{"id":2567518,"date":"2026-02-07T16:51:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T21:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-aocs-party-now-bernie-backed-far-leftist-could-win-dem-nomination-to-replace-moderate-sherrill-in-nj\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T16:56:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T21:56:15","slug":"its-aocs-party-now-bernie-backed-far-leftist-could-win-dem-nomination-to-replace-moderate-sherrill-in-nj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-aocs-party-now-bernie-backed-far-leftist-could-win-dem-nomination-to-replace-moderate-sherrill-in-nj\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s AOC&#8217;s Party Now: Bernie-Backed Far-Leftist Could Win Dem Nomination to Replace &#8216;Moderate&#8217; Sherrill in NJ"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fits-aocs-party-now-bernie-backed-far-leftist-could-win-dem-nomination-to-replace-moderate-sherrill-in-nj%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2567518&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A New Jersey special election for the 11th Congressional District pitted Analilia Mejia,a progressive backed by figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders,against former Rep.Tom Malinowski, who is seen as more establishment. With 91 percent of the vote tallied, Mejia lead narrowly (about 28.75% to 27.96%), but absentee ballots remained to be counted and several outlets had debated the race\u2019s outcome as results shifted, especially in Morris County.<\/p>\n<p>Outside groups, notably the United Democracy Project tied to AIPAC, ran ads targeting Malinowski over immigration enforcement to sway the race, but The New York Times noted the group is not clearly aligned with Mejia, suggesting the race was testing Democrats\u2019 ideological direction rather than a straightforward pro-Israel vs. pro-Israel dynamic. The coverage also highlighted Mejia\u2019s potential to join a left-leaning \u201csquad\u201d-style bloc in Congress if she won, which fed a broader debate about whether the Democratic Party is moving too far left in swing districts or whether a significant portion of voters remains anchored in more moderate politics.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts emphasized the unusual turnout pattern and the so<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >-called \u201cwine mommy\u201d demographic<\/a> in Morris County, arguing the result could reflect either a shift left on immigration and related issues or simply demographic and campaign dynamics favoring mejia. As of early reports, the race was still too close to call, with implications stretching to the midterms and 2028, including whether the Republican candidate, Joe Hathaway, might fare better in a general election once the dust settles.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>If the results of a special election Thursday are any indication of where the Democratic Party is going, Republicans should be very scared indeed.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to an unusually heavy turnout by the left on primary election day, the race to replace now-New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill &mdash; a &ldquo;moderate&rdquo; Democrat who was the first to represent New Jersey&rsquo;s historically Republican 11th Congressional District &mdash; might now involve a raging progressive with endorsements from New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and socialist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/zohran-mamdani-elects-sworn-bernie-sanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont<\/a> against a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/orbans-dream-of-two-decades-in-power-hangs-in-the-balance-in-hungarian-ballot\/\" title=\"Orban\u2019s dream of two dec...es in power hangs in the balance in Hungarian ballot\">small-town mayor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With 91 percent of the vote tallied as of 3 a.m. Eastern, Analilia Mejia, who led Sanders&rsquo; second presidential campaign in the Garden State, held a slim lead over the putative favorite, former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/02\/05\/us\/elections\/results-new-jersey-us-house-11-special.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mejia had 28.75 percent of the vote, or 17,647 votes, to 27.96 percent, or 17,161 votes, for Malinowski.<\/p>\n<p>And while some mail-in ballots are still to be counted, some pollsters declared that the race was effectively done.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Stick a fork in it<\/p>\n<p>Analilia Mejia &mdash; backed by AOC\/Bernie\/Warren &mdash; will be the Democratic nominee (and overwhelming favorite) to replace Mikie Sherrill in NJ-11<\/p>\n<p>She defeated a former congressman (Malinowski), the machine-backed candidate (Gill) &amp; the AIPAC-backed candidate (Way) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5DF4P5cSMw\">pic.twitter.com\/5DF4P5cSMw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Adam Carlson (@admcrlsn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/admcrlsn\/status\/2019614136792175045?\">February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Whatever the case, Mejia&rsquo;s over-performance could either be a case of radicals coalescing around anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement sentiment in swing districts, or radicals coalescing around anti-Semitism and far-left ideologies in what were heretofore swing districts. Neither outcome seemed especially promising for sanity among Democrats in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, while Malinowski is further to the left than Sherrill was in terms of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelugarcenter.org\/ourwork-Bipartisan-Index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">legislative history<\/a>, at least he&rsquo;s kind of in the ballpark of normal Democrat nonsense &mdash; which would go over OK in a suburban district that has become somewhat more liberal over the years but still isn&rsquo;t raging <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/congressman-reveals-made-abandon-democratic-socialists-moment-decided-renounce-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Democratic Socialists of America<\/a> territory.<\/p>\n<p>Decision Desk HQ &mdash; usually reliable about these things &mdash; actually called the race for Malinowski early in the night based on the returns from Essex and Morris counties, expected to be Mejia&rsquo;s and Malinowski&rsquo;s strongholds, respectively. (A small sliver of the district is in Passaic County, as well; that&rsquo;s tilted toward Tahesha Way, New Jersey&rsquo;s former lieutenant governor and secretary of state, but not by a wide margin. She remains in third with 17.43 percent of the vote, well out of contention.)<\/p>\n<p>Decision desk then un-decided the decision less than two hours later.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As the night progressed, margins in Morris County quickly tilted toward Mejia; Mejia began winning drops by 20%-30%, representing a swing of 65 points compared to the absentee vote,&rdquo; Decision Desk wrote in a post on the social media platform X.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This trend reversal prompted us to re-examine our race projection and ultimately retract it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Decision Desk HQ is retracting its projection in the NJ-11 Democratic primary.<\/p>\n<p>We have deleted the race projection tweet.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of our initial projection, all absentee and early vote had been recorded in all three counties, and we had 66\/240 precincts in Essex County&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u3OjPUgUHd\">pic.twitter.com\/u3OjPUgUHd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DecisionDeskHQ\/status\/2019614645569372665?\">February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As of 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday, the race was still too close to call, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/news\/2026\/02\/democratic-primary-for-nj-gov-mikie-sherrills-old-house-seat-too-close-to-call.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NJ.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So, what happened? Well, the fact that Mejia is over-performing with those who showed up on Election Day itself could be indicative of one of the most unique and unusual self-owns in recent political history, the Democratic Party shifting far to the left even in what&rsquo;s now being called the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/original-wine-moms-ohio-mobilizing-194135751.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wine mommy<\/a>&rdquo; demographic, or both.<\/p>\n<p>See, the race began to get national attention beginning late last month when a group aligned with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bernie-smears-aipac-calls-second-holocaust-ring-outside-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Israel Public Affairs Committee<\/a>, the United Democracy Project, began running ads critical of Malinowski. The reason behind this, ostensibly, is that Malinowski is decidedly not pro-Israel. But the ads they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-reporter-trashes-operation-midnight-hammer-but-her-story-just-fell-apart\/\" title=\"CNN ...orter Trashes &#039;Operation Midnight Hammer,&#039; But Her Story Just Fell Apart\">ran weren&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t about that, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/02\/01\/immigration-takes-center-stage-in-new-jersey-special-election-00758906\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, they attacked his cred on immigration enforcement, among other things.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In 2019, Tom Malinowski voted with Trump and the Republicans to fund ICE &mdash; more than $200 million for Trump&rsquo;s deportation force,&rdquo; the ad noted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">United Democracy Project (ie AIPAC) is up with a new ad going after Tom Malinowski (running in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NJ11?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NJ11<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>The ad goes after Malinowski for voting to increase funding for ICE and for failing to disclose stock trades.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We just can&rsquo;t trust Malinowski&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W6PeWK6lEv\">pic.twitter.com\/W6PeWK6lEv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Andrew Arenge (@MrArenge) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrArenge\/status\/2016677742503170269?\">January 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If the PAC&rsquo;s intention would be to get a more pro-Israel candidate to replace Sherrill &mdash; either Way or Brendan Gill, another machine favorite &mdash; it effectively failed. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/06\/nyregion\/new-jersey-special-election-results-congress.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> noted, &ldquo;the group is presumably no fan of Ms. Mejia&rsquo;s.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The newspaper reported:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>At a forum last month, she was the only candidate to raise her hand when asked if she agreed with a United Nations report that said Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. If elected, Ms. Mejia would be likely to join Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Representative Ayanna Pressley, who also campaigned with Ms. Mejia in New Jersey, in a left-leaning wing of the House known as &ldquo;the squad.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Of course, there&rsquo;s the other alternative, which is even worse to consider: This advertising didn&rsquo;t matter and the wine mommies were going to vote this way anyway.<\/p>\n<p>And, before you come at me for the pejorative, trust me on this one: I grew up in New Jersey&rsquo;s 11th Congressional District. The only people coming out to a Democratic primary there &mdash; particularly in Morris County &mdash; are definitely wine mommies.<\/p>\n<p>The only difference between now and my youth is the fact that these people might be wine <em>dog mommies<\/em> now. But I guarantee you this: The wine part is still there, and the self-identification as a mommy part is still there, even if it&rsquo;s just of a terrier named Barkie Obama.<\/p>\n<p>So, either the Democrats have gone so far left on immigration law enforcement that a would-be &ldquo;squad&rdquo; member can plausibly get nominated in a moderate-ish district, or the Democrats have gone so far left on&nbsp;<em>everything<\/em> that a would-be &ldquo;squad&rdquo; member can plausibly get nominated in a moderate-ish district.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, the result is the same.<\/p>\n<p>Neither strikes a hopeful note going into the midterms or 2028, and if this doesn&rsquo;t wake conservatives up, nothing will.<\/p>\n<p>On a happier note, the unopposed Republican nominee &mdash; Mayor Joe Hathaway of Randolph &mdash; may now actually have a chance once the radical Chardonnay dog-park denizens have spoken.<\/p>\n<p>He has until April 16, when the special election to replace Sherrill takes place, to make his message heard.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the article\u2019s substantive content:<\/p>\n<p>The NJ-11 special election results suggest Democrats could be headed in a more liberal direction. Analilia Mejia, who helped lead Bernie Sanders\u2019 second presidential campaign in New Jersey and is backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, appears to be a strong challenger to former Rep. Tom Malinowski in a district that Mikie Sherrill, a moderate Democrat, previously held. With about 91% of votes counted, Mejia led Malinowski narrowly (Mejia around 28.75% and Malinowski about 27.96%), though mail-in ballots remain to be counted and some pollsters indicated the race was effectively decided for the moment.<\/p>\n<p>The race has drawn national attention and some internal back-and-forth. Decision Desk HQ initially projected Malinowski as the winner based on early county results, but later reversed that projection as margins in Morris County shifted toward Mejia. By early Friday, the race was still too close to call in NJ.com\u2019s view. Mejia\u2019s surge on Election Day could reflect either a real swing toward more radical left positions in swing districts or simply turn-out dynamics that favored a more progressive candidate. The district, which has become somewhat more liberal over time, might still be within reach for a moderate candidate, but the outcome remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>Advertising activity around the race highlighted tensions within the Dem-leaning coalition. AIPAC-linked United Democracy Project ran ads criticizing Malinowski on immigration enforcement, a charge that the group argued would align with a more pro-Israel stance\u2014but the ads did not align with Mejia\u2019s positions, and Mejia\u2019s own record includes controversial comments regarding Israel. If Mejia were elected, she would likely join a left-leaning bloc in the House often associated with Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. The upshot is unclear: the Democratic Party may be shifting left in this district, or the turnouts on Election Day may be driving results that don\u2019t reflect a lasting realignment.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans, meanwhile, have their own momentum. Mayor Joe Hathaway of Randolph is the party\u2019s unopposed nominee for the special election, scheduled for April 16 to replace Sherrill. If the leftward tilt persists in this district, Hathaway may have a better-than-expected chance to capitalize on the moment, though the race remains unsettled<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2567519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/aoc-sanders-for-feb.-6-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8334,4720,9566,73280],"class_list":["post-2567518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-aoc","tag-bernie","tag-far-left","tag-newjersey"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/aoc-sanders-for-feb.-6-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2567518"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2567522,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567518\/revisions\/2567522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2567519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2567518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2567518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2567518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}