Primary To Replace Sherrill In Congress: 5 Things To Know For Thursday's Election

One of biggest elections of the year in New Jersey will take place this week: a primary to replace Mikie Sherrill in Congress.

Sherrill resigned from her Congressional seat in November after she was elected as New Jersey’s 57th governor. She was re-elected to her House seat in 2024. Her term ends in January 2027.

The 11th district includes several towns in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties (see full list below).

There will be two special elections to decide who fills Sherrill’s unexpired term: a primary to determine who represents the Democrats and Republicans, and a general election to decide the overall winner.

Here are five things to know if you plan on voting:

ELECTION DATES, DEADLINES

A primary to decide the Democrat and Republican nominees will take place on Thursday, Feb. 5. The voter registration deadline was Jan. 15.

Early in-person voting for the primary takes place from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of voters in the district have already cast mail-in ballots, reports say.

Other things to know about the primary election include:

• Residents must be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote in the primary. New Jersey voters who are unaffiliated are able to declare a party in person during early voting, or on Election Day.
• See sample ballots for the primary election at the following links: Essex County; Morris County; Passaic County
• Find the locations of polling places or mail-ballot drop box locations here. Learn more about voting in New Jersey here.

The winners of the primary will match up against any independent or third-party candidates in a general election on Thursday, April 16. There will be nine days of in-person early voting (April 6 to April 14). The voter registration deadline is March 26.

THE CANDIDATES

A crowded field of candidates are competing to fill the remainder of Sherrill’s unexpired term.

Only one Republican candidate will be appearing on the ballot in the primary election: Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway.

Democrats appearing on the ballot include (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett
• Venture capitalist and military veteran Zachary Beecher
• Comedian and lawyer J-L Cauvin
• Former Barack Obama staffer Cammie Croft
• Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill
• Morris Township Deputy Mayor Jeff Grayzel
• Former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski
• Community activist Analilia Mejia
• Chatham Borough Council Member Justin Strickland
• New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way
• Community activist Anna Lee Williams

Two of the candidates appearing on the Democratic ballot have withdrawn from the race: former Sherrill congressional staffer Marc Chaaban, and Maplewood Town Committee member Dean Dafis.

The super-competitive contest has fueled an explosion of campaign spending. Candidates have reportedly spent $3.2 million through mid-January, and independent groups have spent at least $3.9 million.

>> RELATED: NJ-11 Candidates Introduce Themselves At Forum [WATCH]

THE ISSUES

Candidates have been circling common themes on their campaign websites – including several issues that weighed heavily in last November’s governor race.

During that election, voters told pollsters that their top issues included affordability, taxes, schools, transportation, the economy and public safety.

Democratic candidates will be at least partly judged according to how they’ve reacted to the presidency of Donald Trump, an issue that some politicos say was a major factor in Sherrill’s landslide gubernatorial win.

The candidates have also been vocal about their positions on ICE activity, with a major federal immigration detention center in their district: Delaney Hall. READ MORE: Detainee Population Surges At ICE Prison In NJ After It Reopens Under Trump

Meanwhile, all but one of the candidates recently shared their views on public transportation with two advocacy groups. Neither group endorsed any candidate. READ MORE: Trains And Buses In NJ-11: Congress Candidates Talk Public Transportation

THE LINE

A new state law may have contributed to the large field of candidates running in the Feb. 5 primary election to replace Sherrill.

In 2024, a lawsuit was launched that led to changes in New Jersey's primary ballot design – commonly referred to as the “county line” or “party line.”

Previously, 19 counties in the state organized their primary ballots around a slate of party-endorsed candidates and put them in a prominent place. As a result, voters often had a hard time determining which candidates are running for each office, advocates said.

This allegedly gave a huge advantage to those who land on the county line – and exiled the others to “ballot Siberia.”

Now, New Jersey’s primary election ballots have to be formatted in an office block-style ballot, which is organized around the position up for election – not political parties. The result? A more competitive primary election, some experts say.

“It’s insane,” a Seton Hall University political science professor told NJ Advance Media. “This would never happen with the county line. It’s a whole new world of politics.”

• See Related: NJ County Is Abandoning Legal Battle Against ‘The Line’
• See Related: New Jersey GOP, Dems Launch Groundbreaking Ballot Design Committee

THE TOWNS

New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District includes the following municipalities:

Essex County – Belleville, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair (part), North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, South Orange, West Caldwell

Morris County – Boonton, Boonton Township, Butler, Chatham, Chatham Township, Denville, Dover, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Twp (part), Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown Town, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway, Rockaway Township, Victory Gardens

Passaic County – Little Falls, Totowa, Wayne (part), Woodland Park

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