The Democratic special primary election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill remains too close to call, with a progressive candidate leading a former U.S. representative.
As of 5 a.m. ET, around 9 hours after polls closed, progressive candidate Analilia Mejia led former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski by roughly 0.8 percentage points, with 28.8 percent of the vote to Malinowski’s 28 percent, with 91 percent of the votes counted.
The Associated Press has not yet called an outcome in the 11th Congressional District race.
Going into the night, Malinowski was the favorite for the nomination, with betting markets placing his odds north of 90 percent as polls closed around 8 p.m. local time.
Around an hour later, at 9 p.m., Decision Desk HQ called the race for Malinowski—a call that the agency was forced to retract as election day results began to come in, showing a much stronger-than-expected showing for Mejia.
Mejia’s campaign boasts some high-profile endorsements.
On the campaign trail, Mejia positioned herself as the most progressive candidate in the race, earning the backing of top progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Malinowski, meanwhile, leaned heavily on his status as the only former congressman in the race, saying he is “completely battle-tested.”
Ahead of the election, Malinowski—who came into the race with far and away the highest name recognition—garnered several endorsements from other Democrats.
Most prominently, Malinowski was endorsed by Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), the state’s junior senator.
In a Jan. 29 video on X, Kim urged voters to back Malinowski.
“He’s fought against ICE, stood up to Trump, and has the experience we need in this national emergency. Vote for Tom on Thursday, February 5th,” Kim said.
Malinowski was also endorsed by Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.).
The special primary for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District—encompassing much of Essex County and surrounding areas—represents the first congressional election of 2026.
In the formerly Republican-voting congressional district, voters have historically focused on financial and policy issues, such as state and local tax deduction.
The victor in the primary will go on to face off against Joe Hathaway, the only Republican candidate in the race, in a special election on April 16.
The winner of the race for the blue-trending seat, which flipped to Democrats in 2018 and has remained in their column since, will serve out the remainder of Sherrill’s term and will presumptively seek reelection in the November general election.
Other notable runners-up in the crowded race included former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way; Brendan Gill, a Democratic operative who ran former Gov. Philip D. Murphy’s first campaign; Cammie Croft, a former White House staffer under President Barack Obama; and a slate of candidates with local credentials.
President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were the centerpiece for Democratic candidates on the campaign trail in the weeks leading up to the election.
Malinowski, the projected front-runner in the days leading up to the race, was targeted by campaign ads accusing him of voting “with Trump” to fund ICE, citing his support for a stopgap funding bill in 2019 that received bipartisan support at the time.
Way, meanwhile, referenced her past standoffs with Trump, including her 2020 victory in a case regarding New Jersey’s decision to send mail-in ballots to all registered voters. As secretary of state at the time, Way oversaw the election.
Gill also criticized ICE in campaign ads, appearing in one alongside his wife, Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill, a Colombian American.
