Governor Phil Murphy is trying to rig the election to fill his successor’s House seat on the way out the door.
On Friday, Murphy announced an April 16th general election to select a new Congressman in the 11th Congressional District which, until last week, was represented by Mikie Sherrill. The primary date is February 5th, and the petitions (each candidate needs at least 500 valid signatures) is December 1st, the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Critics correctly point out that Murphy’s timeline deliberately provides precious little in the way of a runway for potential candidates who aren’t affiliated with a strong political machine.
“Governor Murphy’s special election timeline is blatant political corruption designed to protect Democratic insiders and silence voters,” said NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole. “By setting a ballot deadline to just after the Thanksgiving holiday, he’s denying access for anyone outside the political machine to qualify and give voters a real choice at the ballot box.”
Murphy is supporting his former campaign manager Brendan Gill, an Essex County commissioner.
The GOP frontrunner appears to be Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway.
While the 11th Congressional District is rated D+5 on the Cook Partisan Voting Index, then-Congresswoman Sherrill was relected in 2024 by a double-digit margin and she just carried it in the 2025 gubernatorial contest in equally commanding fashion. Republicans will pin their hopes on the unpredictable nature of special election turnout which could be low given the unusualy date just two weeks after Easter 2026.
