New Jersey Congressional Race Heats Up
Randolph, New Jersey — Republican candidate Joe Hathaway is looking to secure a vacant U.S. House seat in a predominantly Democratic district in northern New Jersey. Interestingly, he’s not hesitant to highlight his differences with former President Donald Trump, even while criticizing his Democratic opponent for being too far left.
In a recent interview, Hathaway stated, “I’m going to call balls and strikes in this campaign. I’m not going to be anybody’s rubber stamp.”
He’s set to compete against Democrat Analilia Mejia, who has the backing of progressive figures like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The special election is scheduled for Thursday in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, following the resignation of Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill, who left her legislative seat after her gubernatorial victory.
This election is crucial for Republicans as they try to maintain a delicate majority in the House of Representatives. Sherrill previously won re-election in 2024 by a solid 15-point margin and enjoyed a similar victory in last year’s gubernatorial race.
Hathaway expressed confidence that voters will prefer “common sense over socialism” in this election.
Mejia, who previously served as the national political director for Sanders during his 2020 presidential campaign, narrowly clinched her party’s nomination in February against moderate Tom Malinowski, competing against a field of 11 candidates. Her victory signals a significant leftward shift within the party, coming on the heels of similar upset wins like that of Democratic Socialist Mayor Zoran Mamdani in New York.
Hathaway, who is also a former mayor of Randolph Township, emphasized the stakes in this election, positioning himself as a “common-sense” leader versus Mejia’s far-left ideology. Mejia recently collaborated with Malinowski and campaigned alongside Sherrill, emphasizing unity among Democrats, who hold a registration advantage in the district.
Hathaway raised concerns about Mejia’s past comments related to Israel and cited her claims as harmful to Jewish voters in the district. He remarked, “I’ve spoken to many members of the Jewish community who have never supported a Republican before but are considering me this time. This shows how out of touch Mejia is with their concerns.”
While Mejia has stated her commitment to defending the rights of Jewish voters, Hathaway criticized her rhetoric as crossing a line into anti-Semitism.
Mejia defended her stance, clarifying that criticism of Israel’s actions shouldn’t be equated with bigotry. She also faced backlash for her recent endorsement from the liberal pro-Israel group J Street PAC, which didn’t sit well with some on the left.
Hathaway aims to appeal to independent and moderate Democratic voters, contrasting his views with Trump’s and highlighting that Trump lost this district in the 2024 presidential election. He mentioned that he intends to put the district’s interests first, regardless of party lines, suggesting that voters can “test drive the Republican Party” by supporting him.
However, political experts like Dan Cassino from Fairleigh Dickinson University have noted that Hathaway’s efforts to attract cross-party voters might be overly optimistic. He observed that Democratic turnout is remarkably high, while Republican enthusiasm lags behind, largely driven by the current national political climate.
As the race progresses, Mejia has been quick to link Hathaway to Trump, accusing him of supporting policies that inflate living costs and weaken healthcare. She contends that another Republican in Congress will only exacerbate these problems.
