April 27, 2026
For immediate release
At the end of 2025, NJ 11th for Change adopted “Change is Happening” as our mantra for the coming year. We saw change in our state with Mikie Sherrill’s historic gubernatorial victory, and change in our district as we elected a new congressperson. With the elimination of “the line,” we saw change in how our state runs primary elections and an unprecedented number of candidates vying for the NJ 11 Democratic nomination.
Analilia Mejia’s decisive win in the April 16th special general election makes it clear that the voters of our district are truly ready for change. Her landslide victory is the exclamation point on our mantra: Change is Happening!
NJ 11th for Change is changing too.
It has been our long-standing policy not to endorse in primary elections. We take pride in that policy, and believe it has helped establish and maintain this organization’s reputation.
Our reasoning in withholding our endorsement until after a primary was always based in the belief that this practice is small-d democracy in action. It allows the people’s voice to be heard. However, in 2026, the people have spoken. They just finished speaking very clearly in the special general election.
The incredibly compressed NJ 11 2026 election timeline means that we effectively have two overlapping elections. This puts our endorsement policy in the illogical position of giving a full-throated endorsement to Mejia in April but then withdrawing our endorsement for six weeks until after the June 2nd primary.
In this extraordinary instance of overlapping elections, not endorsing denies the people their voice.
After much reflection, and with the unanimous support of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, NJ 11th for Change enthusiastically endorses Analilia Mejia for Congress in both the 2026 June 2nd primary and the November 3rd general election.
It is ESSENTIAL that we send a Democrat to Washington to fill this seat. A fighter who will stand up to Trump, not serve as a rubber stamp for him. We are confident that Analilia Mejia will be a transparent, responsive and accountable advocate for all people of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
We do not foresee another election timeline like the one we are currently experiencing. Barring any future overlapping elections, NJ 11th for Change will revert to our long-standing policy of withholding our endorsement until the general election for all state and federal level future elections.
Hearing the news of our endorsement, Congresswoman Mejia sent us the following statement:
"The members of NJ 11th for Change are some of the best grassroots organizers I know, and I'm so proud to stand alongside them in this race," said Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-Glen Ridge). "It was a privilege to be on the ground floor when this powerful group of civic leaders came together. We helped flip Congress in 2018, and now we're going to do it again to take our country back. That means knocking on doors, talking to our neighbors, and making sure everyone knows what's at stake. Our collective mission remains the same, and that's holding our government accountable to the people, not just wealthy and well-connected."
