Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed Democrat wins key House race; GOP fails to expand fragile majority
Mejia, a former Sanders campaign staffer also backed by AOC, defeated GOP candidate Joe Hathaway in the suburban district
By Paul Steinhauser Fox News
Published April 16, 2026 8:13pm EDT
Republicans fell far short in their bid to flip a vacant U.S. House seat in a blue-leaning district in northern New Jersey.
Democrat Analilia Mejia, who was backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of neighboring New York, convincingly defeated GOP candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday's special election in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, The Associated Press reported. The race was called minutes after the polls closed at 8pm ET.
With her victory, Mejia will fill the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey's gubernatorial election.
The special election came as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority. Republicans would have relished the opportunity to pick up the seat, but they faced a steep uphill climb to flip the suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year's gubernatorial election.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bernie-sanders-aoc-backed-democrat-wins-key-house-race-gop-fails-expand-fragile-majority
