A former top campaign aide to democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders held a slim lead early Wednesday in the special Democratic primary to replace New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill in the House of Representatives.
With an estimated 6,000 votes still to be counted, Analilia Mejia (28.8%) led former Rep. Tom Malinowski (28.0%) by just 486 votes out of more than 61,000 cast among the 11-person field.
Former Garden State Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way was a distant third with 17.4% of the vote, while Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill was fourth with 14.2%. No other candidate received more than 3% support.
Malinowski, who spent four years in the House representing New Jersey’s 7th District before his 2022 defeat by Republican Thomas Kean Jr., started election night with a significant lead over Mejia, based largely on early mail-in voting results. Mejia overtook Malinowski thanks to a strong showing in the primary day vote.
Mail-in ballots postmarked by election day can arrive as late as Wednesday and still be counted and all three of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties reported some mail-in ballots were yet to be processed, leaving the outcome in doubt.
Either Mejia or Malinowski will be an overwhelming favorite to defeat Republican candidate Joe Hathaway in the April 16 special election and serve out the remainder of Sherrill’s term.
The new governor declined to make an endorsement in the primary, as did Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Malinowski won the backing of the state’s other US senator, Andy Kim, who has built support among progressive groups.
Mejia, a former head of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and political director for Sanders (I-Vt.) during his 2020 presidential run, was supported by prominent progressives at all levels of goverment, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as well as Sanders, Newark Mayor Ras Barak, former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
With Post wires
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