Zohran Mamdani polled at 1%—barely registering—in the months leading up to his Democratic primary and eventual New York City mayoral victory. Katie Wilson didn’t even have plans to run for public office until six months before coming out of nowhere to advance to the Seattle mayoral election, which she won. Both defeated their respective city’s machine apparatus, taking down better-known opponents.
But could a progressive do the same in the suburbs?
That question was answered when Analilia Mejia, a longtime organizer in New Jersey, won the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional district, the former House seat of now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Mejia prevailed with a razor-thin margin, but it was a victory nonetheless for the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants. The former director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and union organizer never held elected office. But that didn’t seem to factor into the equation as she bested 11 other candidates to become the Democratic nominee.
“I’m going to be able to say I’m also, I guess, a politician,” Mejia said after her win. “More importantly, I can’t wait to be your elected representative.”
The Democratic primary field included former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who lost to his Republican challenger in 2022 for NJ’s 7th Congressional district. Redistricting in New Jersey made many of the NJ’s districts more partisan, including the 11th, which Mejia is attempting to win during the special election on April 16.
The ultra-competitive race drew national attention in recent weeks as the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, attacked Malinowski—who is staunchly pro-Israel—for, in the words of one of the group’s spokespeople,“talking about conditioning aid to Israel.” The group spent over $2 million to defeat Malinowski and, as a result, potentially helped the progressive Mejia win the race. For her part, Mejia has referred to Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide.
During her campaign, Mejia leaned into her role as an organizer who intends to make change. She received endorsements from prominent progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Mejia, who worked on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, rallied with the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist in January, warning the audience of a “rising tyranny” amid widespread immigration crackdowns.
“And I say, abolish ICE now. You can’t reform this. It’s not fixable. Get it out, kick it over,” she said to loud cheers and chants of “Abolish ICE.”
“In a moment of rising authoritarianism, of economic insecurity, of state-sanctioned violence, any old blue just won’t do,” she added, seemingly referencing corporate Democrats. “If you send weak sauce to Congress, we will get weak sauce back…I say, instead, send an organizer.”
Mejia’s win represents a setback for those who view progressivism as unique to big cities. But with widening inequality, Mejia successfully channeled rising anxiety about the economy into effective political messaging. And that remains the heart of her campaign as she seeks to win one more race in a few months’ time.
“I’ve spent 25 years organizing and winning for working families, from the $15 minimum wage to paid sick days for every worker,” she says on her campaign website. “Now I’m running to bring that fight to Washington to un-rig the rules and build an economy that works for all of us.”
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Image Description: Analilia's campaign headshot next to her campaign logo that reads Analilia for Congress.
Rashed Mian
