BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – Analilia Mejia, thanks to a majority of participating voters in 46 Essex, Morris and Passaic towns April 16, reported to her first full day’s work as New Jersey’s representative of its 11th Congressional District April 21.
Mejia (D-Glen Ridge) actually went to Mikie Sherrill’s old suite in Washington, DC’s Longworth House Office Building to be sworn in there at 7 p.m. She went ahead of county clerks and election superintendents’ certification of April 16’s results. Vote By Mail Ballots, indeed, were to be received by the county’s elections division on or before the end of April 22.
“Thank you for all who casted your votes for an unbought, unbossed, sassy new member of Congress,” said Mejia in that Thursday night’s election watch party at the Montclair Art Museum. “In November, when I jumped into this race, the odds were stacked against us. We did the impossible – we won.”
Mejia has also been assigned the just-resigned Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)’s place on the Congressional Homeland Security Committee. She joins LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) and Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) on the panel. Mejia had campaigned on the promise of abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“Voters in the New Jersey 11th are hungry for information,” said Mejia in her first speech Monday night before applauding Democrats and “order” calling Republicans. “They want to understand what’s happening in Congress, what’s happening with this war (on Iran), what’s happening in trying to reign in the worst tendencies of this (47th Presidential) administration.”
Herewith are the unofficial CD-11 Special General Election Results as of 2 p.m. April 21:
In ESSEX COUNTY, (South Orange, Maplewood, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Belleville, Nutley, Montclair’s Upper Montclair plus Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona and West Caldwell) voters chose Mejia by a seven to three ratio over Republican Joseph Hathaway and “Hope for Tomorrow” independent Alan B. Bond.
Mejia mustered 34,415 votes for 71.20 percent of the vote. Hathaway, of Randolph, hauled 13,655 for 28.25 percent. Bond, of Montclair, received 269 for .56 percent.
County Clerk Chris Durkin has so far reported 45,564 ballots cast from a registered voter pool of 243,148. The turnout came out to 19.97 percent of eligible voters.
In MORRIS COUNTY (Boonton, Boonton Township, Butler Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Denville, Dover, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover Township, Harding, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Montville, Morris Township, Morristown, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, Victory Gardens and part of Mendham Township), Mejia won over Hathaway by a 5,146 vote plurality.
With 96 percent of the vote counted, Mejia mustered 38,766 votes- including Republican strongholds like Randolph, Denville and Florham Park.
Randolph councilman and former mayor Hathaway hauled 33,220. Bond tallied 278. There were 107 write-in votes for those not on the ballot.
There were 72,548 ballots cast from a pool of 294,708, resulting in a 24.62 percent voter turnout.
In PASSAIC COUNTY (Little Falls, Totowa, Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) and the Packanack Lake, Preakness and William Paterson University parts of Wayne), Hathaway prevailed over Mejia by 127 votes or 1.14 percent of the vote.
Hathaway drew 5,612 votes or 50.24 percent. Mejia mustered 5,485 or 49.10. Bond amassed 55 or .49. There were 19 write-in votes for the remaining .17.
There were 11,171 ballots cast from a voters pool of 61,755 for an 18.11 percent turnout.
The 22.24 percent average turnout is remarkable given that the special general election was held on a Thursday instead of the accustomed Tuesday.
Hathaway, in that Thursday night’s concession statement, vowed to keep Mejia accountable and railed at how the special election process unfolded.
“While the result tonight was not what we hoped for, our work is just the beginning,” said Hathaway. “I’ll continue to fight for affordability, public safety, accountable government and I’ll continue to stand up for the families of CD-11. We’ll be watching closely and holding Congresswoman-elect Mejia accountable for the votes she casts and the policies she supports and how they impact our NJ-11 communities.”
Regarding the special election process, Hathaway said: “The structure and timing (of the election) set by a partisan Democratic Governor, produced exactly the kind of low turnout environment that benefits one party. We saw heavy vote-by-mail participation (and) limited Election Day turnout.”
Hathaway was referring to the term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (D-Rumson)’s decision in mid-November to hold a special primary and general election to fill Sherrill’s seat. A majority of statewide voters Nov. 4 selected the now-former Congresswoman to succeed Murphy as governor.
Bond’s response to the April 16 results were not immediately posted.
Mejia ‘s succession to now-Gov. Sherrill (D-Upper Montclair) on Capitol Hill will be to complete the latter’s unexpired term to Jan. 7, 2027 – when the 120th Congress is sworn in.
CD11 voters will return to the regular two-year election cycle – and experience some deja vu – in the June 2 major party primaries and Nov. 3 General Election. Mejia and Hathaway, indeed, is now campaigning until Nov. 3.
Mejia has three challengers for the June 2 regular primary. They are former Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello, Montville computer software engineer Joseph B. Lewis and Chatham Councilman and former special primary runner Justin Strickland.
Hathaway, like in the special primary and general elections, is running unopposed for the Republican nomination.
June 2 is also the filing deadline for independent and minor party general election candidates.
NOTE: April 21’s Newark and Irvington Boards of Educations election results will be carried in our April 30 edition.
