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Voters on Thursday elected Analilia Mejia, a progressive political organizer endorsed by Bernie Sanders, to replace Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey\u2019s 11th Congressional District.<\/span><\/p>\n With 94% of the vote reported, Mejia defeated Republican Joe Hathaway by a 20-point margin, according to The New York Times, and will serve in Congress for at least the next eight months.<\/span><\/p>\n Mejia\u2019s victory further narrows Republicans\u2019 narrow majority in the U.S. House and represents a growing pattern of Democratic performance in special elections.<\/span><\/p>\n In her victory speech, Mejia blasted Republicans nationwide as \u201cradicals who are willing to upend our democracy, subvert our Constitution, and act with impunity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe must stop them,\u201d she said, <\/span>according to Politico<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> \u201cThese radicals will watch Rome burn with all of us within, and they are simply cowards \u2013 cowards unwilling to stand up to this madness. But we stand up, we resist, we will not allow it to continue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The leftist, who served as the national political director for Bernie Sanders\u2019 2020 presidential campaign, ran on<\/a> <\/span>Medicare for all, abolishing ICE, and impeaching conservative Supreme Court justices.<\/span><\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s results, however, raised some red flags for the Democratic Party, as Mejia fared notably worse in the district\u2019s Jewish neighborhoods.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>There have been clear pockets of resistance to Mejia in Livingston and Millburn, two large typically Democratic towns with large Jewish populations that may be uncomfortable with Mejia\u2019s left-wing politics, particularly on Israel,\u201d Steve Kornacki,<\/a> Chief Data Analyst for NBC News, said.<\/span><\/p>\n In Livingston, New Jersey, a town with a large Jewish population, support shifted sharply away from the Democrats.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLivingston is one of the most Jewish towns in New Jersey. It just swung 70+ points toward Republicans compared to 2024 and last year\u2019s gubernatorial race,\u201d Evan Rosenfeld, Deputy Digital Director of The Bulwark, said. \u201cDemocrats should pay attention to this or it may very well come back to bite them in \u201826 or \u201828.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Livingston is one of the most Jewish towns in New Jersey.<\/p>\n It just swung 70+ points toward Republicans compared to 2024 and last year\u2019s gubernatorial race.<\/p>\n Democrats should pay attention to this or it may very well come back to bite them in \u201826 and \u201828 https:\/\/t.co\/uASem1wCHA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Evan Rosenfeld (@Evan_Rosenfeld) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A vocal critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mejia is likely to align herself with the \u201cSquad\u201d in Congress. She has called Israel\u2019s military campaign in Gaza a \u201c<\/span>genocide<\/span><\/a>\u201c and refused to rule out conditioning aid to the Jewish state.<\/span><\/p>\n Mejia stunned the Democratic establishment in February by <\/span>narrowly<\/span><\/a> defeating a crowded field of candidates, highlighting a surge of leftist energy within the party.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThank you for all who casted your votes for an unbought, unbossed, sassy new member of Congress,\u201d Mejia <\/span>said to supporters<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n