Analilia Mejia is on the precipice of a huge political upset and notching a major progressive victory in the New Jersey Democratic political machine’s home turf.
Despite being heavily outspent by other candidates and groups, Mejia was leading former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) by 486 votes in the special Democratic primary for the state’s 11th District as of press time. That’s currently a margin of .79 percentage points in an incredibly tight race that the AP has not called yet, even with 91% of ballots counted.
“While every vote must still be counted, Analilia Mejia’s performance is historic. Analilia shocked the New Jersey political establishment,” Antoinette Miles, the New Jersey Working Families Party state director, said in a triumphant statement. “Voters are hungry for working-class leaders.”
Referencing premature calls for Malinowski earlier in the evening, Mejia posted the famous picture of President-elect Harry Truman holding a newspaper with the “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline.
This race is so tight that we may have to wait for mail-in ballots to be counted.
The AIPAC angle. Mejia’s surge can’t be separated from the millions of dollars spent by pro-Israel groups hammering Malinowski.
Many are wondering what on earth was AIPAC thinking? Their avalanche of spending appears set to help usher in Mejia, a candidate who has been critical of Israel and who said Israel is committing a “genocide” in Gaza, which is far more strident than any Malinowski criticism of the Jewish State.
United Democracy Project, the AIPAC’s super PAC, pumped more than $2.3 million into the special primary election to attack Malinowski. This was bizarre because AIPAC had backed Malinowski in previous elections.
Now, Mejia — a progressive who helped run Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) 2020 campaign — is within striking distance of winning the primary. Practically every leading progressive — including Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — endorsed Mejia. Many campaigned alongside Mejia in the race’s closing days.
Malinowski’s transgression in AIPAC’s view? Expressing a willingness to condition aid to Israel. It’s a position that has become far more common among House Democrats in the wake of Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
Yet Mejia is far tougher on Israel. Mejia believes Israel is committing genocide and pledged that she wouldn’t visit Israel on an AIPAC-sponsored trip. Here’s what Mejia said on Oct. 10, 2023, three days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel:
“Every fiber of my being is horrified beyond words at what is furthering in Gaza. Yet again we see how oppression & dehumanization leads to despair & unthinkable destruction.” Mejia called for a ceasefire two weeks later.
We should note that Mejia didn’t make U.S.-Israel relations a central plank of her campaign, instead focusing more on cost-of-living issues.
Malinowski started the primary race as the frontrunner, having represented a nearby district in the same media market from 2019 to 2023. But the barrage of negative spending against him knocked down his support.
Former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way is on track for third place after a late infusion of aid from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association’s outside group and a mysteriously funded super PAC.
UDP declined to say which candidate they preferred in the race. But Malinowski told us AIPAC indicated to him that they wanted Way to win.
The seat is open because Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill vacated the district after she won her gubernatorial race last November.
But pro-Israel groups will have a chance to try again. Mejia will have to run in the primary in June for a full term.
