New Jersey's Democratic Primary Election Takes a Wild Turn, Leaving Outcome Uncertain
In a stunning turn of events, far-left congressional candidate Analilia Mejia has emerged as the frontrunner in New Jersey's Democratic primary for the special election to fill the House seat left vacant by Governor Mikie Sherrill. As of Friday afternoon, Mejia was leading former Representative Tom Malinowski by just a few hundred votes, according to the Associated Press.
Initially, Malinowski had appeared to be ahead in early tallies of vote-by-mail and in-person votes, with some news outlets reporting that he had won the nomination with a relatively small percentage of the votes counted. However, Mejia quickly overtook him as day-of primary votes were counted, thanks in large part to her exceptional performance in Essex County.
Mejia's campaign was boosted by big-name endorsements from progressive heavy hitters like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren, which helped her raise significantly more money than Malinowski. Despite this, Mejia's campaign remained underfunded, with only a few hundred thousand dollars in contributions.
The uncertainty surrounding the election has raised concerns about the accuracy of the results, particularly given that mail-in ballots can still be counted up to five days after Election Day if they were postmarked by Thursday. County clerks' offices have yet to confirm when they will finalize their tabulations, leaving voters waiting anxiously for news.
Mejia's campaign has continued to tout her grassroots approach, which included knocking on thousands of doors and making tens of thousands of phone calls. She credited these efforts with connecting her with people across the state and resonating with voters.
A Mejia win would be a stunning upset that few analysts predicted, making this election a fascinating study in the power of grassroots organizing and progressive politics. The winner of the primary will go on to face Republican Joe Hathaway in the special general election scheduled for April 16, although most observers see the seat as safe for Democrats.
Ultimately, the outcome of New Jersey's Democratic primary election remains uncertain, with thousands of ballots still yet to be counted. As one candidate noted, "Every vote deserves to be counted, and we look forward to a complete and accurate tally that reflects the full voice of NJ-11 voters."
In a stunning turn of events, far-left congressional candidate Analilia Mejia has emerged as the frontrunner in New Jersey's Democratic primary for the special election to fill the House seat left vacant by Governor Mikie Sherrill. As of Friday afternoon, Mejia was leading former Representative Tom Malinowski by just a few hundred votes, according to the Associated Press.
Initially, Malinowski had appeared to be ahead in early tallies of vote-by-mail and in-person votes, with some news outlets reporting that he had won the nomination with a relatively small percentage of the votes counted. However, Mejia quickly overtook him as day-of primary votes were counted, thanks in large part to her exceptional performance in Essex County.
Mejia's campaign was boosted by big-name endorsements from progressive heavy hitters like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren, which helped her raise significantly more money than Malinowski. Despite this, Mejia's campaign remained underfunded, with only a few hundred thousand dollars in contributions.
The uncertainty surrounding the election has raised concerns about the accuracy of the results, particularly given that mail-in ballots can still be counted up to five days after Election Day if they were postmarked by Thursday. County clerks' offices have yet to confirm when they will finalize their tabulations, leaving voters waiting anxiously for news.
Mejia's campaign has continued to tout her grassroots approach, which included knocking on thousands of doors and making tens of thousands of phone calls. She credited these efforts with connecting her with people across the state and resonating with voters.
A Mejia win would be a stunning upset that few analysts predicted, making this election a fascinating study in the power of grassroots organizing and progressive politics. The winner of the primary will go on to face Republican Joe Hathaway in the special general election scheduled for April 16, although most observers see the seat as safe for Democrats.
Ultimately, the outcome of New Jersey's Democratic primary election remains uncertain, with thousands of ballots still yet to be counted. As one candidate noted, "Every vote deserves to be counted, and we look forward to a complete and accurate tally that reflects the full voice of NJ-11 voters."
she came outta nowhere & now she's leadin by like a few hundred votes 
and ppl are losin their minds. i mean, she got big-name endorsements from the whole progressive squad 
it's wild how much $$$ she raised compared to Malinowski. but at the same time, her campaign was super underfunded...like, only a few hundred thousand dollars? 
still, Mejia's all about that grassroots life, knockin doors & makin calls, and it paid off 
this election is def a study in progressive politics & how far you can get with just plain ol' hard work 
She was knocking on doors and making calls like crazy, and it actually paid off! 
I mean, Bernie Sanders and AOC endorsing her is a big deal - that's some serious progressive power behind her. 
Can't wait to see how this plays out in the general election! 
she's gotta prove it doesn't matter if you're poor or rich, you still got a shot 
now that the results are uncertain... fingers crossed they get those mail-in ballots counted soon 
I'm low-key hoping Mejia loses, tbh 
. Like, I know her campaign is all about grassroots stuff, but let's be real, it sounds super scripted to me 
. And those big-name endorsements? Just another example of how out-of-touch Malinowski was 
. It's not like Mejia's supporters are being genuine or anything... they're just drinking the Kool-Aid 
. I mean, who needs a few hundred thousand dollars in contributions when you've got Instagram followers, am I right? 
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. I mean, can't we just trust the system and get on with the counting? It feels like we're stuck in some kind of voter purgatory. And what about those mail-in ballots? Are they going to be the deciding factor here? It's like, what even is the point of voting if it's not going to be counted in a timely manner?
this is wild 
. I mean, Bernie Sanders is throwing his weight behind her? That's gotta count for something 
. But at the same time, it's super suspicious that Malinowski was ahead for so long only to get overtaken by a couple hundred votes 
And what's up with all these mail-in ballots still being counted after Election Day? It's like they're trying to keep us on the edge of our seats... or maybe it's just counting every single vote, which is kinda cool 
. I'm not saying Mejia isn't a strong candidate, but come on, 5 days after Election Day for mail-in ballots to be counted? That's just asking for controversy 
. What if the votes are miscounted or someone tries to hack the system? It's like they're setting up the perfect recipe for drama 
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. But at the same time, I'm also thinking that this election is a wild card - who knows what's gonna happen? The fact that there are still thousands of ballots left to count is pretty concerning 
.