A progressive House candidate, supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is facing criticism for avoiding in-person debates against his Republican rivals ahead of an upcoming special election in April. This has led to claims of hesitance to defend a far-left agenda directly before voters.
Republican Joe Hathaway is targeting his Democratic opponent, Analilia Mejia, for choosing a virtual debate after turning down several in-person chances. They are set to engage in a live virtual forum hosted by the New Jersey Globe on Wednesday evening.
“It’s unfortunate that, with only two weeks left in the election period, my opponent glosses over the debate,” Hathaway mentioned. “For now, she can hide behind a screen, but her record remains visible.”
The special election winner will take over the seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who stepped down after her 2025 gubernatorial victory. This race will be closely monitored due to its potential impact on a limited number of House Republicans.
Hathaway’s campaign claimed that Mejia repeatedly sidestepped opportunities to debate, only to criticize Hathaway when he accepted an invitation. There was also a proposed discussion panel with several New Jersey institutions that fell through after Mejia declined the invite.
Mejia, who narrowly won the Democratic primary in February, has experienced backlash for seemingly misrepresenting her reasons for declining a debate with a local League of Women Voters chapter. She stated she turned down an invitation for a debate co-sponsored by the ACLU of New Jersey because the group could not guarantee a person of color as the moderator. However, women-led organizations countered this, asserting her main concern was about the moderation selection process.
“We had to provide the campaign with potential moderators for approval,” noted LWV President Jennifer Howard. “This is something we cannot accommodate since our bipartisan stance doesn’t allow candidates’ influence over moderator selection.”
Hathaway, who is a Randolph County council member, criticized Mejia for withdrawing from a previously scheduled debate, saying, “If she’s going to lie about something as simple as a debate, what else will we hear from her?” He aims to draw a clear contrast between his practical leadership and the radical policies he attributes to his opponent.
In response, a spokesperson for Mejia’s campaign dismissed Hathaway’s remarks, saying, “He’s just complaining. We’ll meet tomorrow.”
Mejia’s campaign earlier claimed that she agreed to the New Jersey Globe debate since it met her diversity criteria while also keeping an eye on the ongoing race.
As a staunch progressive, Mejia was a key figure in Sanders’ 2020 campaign, advocates for abolishing ICE, and has been vocal in her criticism of Israel. The winner of the special election will face voters again in November to complete a two-year term.
