Democrat Tom Malinowski concedes to Analilia Mejia in primary for N.J. Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s former House seat

Former Rep. Tom Malinowski has conceded last week’s New Jersey special election to fill Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s congressional seat. 

Malinowski was one of 11 candidates on the Democratic ballot for the 11th Congressional District. He had been neck-and-neck with Analilia Mejia. 

Mejia, who held a slim lead over Malinowski, is expected to host a news conference later Tuesday afternoon with supporters.

“I congratulate Analilia Mejia on her hard won victory in the NJ-11 special primary. I look forward to supporting her in the April general election. It is essential that we send a Democrat to Washington to fill this seat, not a rubber stamp for Donald Trump,” Malinowski said in his concession. “I am proud of the joyful and substantive campaign my team and I ran, and am immensely grateful to the volunteers and staff who made it possible.” 

A crowded field of 11 candidates ran in the Democratic primary seeking the nomination for the district, which covers parts of Morris, Essex and Passaic Counties. 

Mejia will face Republican candidate Joe Hathaway, the mayor of Randolph, on April 16. 

Mejia previously worked for Sen. Bernie Sanders during his 2020  presidential bid, and was endorsed both by Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she’s spoken with Mejia and congratulated her. 

“I’ve known Analilia for years — I’ve seen her dedication to expanding opportunity and fighting for working people. I know she will be a great partner in Congress whether it is fighting for the Gateway Tunnel or to protect our Constitutional rights,” Sherrill wrote on social media. 

Sen. Cory Booker congratulated Mejia, saying the district “deserves a representative who will stand up against the harm Trump and Republicans are doing to our state.” 

“I saw the grassroots energy up close when I campaigned with her. This moment is seismic because it proves, again, that when we bet on everyday people, everyday people win,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat said. “The people spoke—and they moved the ground beneath our politics. 

Espaillat called Mejia a “proven progressive who has done the work.”