NJ Candidates Line Up To Replace Mikie Sherrill In Congress (See The List)

This article was updated at 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 6

The race to replace U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in Congress has begun, and several candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring.

Sherrill has been projected as the winner of New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial election. The Democratic lawmaker faced challenges from Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, as well as third-party candidates Vic Kaplan (Libertarian Party) and Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party).

Although the results remain uncertified, Sherrill has claimed victory and Ciattarelli has conceded defeat. Read More: NJ Governor Election Results: Sherrill Wins, AP Says

Sherrill is currently serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the state’s 11th congressional district, which spans dozens of towns in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties (see list below).

The congresswoman was re-elected in 2024. Her term ends in January 2027.

Sherrill will need to resign from her seat to take her new job as governor on Jan. 20. An election – including a primary – will take place to choose a replacement to fill her unexpired term. This will leave the state’s 11th district temporarily without a representative in Congress.

An election date hasn’t been set.

“I likely won’t be getting involved,” Sherrill said Wednesday. “There are some great candidates in there.”

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?

There is a growing list of candidates who have officially announced they are running for Sherrill’s seat, or have filed paperwork to run. The candidates include:

• Former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski
• Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett
• Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill
• Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway
• Former Barack Obama staffer Cammie Croft
• Morris Township Deputy Mayor Jeff Grayzel
• Chatham Borough Council Member Justin Strickland
• Community activist Anna Lee Williams

Malinowski, who represented the state’s 7th district until Rep. Tom Kean Jr. defeated him in 2022, said the race for Sherrill’s seat in Congress will be the first and possibly only special election of 2026 – and it will set the tone for the November midterms.

“I’m running to deliver again what New Jerseyans need – better and lower cost health care, housing, and transportation – and to take on [President Donald] Trump’s corruption, abuse of power, and attacks on democracy,” Malinowski said Thursday.

Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway was the first Republican to launch a bid for Sherrill’s congressional seat.

In a campaign video, Hathaway said that New Jersey needs to elect a GOP lawmaker who will “put in the hours,” accusing Sherrill of “skipping the hard work just to chase the next job.”

“Washington doesn’t need more show ponies,” he said. “It needs workhorses ready to get in the trenches.”

On the flip side of the aisle, Croft, a former staffer in the presidential administration of Barack Obama, announced her candidacy in October.

“These are challenging times, when things are getting harder —faster— for working families,” Croft said. “From groceries to child care to energy bills, costs are too damn high—and families are being squeezed while politicians and the ultra-rich look out for themselves.”

Croft said she is a supporter of Sherrill – a fellow Montclair resident – and said that she will “build on the strong foundation” laid by the congresswoman if elected.

Grayzel, another Democrat, announced his plan to run for Sherrill’s seat in June.

“With so much at stake for our nation, I am now taking the appropriate steps to explore representing our community in Washington,” Grayzel said. “I am confident that my record of community service, leadership, and common-sense solutions has equipped me with the experience and temperament needed to fight right-wing extremism in Washington.”

Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill officially threw his hat into the ring on Thursday.

“As someone who has spent my career fighting for working families, protecting our environment, and expanding opportunity, I’m running for Congress to make sure the voices of the residents of our district are heard loud and clear,” he said.

“From fighting for affordable health care to ensuring every child has access to a great public education, I’ll be a tireless advocate for New Jersey’s values in Congress,” Gill added.

Although they haven’t officially declared their intent to run, other names that have been floated as potential replacements include New Jersey Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, Maplewood Committee member Dean Dafis, and former Biden administration staffer Jack Miller.

• See Related: Democrats Start Lining Up To Replace Sherrill In NJ-11
• See Related: These 5 NJ Counties Flipped Blue In Tuesday’s Election, AP Says

WHERE IS THE 11TH DISTRICT?

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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