New Jersey S 11th Congressional District Special Election 2026

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 1:35 PM

new jersey s 11th congressional district special election 2026

The 2026 New Jersey's 11th congressional district special election will be held on April 16, 2026 to fill the vacant seat in New Jersey's 11th congressional district. The winner will serve in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 119th United States Congress. The seat became vacant on November 20, 2025, when Mikie Sherrill resigned to become the governor of New Jersey.[1] A primary will be held on February 5, 2026, with candidates required to file by December 1, 2025. Both the primary and general elections will be preceded by in-person early voting periods: a six-day period prior to the primary, January 29 through February 3, and a nine-day period prior to the general,... Voters will also, as always, have the option to cast their votes by mail.[2]

Petition challenges could be incoming, though most candidates file with plenty of signatures This story was updated at 7:18 p.m. with the final list of candidates; Donald Cresitello failed to make the ballot. The field for the special election in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, vacant since Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill resigned from the House last month, is now largely set. A whopping 13 Democrats have filed for the seat, the largest primary field for a single New Jersey House seat in years. Only one Republican, Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, filed to run for the Democratic-leaning district, essentially making him the GOP nominee by default.

All candidates had to file with a minimum of 500 signatures, a threshold that most of them easily surpassed despite the shortened timeframe for circulating petitions. (The threshold was increased from 200 to 500 at the beginning of this year; this special election will be the first time the heightened requirements will be in force for a congressional race.) Essex County’s final vote count for the 2025 general election was certified by the County Clerk’s office on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The special primary election for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional seat vacated by Gov-Elect Mike Sherrill, will be on Thursday, Feb. 5 and the special general election will be on Thursday, April 16.

Early voting for the special primary election will be from Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 through Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Early voting for the special general election will be from Monday, April 6, 2026 through Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Have something to say? We welcome letters to the editor.

Please email your letter, including your name, and the town where you live, to sdimaggio@newjerseyhills.com Want to support local journalism? We're owned by the non-profit Corporation for New Jersey Local Media, which exists to expand the future of local media. To learn more, or to contribute to sustaining and growing quality local journalism, click here! Topics you care about, straight to your inbox Topics you care about, straight to your inbox

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who was elected New Jersey governor on Tuesday, is asked by Fox News Digital about her timetable from resigning from her congressional seat and calling a special election. Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s win in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race has triggered a crowded special election to fill her U.S. House seat, with 13 Democrats contending for the nomination to face the lone Republican candidate in the race. The staggering 13-candidate Democratic field in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District could set the tone for Democrats' messaging priorities as the country heads into a midterm election year that could determine if Republicans maintain... Monday marked the filing deadline for candidates vying to replace Sherrill, where candidates were required to secure at least 500 signatures to make the special election ballot.

Outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., issued the writ of election on Friday, Nov. 21, after Sherrill formally resigned from office on Thursday, Nov. 20. The special primary election is set for Feb. 5, 2026, and the special general election will be held on April 16, 2026.

More than a dozen candidates — almost all of them Democrats — filed for the chance to fill New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s former congressional seat in North Jersey and now face an abbreviated... Monday was the deadline for Democratic and Republican hopefuls to file for the special primary to be held Feb. 5 in the 11th District that encompasses parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. After Sherrill resigned her seat last month following the gubernatorial election, Gov. Phil Murphy moved quickly to schedule the special election for what is likely to stay a Democratic seat in the sharply divided House. The GOP currently holds 219 seats and the Democrats 213, with three vacancies, including Sherrill’s.

Congressional vacancies are rare and tend to draw more candidates than races in which an incumbent is running. The end of New Jersey’s county line ballot last year has given even more people the courage to run, because it gives them a better chance at winning, at least in theory. “When you consider the usual penalty for the president’s party during midterm elections, and add in President Trump’s near record-low public approval, it makes sense that Democratic candidates would conclude that the political environment... “More candidates seem willing to enter primary races when they don’t need to run off the line. Even with all the organizational advantages the county parties still have, they appear to be less daunting.” Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill announces his campaign to run for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District outside his parents’ home in Montclair on Nov.

10, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor) It’s been less than a week since Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherill won the governor’s race, and Democrats are lining up to run for her House seat. The race to represent the 11th Congressional District includes a former congressman, an ex-Obama administration staffer, two county commissioners, and a mayor. “I think the more people that jump in, the better,” said Brendan Gill, an Essex County commissioner and political strategist who formally launched his campaign for Sherrill’s seat on Monday.

Gill, standing alongside supporters in the pouring rain outside his childhood home in Montclair, touted his ties to the Essex County town and his work in organizing Democrats to help elect Sherrill governor last...

New Jersey S 11th Congressional District Special Election 2026

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The 2026 New Jersey's 11th Congressional District Special Election Will

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