RANDOLPH, N.J. – It wasn’t close.
Republican candidate Joe Hathaway conceded defeat Tuesday in the special election for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, while making clear he intends to challenge the outcome again in November.
In a statement following the results which showed him trailing about 20-points with 95% of votes tallied, Hathaway congratulated Democrat Congresswoman-elect Analilia Mejia, but the vanquished GOP nominee also pointed to the unusual structure of the special election as a factor in the outcome, arguing it produced a limited electorate. “This was a unique and, frankly, unusual election,” Hathaway said, contending that the timing contributed to low turnout and heavy reliance on vote-by-mail ballots. He further argued that the results reflected only a small share of the district’s voters.
Mejia is on track to narrowly carry Morris County, once the heartland of the county club Republican Party. She also romped in the Essex portions of the district; Passaic County results were still beginning to trickle in as of late Thursday.
Voters in NJ-11 need to weigh in two more times: in the June primary and lastly in the November general. Mejia’s special election victory only secures her seat through the end of now-Governor Sherrill’s unexpired term.
“I’ve said from the beginning that we’re running through the tape,” Hathaway said, signaling his intent to compete in the November general election when turnout is expected to be significantly higher despite plenty of ominous warning signs flashing for the House GOP.
