Progressives Unite Behind NJ Congressional Candidate in Landmark Primary.
In a stunning reversal of the typical pattern, Democrats have quickly coalesced around a single candidate for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, rather than infighting between left-wing factions. The district, which is likely to remain a safe seat for Democrats, will hold a special primary election on February 5, with the winner all but assured of winning the seat in April.
Former New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has thrown his support behind Brendan Gill, an Essex County commissioner, despite local Democratic power brokers failing to unite behind a single candidate. Former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, also seen as close to Murphy, is also running. However, neither Gill nor Way appears to be the leading moderate in the race, with former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who served two terms in Congress from neighboring districts, raising more money and enjoying backing from U.S. Sen. Andy Kim.
In stark contrast, Analilia Mejia, a longtime political organizer and former staffer for Bernie Sanders, has garnered significant support from a wide range of local and national figures on the Democratic left. This includes Senators Elizabeth Warren and Elizabeth Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Reps. Ro Khanna and Ras Baraka, among others.
The progressive unity behind Mejia reflects what some describe as the "Mamdani moment," inspired by last year's New York City mayoral campaign, in which Zohran Mamdani and his main rival, City Comptroller Brad Lander, cross-endorsed each other. This trend highlights the lessons of 2021's mayoral election, where bitter divisions among progressive candidates enabled moderate Eric Adams to win.
Mejia has secured endorsements from major unions, including the 1199 Service Employees International Union and Communications Workers of America Local 1037, largely due to her worker-friendly platform. Her personal history as a longtime organizer in New Jersey also resonates with union members, who have endorsed her unilaterally.
Working Families Party State Director Antoinette Miles praises Mejia for representing something different than traditional New Jersey politics, adding that this election offers an early test of the new "county line" system, which groups candidates on ballots based on office rather than county endorsement.
In a stunning reversal of the typical pattern, Democrats have quickly coalesced around a single candidate for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, rather than infighting between left-wing factions. The district, which is likely to remain a safe seat for Democrats, will hold a special primary election on February 5, with the winner all but assured of winning the seat in April.
Former New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has thrown his support behind Brendan Gill, an Essex County commissioner, despite local Democratic power brokers failing to unite behind a single candidate. Former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, also seen as close to Murphy, is also running. However, neither Gill nor Way appears to be the leading moderate in the race, with former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who served two terms in Congress from neighboring districts, raising more money and enjoying backing from U.S. Sen. Andy Kim.
In stark contrast, Analilia Mejia, a longtime political organizer and former staffer for Bernie Sanders, has garnered significant support from a wide range of local and national figures on the Democratic left. This includes Senators Elizabeth Warren and Elizabeth Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Reps. Ro Khanna and Ras Baraka, among others.
The progressive unity behind Mejia reflects what some describe as the "Mamdani moment," inspired by last year's New York City mayoral campaign, in which Zohran Mamdani and his main rival, City Comptroller Brad Lander, cross-endorsed each other. This trend highlights the lessons of 2021's mayoral election, where bitter divisions among progressive candidates enabled moderate Eric Adams to win.
Mejia has secured endorsements from major unions, including the 1199 Service Employees International Union and Communications Workers of America Local 1037, largely due to her worker-friendly platform. Her personal history as a longtime organizer in New Jersey also resonates with union members, who have endorsed her unilaterally.
Working Families Party State Director Antoinette Miles praises Mejia for representing something different than traditional New Jersey politics, adding that this election offers an early test of the new "county line" system, which groups candidates on ballots based on office rather than county endorsement.
. I'm not one to usually get drawn into all the drama, but this NJ Congressional primary is like a whole different story. The fact that everyone's coming together behind Analilia Mejia kinda feels like a big sigh of relief 
. Like, it's clear she's got some serious juice with those Senators and Reps on the left, which doesn't hurt 
. And I love how the unions are backing her too - it just goes to show that when people see someone who actually cares about workers, they'll rally behind 'em 
. Can we talk about this being like a bigger test of what happens when you get rid of the county line system? Like, will Mejia's brand of politics carry over into other elections? 
. But what really caught my eye is how this trend of progressive unity could be a game-changer in politics... or at least make for some pretty interesting primary elections in the future 
.
Analilia Mejia is bringing that fire 
and I'm so here for it 
. The fact that Elizabeth Warren and AOC are supporting her says a lot about the momentum 
. We need more of this kind of unity in politics, not division and infighting 
. It's time to make our voices heard and stand together for real change 
!! She's literally the best candidate for NJ Congressional District and I've been following her journey from the start 
! And can you believe all these amazing progressive figures are backing her too? Elizabeth Warren, Elizabeth Ocasio-Cortez, Ro Khanna... they're all on board 
! It's like the "Mamdani moment" is real and it's so exciting 
! I love how she's got this worker-friendly platform that's resonating with unions everywhere 
I mean, I'm trying to discuss the latest news on NJ's Congressional primary and it feels like nobody's paying attention to anything except their own opinions. And don't even get me started on how the topic keeps getting hijacked by spam threads 
. Can we please just stick to the discussion at hand? 
. Tom Malinowski seems like a safe choice too, but I guess you can't just coast into office anymore 
. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in April, especially with the whole county line system thingy 
So there's this NJ Congressional candidate Brendan Gill and he's like the black sheep of the Democratic party – nobody really wants to fight with him, haha! Meanwhile, Analilia Mejia is just over here bringing in all these cool progressive endorsements 
like Warren, Ocasio-Cortez, and Ro Khanna... I guess you could say she's got the "Mamdani moment" thing down 
. And get this – her worker-friendly platform is like a magnet for unions 
... maybe the underdog will surprise us? 
.
. With her worker-friendly platform and personal history as an organizer, Mejia seems like a strong candidate to represent New Jersey's 11th District 
. Fingers crossed she wins in April! 
. It makes sense that union endorsements would go her way, she's got a worker-friendly platform and people love that 
. This "Mamdani moment" is real and I'm hyped to see where it takes NJ politics 
. February 5 can't come soon enough 
!
. I'm loving how she's got the backing of Warren, AOC, and all those other firebrands 
about this progressive momentum 
! We need more people like Mejia in office who are actually listening to the people 
. And can we talk about how rare it is to see a single candidate get everyone on one page? That's some serious unity 
- might be the start of something new 
. It's not every day you see progressive candidates uniting like this in a primary. Reminds me of that "Mamdani moment" thing I've been hearing about – it's like the whole left is finally on the same page 
I love how she's got Elizabeth Warren and AOC's backing, those 2 know what they're doing when it comes to progressive politics 
This "Mamdani moment" trend is exactly what we need more of - less infighting and more unity among the left 
I'm loving this progressive unity thing going on in NJ! It's like they're trying to make a statement – we can all come together behind one candidate! 
. I mean, it's not every day you see a candidate get endorsements from Elizabeth Warren and AOC, but Mejia's got some serious juice 
. I'm predicting big things for this girl and the "Mamdani moment" is definitely a thing 