A week after her third-place finish in the special Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, former Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way is considering running again in June against Analilia Mejia, the winner of the primary and likely the district’s next congresswoman.
Way is actively exploring another campaign and has begun having conversations with allies to test its viability, a source familiar with the matter told the New Jersey Globe. Way and her campaign have not responded to multiple requests for comment since Election Day.
A brief and little-noticed statement put out by Way’s campaign on social media last week did not mention Mejia or the June primary at all: “To every volunteer and supporter who showed up and believed in this campaign: thank you,” Way said. “This movement doesn’t end here – and our fight to lower costs, protect health care, defend democracy, and keep communities safe continues.”
A former secretary of state who spent two years as New Jersey’s second-in-command, Way was a late entrant to this year’s 11th district special election, which was triggered by Mikie Sherrill’s election as governor. She became one of the crowded field’s frontrunners after a handful of outside groups, chief among them the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, spent more than $2 million on her behalf; there was also widespread speculation that she was the preferred candidate of the well-funded American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
On Election Day, however, it was Mejia who emerged as the winner with 29% of the vote, followed by former Rep. Tom Malinowski with 28%; Way finished further back with 17%. AIPAC invested heavily in the race to defeat Malinowski, but their investment seemingly helped the progressive Mejia, a far more Israel-critical candidate, win instead.
Following Mejia’s victory, some moderate Democrats have raised the possibility of challenging her in June, when she’ll face voters for a full term in Congress. Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Livingston) has indicated she may be interested in such a campaign, and AIPAC said it will be watching the June primary “to help ensure pro-Israel candidates are elected to Congress.”
If Way were to re-launch her campaign, she would provide the anti-Mejia contingent with a well-known name and a pre-existing campaign apparatus, two valuable assets in such a truncated race. But she’d also face strong headwinds to winning – chief among them the fact that most top Democrats are already consolidating behind Mejia.
Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair), the fourth-place finisher last Thursday, has endorsed Mejia in the June primary, as have Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim and five members of the state’s House delegation. Malinowski hasn’t gone quite that far yet, but he has said that “if AIPAC backs a candidate – openly or surreptitiously – in the June NJ-11 congressional primary, I will oppose that candidate and urge my supporters to do so as well.”
Way would also likely have to rely on further outside assistance from AIPAC and the DLGA, which is not a sure thing. During the special primary, Way and Mejia raised similar (and similarly modest) amounts of money into their own campaign accounts, but pro-Way messaging dominated the airwaves thanks to the DLGA.
For the next two months, 11th district voters will instead be focused on a different campaign: the special general election between Mejia and GOP nominee Joe Hathaway. Mejia is favored to win the Democratic-leaning district, but any Democrat who might run against her won’t know for sure whether they’ll be challenging an incumbent congresswoman, since the March 23 filing deadline will arrive long before the April 16 special election.