Malinowski concedes New Jersey Democratic primary to Analilia Mejia

Former Rep. Tom Malinowski conceded the closely watched Democratic special primary in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District to progressive activist Analilia Mejia on Feb. 10, ending a tight contest shaped by outside spending and sharp debate over Israel policy.

Mejia, who served as political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders and has worked as co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, led a diverse Democratic field and will face Republican Joe Hathaway, mayor of Randolph Township, in a special general election on April 16 to fill the remainder of the seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill. The district spans parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties and has been a focal point for both national groups and local activists.

The outcome emerged after a period of shifting returns. NBC reported Mejia with 29.1 percent of the primary vote to Malinowski’s 27.7 percent by Tuesday morning, with its Decision Desk withholding a projection while awaiting later-arriving mail and provisional ballots. AP noted that all three counties still had mail-in ballots to process and that ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive as late as the following Wednesday and still be counted. An early campaign fragment circulating during the count said Malinowski had "held a narrow but growing lead" before he conceded, a claim at odds with the later tallies reported by NBC and other outlets.

Malinowski, a former two-term congressman who sought to return to the House after his 2022 defeat, acknowledged Mejia’s victory in a statement captured by NPR: "I congratulate Analilia Mejia on her hard won victory in the NJ-11 special primary. I look forward to supporting her in the April general election." In follow-up remarks he blamed a surge of outside spending for the result, telling the AP that "the outcome of this race cannot be understood without taking into account the massive flood of dark money that AIPAC spent on dishonest ads during the last three weeks." New Jersey Monitor recorded him saying, "The threat unlimited dark money poses to our democracy is far more significant than the views of a single member of Congress on Middle East policy."

In a broader defense of his record, Malinowski told NBC that "My convictions - including my support for Israel as a democratic and Jewish state - don't change because of who supports or opposes me. But our Democratic Party should have nothing to do with a pro-Trump organization that demands absolute fealty to positions that are outside the mainstream of the American pro-Israel community, and then smears those who don't fall in line." He also said he would work to oppose AIPAC-backed candidates in the party’s regular June primary.

The result underscored shifting alliances within the Democratic establishment. The DNC initially congratulated Malinowski on election night and later issued a statement backing Mejia, saying, "New Jersey deserves a fighter and not a spineless Trump lackey," according to AP. Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigned with Mejia and called her a "great organizer" who will "stand up and fight," and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was also among her high-profile backers. Several local leaders including Sen. Cory Booker and others moved to endorse Mejia, while Sen. Andy Kim, who had earlier backed Malinowski, ultimately backed Mejia as well.

Republicans signaled an aggressive general election strategy. NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said Republicans are already taking aim at Mejia, saying she wants to "turn New Jersey into a socialist hellscape." AIPAC’s spokesperson Deryn Sousa responded that "Our six million members will be very active this election cycle supporting Democrats and Republicans who strengthen the U.S.-Israel partnership and opposing those, of either party, who may seek to undermine it," as reported by New Jersey Monitor.

Mejia’s victory in the special primary positions her at the center of what may be one of the first substantive ideological tests of the 2026 midterm cycle, with a special general on April 16 and the regular primary and general contests on June 2 and Nov. 3 remaining on the calendar.