro-Israel political group, calling it a "heel turn."

Mejia has pledged to "protect the rights of Jewish constituents" and has stated that her criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism. She recently appeared at a town hall with Malinowski and campaigned with Sherrill to unite Democrats ahead of Thursday's vote.

What the Right Is Saying

Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was uncontested for the GOP nomination, has framed the race as a choice between "a common sense, practical independent leader" and someone running on "far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology."

Hathaway has criticized Mejia's positions on the Israel-Gaza conflict, claiming her statements constitute antisemitism. "She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on October 7," Hathaway said in the only debate of the special election. "I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric."

Hathaway said he has spoken to Jewish community members who have never voted Republican before but plan to vote for him in this race. He argued that voters will "choose common sense over socialism" and emphasized his local government experience.

Hathaway has also pointed to areas where he agrees and disagrees with President Donald Trump, noting that Trump lost the district by eight points in 2024. He has emphasized his ability to work across party lines, telling independents and crossover Democrats they can "test drive" a Republican representative for six months.

What the Numbers Show

Sherrill won re-election in NJ-11 by 15 points in 2024. She carried the district by roughly the same margin in last year's gubernatorial election.

Trump lost the district by eight points in the 2024 presidential election, indicating Republican vulnerability even in a Democratic-leaning seat.

Democrats hold a sizable registration advantage in the district. The winner of Thursday's special election will serve the final eight months of the current Congress.

The race takes place with Republicans clinging to a fragile House majority, making any seat flip significant for both parties.

The Bottom Line

Thursday's special election will test whether Republicans can win in a suburban district that has trended Democratic in recent cycles. Hathaway needs significant crossover support from independents and moderate Democrats to overcome the district's Democratic registration advantage.

The race has highlighted divisions within the Democratic Party between progressive and moderate wings, with Mejia's primary victory representing another win for the left after similar outcomes in other recent races. The outcome will also determine whether voters in a blue-leaning district embrace or reject the progressive platform represented by Mejia's Sanders-AOC endorsement.

The winner will serve out the remainder of Sherrill's term, which ends in January 2027.