Is Trump now bringing down moderate Dems, too? Razor-tight N.J. election had 1 looming factor.
At times, it feels easier to tally what President Donald Trump is not swaying these days.
The part-time Bedminster resident and full-time White House occupant possibly helped a progressive advocate win an insane 11-way Democratic primary Thursday night in a previously red — now light blue — congressional district.
In a shocking twist, Analilia Mejia — the former national political director for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign — could be poised to upset former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski for the party’s nomination in the race to take Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s old U.S. House seat in North Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
Malinowski, hoping to return to Congress after being unseated four years ago in a different district, was considered by many to be the favorite for the Democratic nomination.
But Mejia, a grassroots organizer, put up a surprise showing in the largely suburban district spread across parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties — a once-red area that’s gotten bluer in recent years.
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, the candidates were still nearly neck-and-neck, with Mejia leading Malinowski by fewer than 700 votes.
The president may not have personally weighed in on the special primary election, held on a random, freezing Thursday in February. But he still played a big role.
“I think Trump plays heavily in all these elections,” said Modia “Mo” Butler, the former chief of staff for Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker. “He’s almost the 800-pound gorilla in this whole thing.”
The Democratic base is incredibly motivated in light of Trump’s presidency, according to Butler, who backed Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill in the race, as did three other Democratic National Committee members.
And Mejia was a “credible, authentic candidate to rally behind,” Butler said.
An organizer who once led the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, Mejia was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Mejia ran Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign in New Jersey.
But Malinowski is not easily painted as a moderate.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee poured about $2 million into the race to attack Malinowski through its super PAC, United Democracy Project, because Malinowski said he wouldn’t unconditionally give aid to Israel.
Although it appears AIPAC was trying to boost Way, it may have unintentionally lifted the more left-leaning Mejia.
And Malinowski, who was backed by progressive favorite U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, tried to position himself as an anti-Trump candidate, according to Patrick Murray, a veteran pollster who runs StimSight Research.
“He certainly won votes because of that,” Murray said. “But Mejia came in as the authentic out-and-out anti-Trumpist.”
ICE raids have taken place across New Jersey, including in Morristown, which is within the district, according to Antoinette Miles, the state director of the New Jersey Working Families Party, where Mejia once worked.
And federal officials have proposed building a detention and processing center in neighboring Roxbury, which is outside the district but in Morris County, she added.
“One of the most salient messages that we saw and heard on the ground is how much people were fed up with what is happening with ICE in communities and on our streets,” Miles said.
Whoever wins the primary will next face off in April’s general election against Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, who ran unopposed for the Republican nod. Conventional wisdom says the Dem nominee is the favorite because of the district’s blue tilt.
But this race is only for the final months of Sherrill’s unexpired term. There will be another primary in June and general election in November for a full two-year term.
The broader question: As Democrats continue to battle over their party’s identity, will this district be a blueprint as they aim to retake Congress in Trump’s midterms?
Most believe Sherrill, a more moderate Dem who has vocally opposed the president, won last year’s governor’s race in part because of Trump backlash.
Right now, Democratic voters are looking for fighters, according to Murray.
“It’s not about liberal and moderate,” the pollster said of the race. “It’s about authentically taking on Trump. That’s what won the day here.”
