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.
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.
. 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? 
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? 
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? 
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? 
- maybe its a good thing?
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 
maybe he's just trying to protect his party's interests 
. National Republican Congressional Committee is right, though... it does look like Murphy is trying to limit voter choice and protect his party insiders 
! 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
. Anyway, I hope everything gets sorted out and we get a decent candidate to fill Mikie Sherrill's seat soon! 
. 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 
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?