Progressive Analilia Mejía takes New Jersey US House special election, giving Democrats another win

DENVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Democrat Analilia Mejía won a New Jersey special election for the U.S. House on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to President Donald Trump and defending progressive policies.

Mejía, 48, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill and serve until January.

Her victory is a win for progressives and means Democrats hold on to the 11th District seat in the House, where Republicans hold a thin majority. It also adds to a string of victories for Democrats heading into this year’s midterm elections.

The Associated Press called the race for Mejía minutes after the polls closed.

Mejía later spoke in Montclair to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters who called out in unison with her that she was an “unbought, unbossed, sassy new member of Congress.”

Republicans criticized her throughout the campaign as too far to the left. She pushed back against those arguments, calling for better health care and education and attacking billionaires for having a “stranglehold” on the economy.

“It is not radical to say that a worker who toils every day cannot make ends meet, that they deserve justice, that they deserve higher wages,” Mejía said Thursday night. “That is not radical, that is good conscience. That is a good economy.”

Her speech echoed Sanders, who congratulated her in a social media post and said she would be a “great progressive addition” to Congress.

Mejía emerged from a crowded primary in February and cast the race as a test of Trump’s leadership. She criticized his pardons of people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes and faulted him for freezing funds authorized by Congress.

She campaigned on populist economic policies and pushing to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She has criticized the Israeli government and said she stands with Palestinian communities in their “pursuit of peace and dignity.”

Hathaway, 38, tried to use Mejía's progressive credentials to his advantage, as national Republicans cast her as a socialist. After her victory he congratulated Mejía and wished her well. He added that he still believes the district is looking for “balanced, pragmatic” leadership, not “far-left policies.”

The two could go head to head again in November’s election for a full two-year term.

The 11th District, which covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey’s wealthy suburbs, was long a Republican stronghold but has become increasingly Democratic since Trump’s first term.

Sherrill first won the seat in 2018’s midterm elections, when Democrats flipped dozens of seats to take control of Congress. In 2024 she won reelection by about 15 points, while Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, carried the district by nearly 9 points.

Mejía's margin of victory was greater. With more than 90% of votes counted late Thursday, she led Hathaway by about 20 percentage points. Additional mail-in ballots — which have favored Mejía by an even larger margin — will be counted in the coming days as they can arrive as late as Wednesday.

Saran Cunningham, an 86-year-old retired special educator, said she was initially reluctant to support Mejía, worried that her views were too far to the left. She backed another candidate in the primary. But recently, outside the Morristown early polling location, she said she would now vote for Mejía.

“I think we’ve been tilting a little bit more to the right lately, which worries me,” Cunningham said. “I think that we need people in Congress who will fight for things that will help people as opposed to hurting them.”

Rob Berkowitz, 62, cast his early vote for Hathaway at the Denville polling station. Describing himself as a conservative, Berkowitz gave Trump high marks on immigration, the economy and the war in Iran, comparing him to Winston Churchill. He criticized the Democratic Party for moving away from leaders in the style of Harry Truman, whom he praised.

“They want borders wide open. They don’t want to enforce existing immigration laws,” Berkowitz said.

The February Democratic primary pitted Mejía against former Rep. Tom Malinowski and others in a race where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was a key player. The group’s affiliated super PAC tried to thwart Malinowski after he questioned unconditional aid to the Israeli government. That effort appeared to backfire as Mejía, who said she agreed that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, came out on top.

Over the years she has been a regular presence in the state Capitol, advocating for progressive causes, and was Sanders’ political director during his 2020 presidential run. During the Biden administration, she was deputy director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau.

In addition to winning Sanders’ endorsement, she was backed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Hathaway, a former Yale University football player, has worked in health care and finance as well as in politics as an aide for former GOP Gov. Chris Christie.

Analilia Mejia smiles as she gestures to supporters after winning New Jersey's 11th Congressional District special election, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Montclair, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Supporters watch the poll results during a watch party for Analilia Mejia in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District special election, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Montclair, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Analilia Mejia speaks to supporters after winning New Jersey's 11th Congressional District special election, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Montclair, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Analilia Mejia speaks to supporters after New Jersey's 11th Congressional District special election, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Montclair, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

This combination of photo shows candidates running for New Jersey's 11th congressional district, Democrat Analilia Mejia on March 24, 2026, in Morristown, N.J., left, and Republican Joe Hathaway on March 19, 2026, in Bloomfield, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, left, Steve Peoples)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chizzy Iwai played her first seven holes in 7 under, capped by an eagle on the par-5 16th, and shot a 9-under 63 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead in the JM Eagle LA Championship.

The tournament at El Caballero Country Club — the tree-lined layout subbing for Wilshire Country Club for the second straight year because of course renovations — is the final event before the major Chevron Championship next week in Houston.

Former UCLA player Patty Tavatanakit was tied for second at 65 with Sei Young Kim and Suvichaya Vinijchaitham.

Iwai opened her morning round with a par on No. 10, then birdied the next five and eagled the 16th.

“Good tee time in morning, so very peaceful and I feel comfortable,” the 23-year-old Japanese player said “I had a feeling so relaxing. I had a good feeling.”

On her second nine, she added birdies on Nos. 1 and 5. She matched the lowest score in the two years at El Caballero.

“A little bit thinking 58 or 59,” she said. “But golf is not easy.”

Iwai won the Mexico Riviera Maya Open last year for her first LPGA Tour victory. Twin sister Akie Iwai was second a year ago at El Caballero and won the Portland Classic last summer for her first LPGA title. Akie Iwai shot 70 on Thursday, playing in the group ahead of her sister.

Tavatanakit had eight birdies and a bogey in the morning session.

“My ball-striking felt really good,” Tavatanakit said. “Just a solid day. Made a lot of putts.”

Lauren Coughlin, the winner two weeks ago at Shadow Creek outside Las Vegas, topped the group at 66.

Hannah Green, the 2023 and 2024 winner at Wilshire, shot 67.

“I just feel very comfortable when I’m back here in LA,” Green said. “Doesn’t really matter if it’s Wilshire.”

The Australian has three worldwide wins this year — the HSBC Women’s World Championship on the LPGA Tour along with the Women’s Australian Open and Australian WPGA.

Hyo Joo Kim was at 68 along with former UCLA star Lilia Vu. Kim leads the tour with two victories, winning in consecutive weeks in the Bay Area and Arizona.

Canadian amateur Aphrodite Deng also shot 68. Fellow amateur Asterisk Talley had an early double bogey in a 70 in the 17-year-old's first start since losing the lead on the back nine at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Defending champion Ingrid Lindblad shot 69. Former UCLA player Alison Lee also shot 69 in her first event following maternity leave in 2025.

Former University of Southern California player Lizette Salas had a 72. She's playing for the first time since 2024 after recovering from a back injury.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Brooke Henderson hits from the fourteenth tee during the first round of the LPGA's JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament at El Caballero Country Club Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Hyo Joo Kim hits from the fourth tee during the first round of the LPGA's JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament at El Caballero Country Club, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Lauren Coughlin hits from the seventh tee during the first round of the LPGA's JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament at El Caballero Country Club, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Hannah Green hits from the fourteenth tee during the first round of the LPGA's JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament at El Caballero Country Club Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)