New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has set the stage for a contentious special election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat left by Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, who resigned and will take office as governor on January 20.
Murphy announced Friday that the special primary election will take place on February 5, with candidates required to file nominating petitions by December 1 at 4 pm. The field is already crowded, with over a dozen candidates vying for the seat, including former Representative Tom Malinowski and Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way.
The winner of this special election will serve out the remainder of Sherrill's term, which expires on January 3, 2027, and represents parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties. Early voting is set to begin in late January for the primary and April 6 for the general election.
However, not everyone is pleased with Murphy's timeline. National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole claims that the governor's plan amounts to "blatant political corruption designed to protect Democratic insiders" and prevent voters from having a genuine choice at the ballot box.
Sherrill herself will be moving on quickly, having defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a 14-point margin in last month's gubernatorial election.
Murphy announced Friday that the special primary election will take place on February 5, with candidates required to file nominating petitions by December 1 at 4 pm. The field is already crowded, with over a dozen candidates vying for the seat, including former Representative Tom Malinowski and Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way.
The winner of this special election will serve out the remainder of Sherrill's term, which expires on January 3, 2027, and represents parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties. Early voting is set to begin in late January for the primary and April 6 for the general election.
However, not everyone is pleased with Murphy's timeline. National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole claims that the governor's plan amounts to "blatant political corruption designed to protect Democratic insiders" and prevent voters from having a genuine choice at the ballot box.
Sherrill herself will be moving on quickly, having defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a 14-point margin in last month's gubernatorial election.
this is crazy! A special election so soon after another one was already happening in NJ? Interesting 
how the Democratic governor and his team are handling this situation... it seems like they're moving fast to get some of their preferred candidates in place before the primary. I wonder what's really going on behind the scenes 
and republicans are all like "hey murphy, u r tryin to disenfranchise voters" 
idk if i trust murphy on this one tho 
. On the other hand, I'm curious to see how Sherrill will adjust to being a governor now that she's got her sights on the state level 
. Guess we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out 
.
It's been ages since Sherrill left, and now we've got like 14 candidates already throwing their hats in the ring! 
What's really gonna decide it, though? Is it just gonna be a bunch of party loyalists or are there some actual contenders? 
... I mean, not really 
? But at the same time, I think it's kinda cool that there are so many candidates running 
... unless you're one of them and have to deal with all that stress 
.
... just kidding! Sorta 
. I mean, who doesn't love the idea of voting early in late January 
? But seriously, shouldn't they give people more time to think about it 
... like, don't be dramatic 
. And Sherrill is basically saying the same thing 
!
anyone else worried about the impact of murphy's move?
And now, with over a dozen candidates running for Sherrill's seat, it's gonna be interesting to see who comes out on top! 
By the way, have you seen these stats on NJ voter demographics? 
55% are women, and 52% are between 25-54 years old 