Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Livingston) won’t run for the 11th congressional district in this June’s Democratic primary, ending a brief bout of speculation about whether she might challenge Analilia Mejia, the unexpected winner of last week’s special Democratic primary.
Bagolie, now in her second term representing her suburban Essex County district in the state legislature, told Politico earlier this week that she was considering running against Mejia, a progressive Democrat who narrowly defeated several more moderate foes to win the district’s nomination. But in a statement shared with the New Jersey Globe today, Bagolie said she’s decided against a congressional campaign after all.
“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided that now is not the time for a congressional run in the June primary,” Bagolie said. “I will continue to serve my constituents in the 27th [legislative] district with the same level of dedication, mindful of the trust you have placed in me.”
Bagolie had also been seen as a potential candidate for the 11th district in the original special election primary, but she ultimately opted not to run.
Mejia, who spent years working for the progressive Working Families Party and on Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, will be going up against Republican nominee Joe Hathaway on April 16 to fill out the rest of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s unfinished House term. Regardless of whether she wins that election or not – though she’s heavily favored to do so – Mejia will then have to run in the June primary and November general election for a full term.
While Bagolie has now confirmed she won’t run in June, the third-place finisher in last week’s primary, former Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way, is considering whether to do so. And the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which spent heavily to take down former Rep. Tom Malinowski (and in doing so helped elect Mejia), has hinted that it may be interested in trying to take down Mejia in June in favor of a more pro-Israel candidate.
Mejia, though, is quickly consolidating support from many of the top Democrats in the state, among them both of its U.S. senators, five of its House members, and several of those she defeated last week. “For more than two decades, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with Democrats up and down the ballot, and I will continue to do so by proudly supporting Analilia Mejia,” Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair), the special primary’s fourth-place finisher, said yesterday.