Progressive Analilia Mejia Declares 'People-Powered Victory' in New Jersey as AIPAC Spending Backfires

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Progressive organizer Analilia Mejia emerged late Thursday as the leader of a crowded Democratic primary race for a vacant US House seat representing New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, potentially notching a stunning upset in a contest that saw outside groups—including one linked to AIPAC—spend millions.

The bulk of that money came from the United Democracy Project (UDP), a billionaire-funded pro-Israel group that spent big to defeat former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) in favor of its preferred candidate, Tahesha Way. The investment appears to have backfired in embarrassing fashion: Way is currently sitting in a distant third place, while UDP's attacks on Malinowski—regarded as a pro-Israel Democrat during his time in Congress—appear to have harmed him enough to propel Mejia, who has called Israel's assault on Gaza a genocide.

While the primary race is officially too close to call, some analysts said they expect Mejia to win after the remaining ballots are counted. As of this writing, Mejia—whose campaign was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and other prominent progressives—is holding to a 486-vote lead.

"New Jersey, I am so excited to say that we have delivered people-powered victory," Mejia, a supporter of Medicare for All and other progressive policy ambitions, said in a video posted to social media shortly after midnight. "It is time for us to focus on what really matters: unrigging this economy, making sure we reclaim our democracy—and it starts right now."

The New Jersey Working Families Party, which endorsed and supported Mejia, said in a statement that "while every vote must still be counted, Analilia Mejia’s performance is historic."

"Analilia shocked the New Jersey political establishment and did what so many people said she couldn’t,” said Antoinette Miles, the organization's state director. “Voters are hungry for working-class leaders, and tonight they showed it.”

Prominent outlets, including Decision Desk HQ, were forced to retract their earlier projections of a Malinowski win after the progressive candidate took the lead. Mejia rubbed it in by posting to X the famous photo of Harry Truman holding up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune that featured the erroneous banner headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman."

The winner of the 11th Congressional District primary and April 16 general election will fill the remainder of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's congressional term, which expires in January 2027.

Progressives who backed Mejia's campaign attributed her late surge to persistent organizing and a last-ditch advertising push. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) noted that while Mejia "was outspent by millions," strategic spending by progressive PACs helped boost her campaign in the final days of the primary.

"When there’s a real organizer running, we don’t need to match $ for $—we just need to be in the ring," Jayapal wrote on social media late Thursday.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement early Friday that "over and over, voters are sending Democrats a message: We need fighters who will go to the mat for working people."

"We've welcomed Adelita Grijalva and Christian Menefee to Congress in recent months," said Casar. "Now, Analilia Mejia is showing us the way."

Observers also marveled at AIPAC's blundering intervention in the race. UDP's ads against Malinowski did not mention Israel; rather, one of the spots condemned the former congressman for voting in 2019 to fund President Donald Trump's "deportation force," possibly pushing voters toward the candidate who has called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"ICE is not reformable nor fixable, and New Jerseyans know this," Mejia said last month. "We need members of Congress who are willing to stand up to authoritarianism and terror. The same old blue just won’t cut it."

This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Greg Casar.