Special election to fill Mikie Sherrill's U.S. House seat will be held in April

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has announced that a special election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat of Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill will be held on April 16.

Murphy, who is also a Democrat, issued a writ of election after Sherrill's resignation from Congress went into effect at midnight Thursday. The governor directed that a special primary election be held on February 5 and announced a filing deadline for primary candidates, which falls just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

The crowded field of Democratic hopefuls has already been made public, with over a dozen candidates vying for the seat, including Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, and Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way. One Republican candidate has also announced his candidacy.

According to Murphy, the person elected on April 16 will fill out the remainder of Sherrill's current term, which expires in January 2027. The 11th Congressional District includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties.

In-person early voting for both primary and general elections is already underway, starting from January 29 to February 3 for the primary and April 6 to April 14 for the general election.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole has criticized Murphy's special election timeline as an attempt "to protect Democratic insiders and silence voters." The committee claims that by setting a ballot deadline after Thanksgiving, Murphy is denying access to would-be candidates outside of the party machine and limiting voter choice at the polls.

I think it's kinda weird that they're having this super early primary election . Like, what's the hurry? And I'm not sure about this whole thing with in-person early voting too - seems like a hassle to have to go out of your way just to cast your ballot before the actual election . On the bright side, it'll be nice to see some new faces in Congress! The Republican candidate is definitely worth keeping an eye on . I mean, it's all about voter choice and access, right? Shouldn't we have more time to make up our minds before casting our ballots?

I'm thinking, April 16 might be a bit too soon to fill the seat. Don't get me wrong, it's great that they're trying to move forward with the election ASAP, but what about all the people who want to run and are being squeezed out of this process? It feels like Murphy is just going through the motions here... I mean, I'm sure he has good intentions, but it's gonna be tough for those candidates to get their message out in such a short amount of time. And what about the impact on voters? With early voting already underway, are we really seeing the full range of candidates' platforms and ideas?

I'm thinking, how can they make it so hard for people to run and vote if they want to? I mean, it's like, what's the point of even having a special election if you're just gonna limit the options for everyone involved?

It sounds like Governor Murphy is trying to control every aspect of this process and I'm not sure that's a good thing. The Republican committee is saying he's just trying to keep it all within the party, but what about those people who want to vote but don't feel like they have a choice because there aren't any good candidates?

And let's be real, who has the time and resources to deal with this whole thing anyway? I'm just thinking about how it would be way easier if we could just get back to the basics of democracy.

I don't know about this move by Phil Murphy ... On one hand, it's good that people will have a chance to vote for their representative soon enough. But on the other hand, the filing deadline being right before Thanksgiving might be a bit stressful for potential candidates. Like, who wants to deal with that kind of pressure during holiday time? And what about all these accusations from the Republicans that Murphy is trying to "silence voters" or protect his own party members? I mean, it's just politics as usual, right? Still, can't we just try to make this process a bit smoother for everyone involved? Maybe give candidates more time to campaign and reach out to people in the district?

omg can't believe mikie sherrill just resigned i was really rooting for her in congress anyway lol about this special election tho i think it's kinda fishy that murphy is trying to rush this thing to make sure his own dems have a head start on the republican candidate idk if it's intentional or not, but early voting already started? what's the hurry? and btw, 11th congressional district is literally in my backyard

idk about this new law - feel like its just gonna disenfranchise people who wanna run for office but not part of the party machine... anyway i was talking to my friend whose cousin's husband used to work on one of mikie sherrill's campaigns and he said that governor murphy is super keen on making sure the right person gets elected - maybe its a good thing?

I'm thinking about this special election in NJ... it's like, they're rushing into it, you know? First primary on Feb 5, that's not a lot of time for people to get their acts together or even figure out if they want to run. And now we got a huge field of candidates, including some pretty big names. It's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out.

I mean, on one hand, it's good that they're getting the seat filled ASAP since Sherrill left Congress, but on the other hand, are they making it too hard for new people to get in? I don't know if Murphy's trying to limit access or whatever Maureen O'Toole said, but maybe he should consider giving people a bit more time to sort things out.

What do you guys think? Should they speed up the process or slow it down a notch?

this special election thingy got me thinking... why do we need it? can't they just fill the seat already? and what's with all these candidates? like, can't they just chill for a sec? but seriously, it seems kinda fishy that Murphy is trying to control everything and limit voters' choices... maybe he's just trying to protect his party's interests or maybe there's more to it...

Ugh, can't believe this ! A special election on April 16? That's so short notice! And what's with the filing deadline before Thanksgiving? It's like they're trying to cram all these candidates into a tiny window of time. And now I'm stuck voting in-person from Jan 29 - Feb 3 for the primary and Apr 6-14 for the general . National Republican Congressional Committee is right, though... it does look like Murphy is trying to limit voter choice and protect his party insiders . Can't we just have a normal election with plenty of time for candidates to campaign? This special election thing is so messed up

I'm skeptical about this whole thing... April 16 just feels like too soon after Mikie Sherrill resigned from Congress. It's gonna be some last-minute candidate who hasn't got a clue what they're doing, you know? And with in-person early voting already going on, I bet some people are gonna try to game the system or get their friends and family to vote for them just so they can say they voted... not exactly the most transparent thing. Plus, why is the filing deadline before Thanksgiving? Sounds like an excuse to avoid dealing with a messy primary election. And let's be real, whoever wins this special election is gonna be some bland, uninspiring politician who's only there because of party loyalty... not exactly what we need in Congress

I'm like what's up with this special election, lol? April 16 is already like, super close to spring break... how are ppl supposed to even get out to vote then? And I feel u, Maureen O'Toole says the gov is tryin to keep it all within the party, but shouldn't voters just get to choose whoever they want? Like, what's next?

I'm soooo excited about this special election in NJ ! I mean, it's crazy how quickly things are happening, like February 5 for primary & April 16 for general ... But, gotta say, I'm a bit concerned about the whole voting access thing. It seems like Murphy might be trying to rush candidates and voters into the process ️. And what's up with this ballot deadline after Thanksgiving? Is that really necessary? Can't we just chill for a sec? #DemocracyMatters #VotingIsKey

I'm low-key annoyed about this special election thing in NJ . I mean, can't they just have a normal election without all these hiccups? It seems like Governor Murphy is trying to speed things up, but it's causing more confusion for voters and candidates alike. The fact that the filing deadline falls right before Thanksgiving is pretty convenient (or so it seems) . It's also kinda fishy that National Republican Committee is attacking Murphy over this. They're just trying to make an issue out of nothing, if you ask me . Anyway, I hope everything gets sorted out and we get a decent candidate to fill Mikie Sherrill's seat soon!

Ugh, this is gonna be a super long and expensive special election ... like 11 people are running for one seat already?!? And what's with the weird filing deadline just before Thanksgiving? Sounds like some kind of partisan snafu to me . The whole thing just feels like a giant headache for NJ voters... in-person early voting is a good thing, but now there's even more reasons to get caught up in all this chaos

I don’t usually comment but I gotta say... it's weird how some people are already questioning the timing of this special election . Like, what's wrong with giving everyone a fair shot? And if there's concern about Democratic insiders, shouldn't we be focusing on getting more people involved in the voting process? The early voting dates seem pretty reasonable to me... I mean, it's not like people are gonna forget about this election or anything . It's just another reminder that elections can get pretty heated and messy. Can we all just calm down for a sec?

Ugh I'm so sick of special elections! It's like politicians are trying to rush things through without giving us decent representation for once. April 16? Really? Can't they just give us a normal election timeline? And what's with all the in-person early voting? January 29? That's, like, almost Valentine's Day. Can't we get a break from politics for one day? I'm also not loving the fact that National Republican Congress Committee is playing games about voter access and "protecting" Democrats... come on guys, let's just focus on getting decent reps for our districts!

I'm so stoked for these people who are stepping up to run for this seat! It's crazy how many candidates are vying for it . I feel like this is a great opportunity for someone new to make a difference in their community. And let's be real, whoever wins has got some serious work ahead of them to fill out the rest of Mikie Sherrill's term . The timing of the special election does seem kinda short, but maybe it'll get people fired up and engaged . Either way, I'm rooting for a strong candidate who's gonna represent their constituents well

I'm all about transparency in gov't, but this timeline is kinda fishy . I mean, setting the filing deadline right before Thanksgiving? That's just gonna limit people's ability to run or even vote if they wanna. And what's up with only 5 days for primary candidates to file? It feels like a bunch of politicos trying to control the narrative. Can't we have more time to breathe? I'm also a bit skeptical about in-person early voting starting from Jan 29 - isn't that kinda short notice? And those dates seem to favor the Democratic party machine, if you ask me . A little more flexibility and transparency would be great, IMO

I'm like totally sure that a special election on April 16 is gonna be super lit , but then again, I could be wrong too... Like, what's up with all these crazy claims from National Republican Congressional Committee anyway? Either way, I think it's kinda cool that Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way is running for the seat, she seems like a total boss . And omg, over a dozen Democratic hopefuls? That's so much drama ! But on the other hand, shouldn't they be focusing on, like, actually solving some problems instead of all this backroom deal-making?