In a congressional race with so many candidates, former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way is trying to make herself the only candidate.
Way, who served as lieutenant governor and secretary of state until last month, is one of 11 Democrats looking to succeed Gov. Mikie Sherrill in Congress. She says she’s the only candidate “who has actually delivered results for New Jersey’s families”; the only candidate “who made New Jersey a national leader in democracy”; the only candidate “who understands the intersection of all levels of government.”
This is Way’s closing message with fewer than 48 hours before polls close in a special primary in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district. An all-women lineup — including Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark), Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, and Olympic hurdler Leslie Maxie — joined her in Montclair on Tuesday evening for a rally with a couple of dozen attendees. More than anything else, she said her experience in various New Jersey positions would be indispensable for handling President Donald Trump.
In a crowded race, such messaging could go a long way with Democratic voters desperately seeking an effective counter to Trump. Her time as New Jersey’s top elections official prepares her to handle Trump’s potential encroachments on elections, she argues. She touted bills she signed that granted college students free mental health care and barred employers from sharing their employees’ immigration status, and she highlighted her time on the State Ethics Commission.
Way said she would continue such work in Congress by cutting “junk fees,” removing the State and Local Taxes deduction cap, protecting health care, and abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Way has joined many progressive and liberal Democrats in demanding the abolition of ICE as judges across the country rebuke the agency for violating court orders during aggressive immigration enforcement operations.
“I commit to always defend our safety, our democracy, and our fundamental rights from anyone who threatens them, especially Donald Trump,” Way told the group. “Look, we all have to stand up to speak out to abolish ICE and build a system that protects our communities, not terrorizes them.”
The race’s other frontrunners include former Rep. Tom Malinowski, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, and ex-Bernie Sanders staffer Analilia Mejia. Sherrill, who resigned her seat in November, is staying out of it. The winner of the Democratic primary will be favored to defeat Republican Joe Hathaway, who is unopposed in seeking the GOP nomination.
The bizarre timing of the primary — a Thursday in February — is partly the quirk of New Jersey’s special election laws, which have since been reformed. But Way said she isn’t concerned about voter access, pointing to her own work in implementing vote-by-mail and early voting. Early voting in the competition started last week, and more than 16,000 Democrats have already voted, a healthy total.
The condensed schedule and wide field have led to a fractured race. Former Gov. Phil Murphy backs Gill, national progressives are coalescing behind Mejia, major state figures like Senator Andy Kim have endorsed Malinowski, and a lieutenant governors group is spending big to back Way.
Outside money holds an outsized role in the race. A group associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has spent at least $2.3 million targeting Malinowski; he has said he supports Israel, but AIPAC is spending against him because he refused to promise unconditional aid for Israel should he be elected.
A spokesperson for AIPAC’s campaign arm said there are “several candidates in this race that are far more supportive of the US-Israel relationship” than Malinowski. One such candidate is Way. She told the New Jersey Globe that she would not condition aid for Israel.
“I am a believer in the two-state solution, right?” she said. “I say that Israel is entitled to her security, [and] self-determination for the Palestinian people without Hamas. But I also know that, as secretary of state, I oversaw the [New Jersey-Israel Commission]. And so would I condition aid? No, I would not.”
Malinowski has suggested the United Democratic Project, AIPAC’s political spending arm, is weighing in on the race to help out Way. Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, a separate national pro-Israel group, endorsed Way last week.
“I’m making this crystal-clear: I have no control over outside entities and who they decide to support,” Way said.
The DMFI isn’t the only outside group to enter the race on Way’s behalf. The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association has spent at least $1.4 million backing Way, and a dark-money group known as Article One Inc. has spent at least $350,000 supporting her candidacy. The latter has virtually no online footprint, and its exact purpose and provenance remain unclear. Malinowski has received the backing of a different PAC, while Mejia has received support from a number of progressive groups.
Way told the New Jersey Globe that she would look into campaign finance reform, but is primarily concerned with handling day-to-day challenges presented to people, like rising health care costs and aggressive immigration enforcement.
“What I do believe is being open to a change in Citizens United,” Way said. “But right now, for me, I’m focusing on the message: people are hurting.”
Starting Thursday morning, voters who opted to wait until Election Day will trudge through the still snow-capped hills of the 11th district to cast their votes. Way, who was last on a ballot in 2009, says the energy is there for a victory.
“We’ve made outreach with 100,000 voters. We’re knocking on doors in the cold. Nothing is stopping this campaign.”