In a long-anticipated announcement that could dramatically shake up the race for Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s House seat, Analilia Mejia confirmed today that she’s running for Congress – and she’s already got an endorsement from her old boss, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who remains a guiding light for New Jersey progressives.
Mejia, a longtime figure in New Jersey progressive and labor circles, rose to national prominence as political director on Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign. She’s the fourteenth Democrat to enter the special election for the 11th congressional district, and her devoutly left-wing campaign could add a sharp new ideological dimension to the contest.
“Too many Democrats in Washington are selling us out and folding under pressure. Plain old blue just won’t cut it anymore,” Mejia said in her campaign announcement. “We need real fighters in Congress, and I’m running to be a brawler for working families. I won’t be afraid to stand up to Trump or his billionaire friends.”
Mejia’s interest in the seat has been known for several weeks; Newark Mayor Ras Baraka essentially announced her campaign for her at the New Jersey League of Municipalities last week, and she previously filed paperwork with the FEC ahead of her run. Her allies have also begun circulating petitions to make it onto the ballot ahead of the fast-approaching deadline.
A 48-year-old native of Elizabeth, Mejia spent years working for a variety of labor organizations, including SEIU Local 32BJ, UFCW, and UNITE HERE. In 2014, she became the executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Party, a role that made her the face of New Jersey’s anti-establishment progressive movement. (Her successor in that job, Sue Altman, ran for Congress in the 7th district last year.)
In 2019, Mejia joined Sanders’s presidential campaign, remaining in a top role until Sanders exited the race in April 2020; she later briefly joined President Joe Biden’s Department of Labor before becoming the co-director of the Center for Popular Democracy, a national progressive group. Now resident of Glen Ridge in the 11th district, Mejia’s ties to Sanders’s orbit are paying off today in the form of a day-one congressional endorsement.
“As someone who worked in a senior role in my campaign, I know she acts with integrity and is unwavering in her commitment to our shared values,” Sanders said. “At a moment when oligarchs and corporate interests continue to capture our government, we need true progressives to take our country back for working Americans. Analilia’s experience shaping policy, her relentless advocacy, and her deep dedication to working families make her the best choice.”
With Sherrill resigning from her seat last week, the special election to replace her is moving fast. The primary will be on February 5, and candidates will have to file 500 petition signatures before December 1 – six days from today – in order to make the ballot. (One longshot candidate filed a lawsuit yesterday insisting that the deadline needs to be pushed back.)
In order to win the Democratic nomination, Mejia, who has never run for political office before, will have to get past a huge number of established politicians who have been preparing runs for higher office for years. One of them, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair), already has endorsements from Gov. Phil Murphy and most local state legislators; another, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, has deep connections in D.C. stemming from his two terms representing the neighboring 7th district.
Also in the mix are Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way, Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett (D-Wayne), Maplewood Committeeman/former Mayor Dean Dafis, Morris Township Committeeman/former Mayor Jeff Grayzel, Chatham Councilman Justin Strickland, Obama administration alum Cammie Croft, former Army paratrooper Zach Beecher, comedian J-L Cauvin, former congressional staffer Marc Chaaban, activist Anna Lee Williams, and former Morristown Mayor/perennial candidate Donald Cresitello.
But while many of those names have local political bases to draw from, Mejia will likely come at her campaign from a different angle: as the most committed and reliable progressive in the race. (While the 11th district used to be competitive, it was substantially redrawn in the most recent redistricting cycle, and Republicans are unlikely to make a serious play to flip it next year.) Mejia will also be the only Hispanic candidate running in a district that’s around 17% Hispanic.
The Democratic primary to succeed Sherrill, who has represented the 11th district since 2019, was going to be a closely watched affair regardless – but Mejia’s entrance could turn it into a genuine national spectacle.
“I’m running to save our democracy and unrig our economy, so it actually works for working people,” she said today. “Billionaires and big corporations already have their representatives in Washington. I’m running because YOU need one, too.”