Why is Wayne Valley using two snow days for another election? What will a new United States House of Representatives member for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district look like for us?
After Democrat Mikie Sherrill became New Jersey’s governor last November, she left her House seat vacant; therefore, Congressional District 11, which includes Wayne, needs a new representative to fill in until the midterms. This special election has a primary (selecting the two candidates for the general election) and a general (selecting the final representative) election: the voting dates are February 5th and April 16th, 2026—the two emergency (“snow”) days, because some Wayne schools host voting centers. The Constitution’s framers wanted the House to bring our values and beliefs to the federal government; the representatives vote on legislation like tax bills, can impeach federal judges and the president, and elect the president if the electoral college (another system in the federal government) cannot select one candidate.
While Republican nominee Joe Hathaway had no competitors, Democratic nominee Analilia Mejia had significant competition in the primary election. The other main candidate in the primary, Tom Malinowski, received 18,603 votes (27.57%), while Mejia received 19,789 votes (29.33%). Eleven other candidates also ran. After voting centers closed on February 5th, Malinowski led, but Mejia surpassed him that night; the former conceded the election on the 10th, and major news outlet The Associated Press declared the latter the winner on the 12th.
Mejia, Latina co-director for the progressive Center for Popular Democracy, focused her campaign on raising the minimum wage to $25, adopting universal healthcare (Medicare for All), regulating Artificial Intelligence, making public college free, and abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She had support from progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Malinowski, a former House member, ran on the traditional democratic platform. While he considers himself pro-Israel, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC, a lobbying group for pro-Israel candidates) did not support his campaign; Mejia, by contrast, states that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
In short, competing for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District House vacancy are Republican Hathaway and Democrat Mejia, the former having an uncontested win and the latter narrowly beating Malinowski in the primary election. Still, we must wait until the general election on April 16th to determine who will represent our New Jersey district in the House, so if you are eighteen or older, remember to vote.
