New Jersey's Democratic Primary Looms with Uncertainty, Mejia Edges Out Malinowski by Narrow Margin
In a stunning turn of events, the New Jersey congressional special election has thrown up a close contest between progressive labor activist Analilia Mejia and former Representative Tom Malinowski. As of Friday afternoon, Mejia was leading Malinowski by just 400 votes, sparking anticipation among campaign strategists that it could take until next week to tabulate all outstanding ballots.
Mail-in ballots in Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties were still being counted, with county clerks' offices reluctant to share any information about when the final tally would be completed. The situation was further complicated on Thursday night, when news outlets reported that Malinowski had initially taken a 9-point lead over Mejia. However, as more votes were tallied from in-person ballots and vote-by-mail, Mejia quickly overtook her opponent, performing particularly well in Essex County.
Mejia, who is the daughter of immigrants from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, has been a rising star in the Democratic Party. A long-time community organizer and activist, she led the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and worked on Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Her narrow victory has sent shockwaves around the country, with few predicting such a close outcome.
Despite Mejia's lack of significant fundraising, her campaign was boosted by high-profile endorsements from progressive heavy hitters like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren. Malinowski, on the other hand, raised over $1 million in campaign contributions. The results have left both camps cautiously optimistic about their chances, with some arguing that every vote matters.
The winner of this primary will face Republican Joe Hathaway, a relative unknown who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. Although the seat is largely seen as safe for Democrats, the general election on April 16 will provide an opportunity to put the party's unity and values to the test. For now, Mejia's narrow lead has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the outcome of this high-stakes contest.
In a stunning turn of events, the New Jersey congressional special election has thrown up a close contest between progressive labor activist Analilia Mejia and former Representative Tom Malinowski. As of Friday afternoon, Mejia was leading Malinowski by just 400 votes, sparking anticipation among campaign strategists that it could take until next week to tabulate all outstanding ballots.
Mail-in ballots in Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties were still being counted, with county clerks' offices reluctant to share any information about when the final tally would be completed. The situation was further complicated on Thursday night, when news outlets reported that Malinowski had initially taken a 9-point lead over Mejia. However, as more votes were tallied from in-person ballots and vote-by-mail, Mejia quickly overtook her opponent, performing particularly well in Essex County.
Mejia, who is the daughter of immigrants from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, has been a rising star in the Democratic Party. A long-time community organizer and activist, she led the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and worked on Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Her narrow victory has sent shockwaves around the country, with few predicting such a close outcome.
Despite Mejia's lack of significant fundraising, her campaign was boosted by high-profile endorsements from progressive heavy hitters like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren. Malinowski, on the other hand, raised over $1 million in campaign contributions. The results have left both camps cautiously optimistic about their chances, with some arguing that every vote matters.
The winner of this primary will face Republican Joe Hathaway, a relative unknown who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. Although the seat is largely seen as safe for Democrats, the general election on April 16 will provide an opportunity to put the party's unity and values to the test. For now, Mejia's narrow lead has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the outcome of this high-stakes contest.
- i mean who needs to spend like a million bucks on advertising when all it takes is some cool endorsements from a-cio and eliz Warren, right? Mejia's got heart but Malinowski was way ahead in the cash game 
. this whole thing feels like some kinda experiment to see how far the party will let it go before they intervene 
. what's next gonna be someone winning just because their grandma voted for them and everyone else has given up 
Analilia Mejia's comeback story is like something outta a movie! I mean, she's been through the grind, organizing communities and fighting for workers' rights, and now she's taking on this congressional seat by storm! 
And can you believe those high-profile endorsements from AOC and Elizabeth Warren? 
It just goes to show that even with limited funds, passion and conviction can take you far! 
The fact that the margin is so narrow is actually kinda refreshing - it shows us that every vote does count, and we're all in this together! 
So here's to Analilia Mejia: may her journey be a beacon of hope for the progressive movement! 
If someone said that every vote matters in this election, I'd say they're being pretty realistic. In all fairness, it's not like Mejia didn't get a boost from some heavy hitters in the Democratic Party 
I'm literally shaking my head... Mejia's been making waves in the progressive scene for ages, but 400 votes? That's wild! 
I mean, I love AOC and Liz Warren backing her, but it's still crazy how close it was. And Malinowski thought he had it locked down, lol 
. I mean, she went from behind to lead with those mail-in ballots still being counted - talk about a comeback story 
!
. She's got the momentum going, and we're all watching to see if this carries over to the general election 
!
. now that hes gonna face this relative unknown Joe Hathaway, ill def be keeping an eye on how it all plays out 
and I'm still on a food coma 
Anyway, what's with the weird US politics again? 
I mean, who knew New Jersey could be so... exciting? 
The primary in New Jersey has shown us that even with big-name endorsements, anything can happen on election day! 
It's a reminder that every vote matters and campaigns should never underestimate their opponents. 
. But you know what's even crazier? The amount of money that went into campaigning for Malinowski 
. But at the same time, I'm like, what's going on with all these mail-in ballots? Can't we just have a clear winner already? 
. Anyway, this is gonna be an interesting general election – Democrats are gonna need to come together if they wanna take down Joe Hathaway 
. And Ocasio-Cortez and Warren backing her is huge 
but it's crazy how close this one is... 400 votes in it 
. So yeah, this election is super interesting... let me just throw in some stats real quick 
A close primary fight between two strong candidates with different strengths and backstories is actually super inspiring 
.
Either way, this primary outcome is definitely keeping things exciting and unpredictable 
As someone who's been following her campaign, it's amazing to see her passion and dedication to social justice paying off.
Of course, there are still plenty of challenges ahead, but for now, I'm feeling hopeful and energized by this new wave of activism! 
. Now it's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out against Joe Hathaway - let's keep an eye on those results