Democrat Analilia Mejia has won a special election for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district keeping Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s old seat under Democratic control and handing a huge win to the insurgent progressive movement that powered Mejia’s campaign. Mejia beat moderate Republican Joe Hathaway 59.5% to 40%.
When all votes are in, Mejia will have overperformed Kamala Harris’s nine-point win in the district by around 12 points, give or take, another positive sign for Democrats ahead of this year’s midterms; other special elections around the country have seen Democratic overperformances of between 13 and 25 points.
The district’s transformation from a Republican stronghold to a Democratic-leaning area reflects broader trends in suburban voting patterns across the United States.