Ballot box shocker: Progressive backed by Sanders, AOC on verge of upset in Dem congressional primary

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A far-left candidate backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y, is close to pulling off an upset victory with votes still being counted in a Democratic congressional primary for a blue-leaning seat in New Jersey.

Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer, has a slight lead – 486 votes out of more than 61,000 counted – over former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski in the battle for their party's nomination in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.

Mejia and Malinowski are the leaders among a field of 11 Democratic candidates in the race to fill the seat left vacant after now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning November's gubernatorial election in the Garden State.

HOUSE GOP MAJORITY SHRINKS TO JUST ONE VOTE AS JOHNSON SWEARS IN NEW HOUSE DEMOCRAT

Congressional candidate Analilia Mejia is seen speaking to supporters and members of the media at Paper Plane Coffee Co. in Montclair, N.J. Mejia is one of 11 Democrats vying to fill the House seat vacated by now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill. (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But 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 front-runner in the race heading into primary day.

The winner will face off with Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the only Republican to file for the special election, which will be held on April 16.

Jan 15, 2026; Caldwell, NJ, USA; Tom Malinowski during a meet and greet hosted by The League of Women Voters at Caldwell University with the candidates running for the Democratic nomination to fill the Congressional seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. (Michael Karas / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The special election comes as Republicans cling to a razor-thin 218-214 majority in the House of Representatives.

Hathaway will be considered the underdog in the race.

Sherrill won re-election in the district in 2024 by 15 points, the same margin by which she carried the district in November's gubernatorial showdown.

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 GOP may land a reinforcement in the House before the general election for the open seat in New Jersey is held.

JOHNSON WARNS HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO ‘STAY HEALTHY’ AS GOP MAJORITY SHRINKS TO THE EDGE

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. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stepped down from her seat in Congress in early January, a year before her term ended. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

A whopping 22 candidates, including 17 Republicans, are running in the Georgia showdown.

According to Georgia state law, all the candidates will run on the same ballot. If no contender tops 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two finishers will take place on April 7.

WHO TRUJMP IS BACKING IN RACE TO REPLACE MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE

Trump on Wednesday endorsed Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Clay Fuller, a Republican, in the race.

Greene won re-election in 2024 to the seat by nearly 30 points and Trump carried the district, which is located in northwest Georgia, by 37 points.

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."