On Nov. 21, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced dates for a special election to fill Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill‘s 11th Congressional District Seat: Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 for the primary, and Thursday, April 16, 2026 for the general election, with six days of in-person early voting for the special primary election, spanning January 29, 2026 through February 3, 2026, and nine days of in-person early voting for the special general election, spanning April 6, 2026 through April 14, 2026. Nomination petitions for partisan candidates seeking a party nomination in the special primary election must be filed by December 1, 2025. 500 valid signatures are required for primary candidates. Essex County Democrats will hold their endorsement convention on December 2, while Morris County Democrats will hold theirs on December 14, and Passaic Dems will conduct endorsement via a screening committee, with timing still unclear.
NJ-11 Congressional District since 2023. Per Wikimedia Commons.
The New Jersey Democratic political machine funny business has already begun in the upcoming special primary election to fill Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s former seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In an effort to prevent a real, competitive primary and sew up the result for their preferred candidate, they have made several moves in the past few days to undermine democracy and thwart your meaningful participation:
- The lame-duck governor endorsed the machine’s preferred candidate before the election had even been scheduled.
- They scheduled the election for a Thursday rather than a Tuesday, which will surely confuse voters and depress turnout, favoring the machine candidate even further.
- They added an extra degree of difficulty for anyone other than their preferred candidate by giving prospective candidates a deadline of the Monday after Thanksgiving to submit the hundreds of signatures needed to get on the ballot.
- The Essex County Democratic Committee has called a convention to be held on Zoom the day after the petition deadline to hand its endorsement to the machine’s preferred candidate before we even know who else made it onto the ballot successfully.
The ballots themselves may be more fair thanks to grassroots advocates and Sen. Andy Kim, but that doesn’t mean the machine wants you to use them.
You certainly shouldn’t be surprised at these kinds of moves; it’s what we’ve come to expect. Our aging Democratic political machine in New Jersey is like asbestos: obsolete and toxic, but it still functions in its own way if left alone.
But just because it’s expected doesn’t mean it shouldn’t make you mad — or that we shouldn’t try to beat it. This special primary election is for a safe Democratic seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Whoever makes it through this primary could wind up being a decades-long incumbent. The machine knows that, and that’s why they’re hoping you don’t even notice the election is happening — or have fewer or even no choices if you do.
There was a special election last year in the congressional district next door. They did schedule that one for a Tuesday, at least, but it was a sunny Tuesday in July; this one will be a frozen Thursday in February. The turnout was barely a third of what you’d expect in an ordinary Democratic primary. With that special election turnout as an already low baseline, we could be looking at a quarter or less of normal turnout for this one.
That means your decision to participate has disproportionate power. If you’d like to stick it to the people trying to shut you out, there is one thing you can do right now: go right here and print out your application for a mail-in ballot. The county will send it to you and you can mail it back at your convenience. It’s the easiest way to participate in an election where those already in power are hoping you won’t bother.
Once you’ve done that, or if you’re already enrolled in vote-by-mail, print a dozen more and give them to your friends and neighbors. Keep a few on the kitchen counter for when people stop by; take a few with you when you walk the dog. Share this article and the link to the mail-in ballot application in the group chat.
From the cost of living crisis to attacks on fundamental constitutional rights, your next representative in Congress will be right in the thick of the fight. Make it someone you choose, not someone chosen for you.
Joe Rospars is a South Orange resident and a district leader on the South Orange Democratic Committee. These views are his own.
