Mejia highlighted her organizing experience and ability to mobilize volunteers across the district, with town halls doubling as organizing trainings and immigration policy central to her campaign.

Analilia Mejia won the crowded Democratic primary for New Jersey’s U.S. House special election, moving closer to securing the party nomination to challenge in the April general election.

Mejia, a long-time progressive activist and former Sanders political director, secured endorsements from high-profile progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, signaling strong progressive support.

The district covers parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, including some affluent New York City suburbs, with mail-in ballots still being processed and late counts possible into Wednesday.

NJCA is a statewide advocacy group focused on social, racial, and economic justice for all.

Watson Coleman stressed the need for Democrats to unite to protect communities, address the cost of living, workers’ rights, public safety, and accountability for ICE and DHS.

The piece emphasizes the importance of a free press in democracy and places the race within standard campaign-context reporting.

The victory is celebrated by the Communications Workers of America District 1 as a milestone for working families and a signal that voters want people-powered campaigns addressing affordability.

Mejia’s platform calls for expanding labor protections and unions, childcare reform, universal health care, a $25 minimum wage, affordable housing, education funding and student loan forgiveness, AI data center regulation, and abolition of ICE.

She also advocates canceling all student loan debt, making college tuition free at community colleges and trade schools, and a national $25 per hour minimum wage for a 40-hour week.

State Director Antoinette Miles praised Mejia as a bold, working-class leader whose grassroots effort emphasized ending ICE brutality.

Analysts suggest the race could influence broader national Democratic strategies, with discussions on campaign finance, endorsements, and ground-game effectiveness.