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The Primary Win That Stunned Democrats Everywhere Transparency shouldn't be controversial. Log In Email * Password * Remember Me Forgot Your Password? Log In New to The Nation? Subscribe Print subscriber? Activate your online access Skip to content Skip to footer The Primary Win That Stunned Democrats Everywhere Magazine Newsletters Subscribe Log In Search Subscribe Donate Magazine Latest Archive Podcasts Newsletters Sections Politics World Economy Culture Books & the Arts The Nation About Events Contact Us Advertise Current Issue Politics / February 20, 2026 The Primary Win That Stunned Democrats Everywhere Analilia Mejia’s stunning upset victory in New Jersey offers invaluable insights about the past and present of liberal politics in America. Arvin Alaigh Share Copy Link Facebook X (Twitter) Bluesky Pocket Email Ad Policy Analilia Mejia speaks in Montclair, New Jersey, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Heather Khalifa / Bloomberg via Getty Images) The announcement on February 5 was emphatic. “Decision Desk HQ projects Tom Malinowski to win the Democratic Special Election Primary in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district. #DecisionMade: 8:52 pm ET.” Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) is one of the more respected election forecasters, and as such, a flurry of outlets followed its call and crowned Malinowski, a former US House representative, the winner of the Democratic primary election. The North Jersey congressional seat is solidly Democratic—its previous representative, Mikie Sherrill, is now the governor of New Jersey—meaning that whoever emerged out of this primary would likely win the special election in two months’ time. For a moment, it appeared as though that would be Malinowski. But within minutes of DDHQ’s announcement, the call started looking shaky. The election-day returns from Morris County—a largely suburban county speckled with affluent neighborhoods—were expected to tilt toward Malinowski. But as the precinct results started trickling in, it became clear that those voters were actually turning out for Analilia Mejia, a stalwart of New Jersey’s anti-establishment political orbit. After about 90 minutes, DDHQ retracted its projection. By the end of the night, Mejia appeared on the precipice of victory, with a slim lead of several hundred votes. Five days later, the margins had hardly moved. Malinowski officially conceded, and Mejia claimed victory. Garden State politics, never lacking for drama, had once again lived up to its billing. For decades, New Jersey’s democracy had been strangled under the chokehold of patronage networks and corporate-backed machine politics. But recent years have seen a remarkable surge in organizing work geared toward democratic reform, and this work has cracked open new horizons for progressive politics. Activists across the state are rightfully celebrating Mejia’s victory, which, three years ago, would’ve been unfathomable. The implications of this election could stretch far beyond New Jersey. The result sent shock waves through Democratic circles across the country—most notably, for the involvement of an AIPAC-affiliated group that spent $2.3 million to sink Malinowski’s candidacy, despite his strong pro-Israel politics. His crime, it appears, …