By: Michael Matthews | Publish Date: April 21st, 2026
Sherrill’s Seat Filled
On Thursday, a special election for the U.S. House took place in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. Voters chose Democrat Analilia Mejia to succeed Mikie Sherrill following her move to the Governor’s office. Mejia defeated Joe Hathaway, keeping the seat in Democratic hands-for now. The AP called the race for Mejia at 8:07 pm, seven minutes after polls closed, and before Passaic County released their numbers.
The next election will be in June, when voters head to the polls for the primary. Both parties will formally choose their nominees, even though Mejia holds the seat after this past election. Joe Hathaway has signaled a rematch, setting up what could be a continuation of the same race. In Morris County, Mejia received 38,735 votes (53.58%). Hathaway received 33,168 votes (45.88%). Essex County had an even larger plurality with Mejia receiving 33,636 votes (70.90%) and Hathaway receiving 13,544 votes (28.55%). Passaic County was a close race with Mejia receiving 5,485 votes (49.10%) and Hathway receiving 5,612 votes (50.24%), 127 more votes.
Analilia Mejia will be the first Latina to represent the 11th District in Congress, and only the second Latina to represent New Jersey in D.C. (Nellie Pou was the first).
“In November, when I jumped into this race, the odds were stacked against us, But you know-we did the impossible, and we won,” Mejia said in her victory speech.
World Cup Train Tickets
As MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford is preparing to host eight matches during the FIFA World Cup 2026, including the Finals in July, Governor Sherill spoke about reports that NJ Transit tickets from the stadium to New York Penn Station will cost $150 on game days.
“Our administration inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the Workl Cup…That leaves New Jersey Transit with a $48 million bill to safely get 40,000 fans to and from every game,” Sherrill said to NJ 101.5
Sherrill feels that FIFA should pay for the rides, and if they don’t, she is not going to allow New Jersey commuters to pay the price. FIFA responded strongly to Governor Sherrill. FIFA said it was “quite surprised” by her “approach…on fan transportation” before outlining “Host City Agreements.” The original agreements, signed in 2018, required free transportation for fans to all matches. Due to financial strain placed on host cities, FIFA adjusted the agreement requirements across all host cities so that all ticket holders should be able to access transport at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.
Fireside Chat
A major event is scheduled for April 29 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Governor Sherrill will mark her first 100 days by holding a “fireside chat” event to outline her administration’s priorities. There will be more of these events in the future, focusing on economic growth, government accountability, and business community engagement. She will be interviewed by NJ.com reporter Brent Johnson. The event will be live-streamed on NJ.com’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
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