By Nolan D. McCaskill
WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Former U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski congratulated Analilia Mejia for winning the Democratic nomination in a phone call on Tuesday morning, conceding a race that has been too close to call since Thursday’s election.
Mejia, national political director of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, leads Malinowski by nearly 900 votes in Tuesday morning’s latest tally.
Voters in northern New Jersey chose Mejia as the Democratic nominee to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the favorite to be elected to Congress in two months.
Mejia, who ran as a progressive outsider, prevailed over 10 other Democrats in the crowded field in New Jersey’s 11th District, finishing narrowly ahead of Malinowski. The seat was previously held by Mikie Sherrill, a moderate Democrat who left the House after she was elected governor in November.
Mejia will face Randolph Township Councilman Joe Hathaway, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination, in the April 16 special election to serve the remainder of Sherrill’s term through early 2027.
“It is essential that we send a Democrat to Washington to fill this seat, not a rubber stamp for (President Donald) Trump,” Malinowski said. “Analilia deserves unequivocal praise and credit for running a positive campaign and for inspiring so many voters on Election Day.”
The Democratic candidate is favored to win the district, which former Vice President Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 presidential election by nearly 9 points.
House Republicans hold a 218-214 majority, which means they can spare only one vote to pass legislation over united Democratic opposition.
A Democratic victory in New Jersey would give Republicans an even narrower margin. However, Republicans are favored to fill two vacant seats in special elections in Georgia on March 10 and California on August 4, which would expand their majority by two seats.
PROGRESSIVES BACKED MEJIA; OUTSIDE GROUP TARGETED MALINOWSKI
Mejia earned the backing of leading progressives on Capitol Hill, including Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
A pro-Israel super PAC spent $2.3 million opposing Malinowski, who said he would not rule out placing conditions on foreign aid to Israel.
Other top candidates included former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way and Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill.
If Mejia is elected in April, she will be on the ballot again for the state’s June 2 primary to be the Democratic nominee in the general election for a full two-year term.
United Democracy Project, the pro-Israel super PAC that targeted Malinowski, said last week that the race’s outcome “was an anticipated possibility” and signaled it would spend more money to defeat Mejia in June.
“Our focus remains on who will serve the next full term in Congress,” the group said in a statement.
November’s midterm elections will determine which party controls the House and Senate for the final two years of Trump’s term.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill in Washington; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Matthew Lewis)
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