Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) and Belleville building inspector Joe Belnome, a Republican, have won their respective primaries in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, the New Jersey Globe projects, setting up a general election contest in a district that is increasingly distant from its competitive days.
As of 9:44 p.m., Sherrill, who flipped the district from Republicans in 2018, leads real estate consultant Mark De Lotto by a dominant 95%-5% margin in the Democratic primary. De Lotto is the first Democratic primary challenger Sherrill has had to face since taking office, though he didn’t do too much to turn it into a real race.
Belnome, meanwhile, has 86% of the vote against accountant John Sauers, who has 8%, and physician Raafat Barsoom, who has 5%. Belnome had the county line across the district, so his win isn’t a surprise.
But Belnome will face an extremely uphill battle in November in a district that re-elected Sherrill by a 59%-40% margin in 2022. That’s especially true given Belnome’s history as a committed Trump supporter who was in attendance at the January 6 protest outside the U.S. Capitol – likely not something the anti-Trump suburban voters of the 11th district will look too kindly on.
Sherrill, though, may be looking to move up to a new job before her next term is up. The congresswoman is widely viewed as a potential candidate for governor in 2025, and the stronger her performance is this year against Belnome, the stronger argument she may have that she’s the best Democrat to keep New Jersey in the Democratic column.