NJ-11: Sixth-place finisher in special primary will challenge Mejia again
Justin Strickland, a councilman in Chatham Borough whose special election campaign for the 11th congressional district earned him sixth place and 2% of the Democratic primary vote, is running again.
Strickland, who had not given any prior indication of his plans, submitted his 11th district petitions earlier today, just a few hours before the filing deadline. His decision to enter the June primary will pit him against Analilia Mejia, the winner of the February special primary and likely the district’s next congresswoman.
“71% of Democrats who voted in the special primary in February chose other candidates who didn’t win,” Strickland said in a statement shared with the New Jersey Globe. “Those voters and all who plan to vote in the regular cycle primary deserve to have a choice on Election Day. This is what democracy looks like. I filed to run for Congress to give voters a choice on June 2 and I ask voters to give me another look.”
In the wake of Mejia’s surprise February victory, there was plenty of chatter about whether a more moderate Democrat would take her on in the primary election for a full term. Former Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way, the special primary’s third-place finisher, spent more than a month mulling it over before announcing yesterday that she wouldn’t run; Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Livingston) briefly considered a campaign of her own but decided against it.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/sixth-place-finisher-in-nj-11-special-primary-will-challenge-mejia/