Analilia Mejia, US Democratic House candidate for New Jersey, speaks to supporters and members of the media at Paper Plane Coffee Co. in Montclair, New Jersey, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mejia and Malinowski were the leaders among a field of 11 Democratic candidates in last Thursday's primary to fill the seat left vacant after now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning November's gubernatorial election in the Garden State.
The results in the primary showdown were closely watched by the political world as an early testing ground in the debate between progressives versus the more mainstream elements of the Democratic Party.
The victory by Mejia, who worked as national political director on Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, is the latest boost for the left against the establishment since now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
"She stands for a progressive populist economic agenda," progressive leader Rep. Ro Khanna of California, emphasized last week in a social media post. "She is the future!"
Mejia, speaking to supporters on primary night, highlighted that "we have to rebuild our party, we have to rebuild what is happening in our nation. We have to reclaim our democracy. We know that our economy is rigged to suit the billionaires."
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Malinowski, an assistant secretary of state in former President Barack Obama's administration who later represented a neighboring congressional district in northern New Jersey from 2018 to 2022 before losing re-election, was considered the favorite in the race heading into primary day.
But Malinowski was the target of a slew of attack ads put out by a group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which opposed Malinowski because he said he supports conditions on aid to Israel.
The AIPAC-aligned super PAC United Democracy Project dished out more than $2.3 million to take aim at Malinowski, even though AIPAC had previously supported Malinowski in his past congressional elections.
But the strategy backfired, because Mejia is much tougher on Israel than Malinowski.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) jumped the gun on primary night, congratulating Malinowski in an email release.
"Tonight, Democrat Tom Malinowski clinched victory in the New Jersey District 11 special election Democratic primary," the DNC's release read.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down from her seat in the House of Representatives in November, after winning the Garden State's gubernatorial election. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by just eight points in the 2024 presidential election, giving the GOP some hopes of possibly flipping the seat.
The primary in New Jersey was held as Republicans cling to a razor-thin 218-214 majority in the House of Representatives.
But the GOP may land a reinforcement in the House before the open seat in New Jersey is filled.
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That's because a special election is scheduled on March 10 in Georgia's solidly red 14th Congressional District, in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The MAGA firebrand and one-time top Trump House ally in early January stepped away from Congress a year before her term ended.
Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California, who represented a district in the northeastern portion of the state, died in early January. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
There's one more vacant seat in Congress, in California's 1st Congressional District, following the recent unexpected death of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa.
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A primary in the race to fill LaMalfa's seat will be held on June 2, which is primary day in California. And the special general election will be held on Aug. 4.
The district, in northeastern California, is solidly Republican.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/progressive-backed-sanders-aoc-pulls-off-upset-ballot-box-shocker-democratic-congressional-primary