发布时间： 2026年2月5日，美国东部时间上午7:00
作者： 阿里特·约翰（Arit John）
从左至右：布伦丹·吉尔（Brendan Gill）、安娜莉娅·梅希亚（Analilia Mejia）、汤姆·马林诺夫斯基（Tom Malinowski）和塔莎·韦（Tahesha Way）。
图片来源：Imagn/Getty Images/AP
新泽西州郊区周四举行的一场竞争激烈的党内初选，已成为民主党推动在今年中期选举中重新夺回美国众议院控制权的关键测试场。
这场填补现任州长米基·谢里尔（Mikie Sherrill）空缺的选举，吸引了众多候选人——包括地方民选官员、社区活动人士、前伞兵、前副州长和前国会议员。
民主党仍在努力寻找激励其基本盘并赢回流失选民的最佳策略。全国民主党官员将重点放在生活成本问题上，而进步派和基层活动人士则批评党内领导人，称其对总统唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）的反对力度不足。
在一贯支持民主党的新泽西州第11选区，候选人采取了后者的策略：他们谴责移民执法行动，谴责联邦探员枪杀两名明尼阿波利斯抗议者，并哀叹民主规范的侵蚀。
周四的民主党初选中还出现了其他熟悉的主题，包括民主党内建制派的影响力，以及美国以色列公共事务委员会（AIPAC）和其他资金充裕的外部团体的作用。
四位候选人被视为主要领跑者：埃塞克斯县专员布伦丹·吉尔、前新泽西州议员汤姆·马林诺夫斯基、前新泽西州劳动家庭联盟领导人安娜莉娅·梅希亚，以及前副州长塔莎·韦。
“对于这四个人中的每一个，我都能列出他们获胜和失败的理由，”新泽西州民主党策略师劳拉·马托斯（Laura Matos）表示，“这归根结底取决于谁能动员选民投票，以及哪个候选人能让自己的支持者出现在投票站。”
其他候选人包括：前伞兵扎克·比彻（Zach Beecher）；社区活动家、律师兼喜剧演员J-L·考文（J-L Cauvin）；帕塞伊克县专员约翰·巴特利特（John Bartlett）；曾在奥巴马政府任职的卡米·克罗夫特（Cammie Croft）；莫里斯镇两任市长杰夫·格雷泽尔（Jeff Grayzel）；查塔姆镇议会成员贾斯汀·斯特里克兰德（Justin Strickland）；以及社区活动家安娜·李·威廉姆斯（Anna Lee Williams）。
第11选区曾是共和党坚固堡垒，自谢里尔在2018年赢得该席位以来，民主党一直掌控着它。2022年重新划区后，该选区进一步向自由派倾斜。
无论谁在周四的初选中胜出，都将成为4月16日大选的热门候选人，对手是共和党唯一候选人、伦道夫镇前市长乔·哈塔韦（Joe Hathaway）。同时，胜者在6月的初选中也将占据优势，以赢得1月开始的完整任期。
一场多方角逐的选举
在周四投票前，候选人呼吁民主党在华盛顿采取更具对抗性的立场，尤其是针对美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）。几位候选人主张应削减ICE的预算。
“我们看到明尼苏达州发生的事情，”前副州长兼国务卿塔莎·韦表示，“ICE突袭行动、试图勒索选民名册上的个人数据，这些完全不可接受、违宪且不符合美国价值观。”
韦以自己反对共和党人试图获取新泽西州选民数据的斗争为例，证明其反对行政部门的立场。
布伦丹·吉尔强调自己的从政经历和前国会工作人员身份，以及在当地民主党参与组织“无国王”抗议活动的经历。
“我认为，在某些时候，我们需要更积极地回击华盛顿的所作所为，”他表示，并指出民主党本应拒绝更多特朗普的政治任命。
梅希亚是长期活跃的民主党人，曾担任独立人士、佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯（Bernie Sanders）2020年总统竞选的全国政治主任。她表示，在民主党结束去年的政府停摆却未延长《平价医疗法案》（Affordable Care Act）的保费税收补贴后，她决心参选。
“与此刻的许多民主党人一样，我不仅对‘让美国再次伟大’（MAGA）、特朗普主义和唐纳德·特朗普政府的越权、腐败和公然虚伪感到震惊，也对我自己的民主党领导层感到愤怒，”她表示。
梅希亚凭借桑德斯、纽约州议员亚历山德里娅·奥卡西奥-科特兹（Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez）等进步派领袖的背书，巩固了自己在进步阵营的地位。但在资金方面落后——她在筹款中排名第六，远低于马林诺夫斯基和吉尔。
“我希望周四我们能看到普通选民重新夺回我们政党的动力、基调、声音和焦点，”梅希亚说。
前国会议员的背景：机遇与挑战并存
曾在2018年选举中翻转新泽西州第7选区、却在2022年连任失败的汤姆·马林诺夫斯基，强调自己是唯一在国会中已经对特朗普提出反对的候选人，并宣称将在宣誓就职当天立即发挥作用。
“我认为选民被我们的竞选吸引，因为我可以可靠地证明我能有效履职，”他在采访中表示。
他的前国会议员身份既是优势也是隐患：他在筹款中领先，因多年作为摇摆选区议员而拥有更高知名度。但他也因任内未及时披露股票交易而面临攻击广告。据AdImpact数据，与AIPAC相关的“联合民主项目”（United Democracy Project）已花费超过170万美元在电视广告中攻击马林诺夫斯基。
该团体重点批评其股票交易问题，并试图将他与特朗普联系起来，特别提到他在2019年支持包含ICE资金的两党综合拨款法案。马林诺夫斯基则强烈谴责ICE的“非法且卑劣”执法行动，称攻击“荒谬可笑”。
“我们的目标是在国会建立最大规模的两党亲以多数，”联合民主项目发言人帕特里克·多顿（Patrick Dorton）表示，“我们认为在新泽西州第11选区，有比汤姆·马林诺夫斯基更适合美国-以色列关系的候选人。”
吉尔也针对马林诺夫斯基的披露问题展开攻击，称该争议导致其2022年输给共和党人汤姆·基恩（Tom Kean Jr.）。这位在选区童年故居外启动竞选的县专员，还指责马林诺夫斯基“抛弃”第7选区选民。
“我在划清界限，”吉尔说，“他作为国会议员做出的决定导致我们失去了这个席位，这就是我对他候选人资格的质疑——他曾背叛并离开自己代表的第7选区民众。”
根据前国会道德办公室的报告，马林诺夫斯基在任期间将未及时披露交易的行为描述为“我的疏忽，我对此深表遗憾并承担全部责任”。众议院伦理委员会对其股票交易披露的调查在他卸任时终止，需重新启动。
马林诺夫斯基表示，吉尔在此次竞选中对其股票交易的攻击，与2022年共和党人对他的指控如出一辙。他还担忧AIPAC因反对他要求对以色列援助附加条件而增加攻击，而此前他曾获得该组织支持。
“他们的目标是恐吓民主党，”他说，“如果这里成功，我们将在其他多个民主党初选中看到同样的戏码。如果我们在这里阻止它，民主党将更具免疫力。”
A US House special election in New Jersey becomes a Democratic testing ground
Published Feb 5, 2026, 7:00 AM ET / By Arit John
From left: Brendan Gill, Analilia Mejia, Tom Malinowski and Tahesha Way.
Imagn/Getty Images/AP
A crowded primary in the New Jersey suburbs Thursday has become an early testing ground for the debates that will shape the Democratic push to retake the US House in this year’s midterms.
The race to replace now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill has drawn a range of candidates – local elected officials, community advocates, a former paratrooper, a former lieutenant governor and a former congressman.
Democrats continue to grapple with how best to motivate their base and win back voters who’ve drifted away. National Democratic officials have drilled down on cost-of-living issues, while progressives and grassroots activists have criticized party leaders, arguing their opposition to President Donald Trump has been anemic.
In the reliably blue 11th District, candidates have taken the latter approach. They’ve railed against immigration enforcement, condemned the deaths of two Minneapolis protesters shot by federal agents and bemoaned the erosion of democratic norms.
Other familiar themes are at play in Thursday’s Democratic primary, including the power of the Democratic establishment and the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other well-funded outside groups.
Four candidates have emerged as perceived front-runners: Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, former New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski, former New Jersey Working Families Alliance leader Analilia Mejia, and former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way.
“For each of those four people, I could give you a list of reasons why they will win and a list of reasons why they won’t,” said Laura Matos, a New Jersey-based Democratic strategist. “It really comes down to who turns out to vote, and which candidate brings their voters out.”
The rest of the field includes former paratrooper Zach Beecher; community advocate, lawyer and comedian J-L Cauvin; Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett; Cammie Croft, who worked in the Obama administration; Jeff Grayzel, a two-term mayor of Morris Township; Chatham Borough Council Member Justin Strickland; and community advocate Anna Lee Williams.
Once a Republican stronghold, Democrats have held the 11th District – which includes parts of northern New Jersey’s Essex, Morris and Passaic counties – since Sherrill flipped the seat in 2018. The district shifted further left in 2022 after redistricting.
Whoever wins Thursday’s primary will be the odds-on favorite to win the April 16 general election against the lone Republican candidate, former mayor of Randolph Township Joe Hathaway. They’ll also have an edge in the June primary for a full term beginning in January.
A look at a wide-open race
Leading into Thursday’s vote, the candidates have called on their party to take on a more confrontational stance in Washington, particularly towards US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several candidates argued the agency should be defunded.
“We see what’s going on out in Minnesota,” said Way, the former lieutenant governor and secretary of state. “Totally unacceptable, unconstitutional and un-American, with the ICE raids, but also trying to extort personal data off of the voter rolls.”
Way noted her own fights against Republicans who sued to access New Jersey’s voter data as an example of her record pushing back on the administration.
Gill has pointed to his experience as both an elected official and former congressional staffer, as well as his work with his local Democratic Party, which organized a “No Kings” protest.
“I think I have, at certain times, felt that we needed to be more aggressive in our pushback against what’s coming out of Washington,” he said, arguing Democrats should have rejected more of Trump’s political appointees.
Mejia, a longtime Democratic activist who served as the national political director for independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, said she was drawn to enter the race after Democrats ended last year’s government shutdown without securing an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax subsidies.
“Like many Democrats in this moment, I am not only appalled at MAGA, at Trumpism, at Donald Trump’s administration – their overreach, their corruption, their blatant hypocrisy – but I’m also ticked off at my own Democratic leadership,” she said.
Mejia has solidified her position in the progressive lane with endorsements from Sanders, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others. But she has trailed on the money front – she’s sixth in fundraising, well behind Malinowski and Gill.
“What I hope we will see on Thursday, is regular, everyday voters reclaiming the drive, tone, tenor, focus of our own party,” Mejia said.
A former congressman’s background becomes a benefit and a liability
Malinowski, who flipped New Jersey’s 7th District during the 2018 wave but lost his 2022 reelection bid, has argued he’s the only who has already pushed back on Trump in Congress. He would retain his seniority in Congress.
“I think voters have been drawn to our campaign because I can credibly argue that I’ll be effective on the day I’m sworn in,” he said in an interview.
His background as a former congressman has been both a benefit and a minor liability. He has led the field in fundraising and has broader name recognition thanks to his years as a swing-district lawmaker. But he’s also been subject to attack ads over his failure to properly disclose his stock trades while in office. United Democracy Project, a group aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has spent more than $1.7 million on TV ads attacking Malinowski, according to AdImpact.
The group has highlighted his stock trading and sought to tie him to Trump, pointing to his vote for a bipartisan 2019 omnibus spending bill that include funding for ICE. Malinowski has been vocal about what he called the agency’s “unlawful and despicable” enforcement operations, and called the attack “outrageous.”
“It’s our goal to build the largest bipartisan pro-Israel majority in Congress,” said Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for the United Democracy Project. “We think there are better candidates than Tom Malinowski on the US-Israel relationship in the NJ-11 race.”
Gill has also laid into Malinowski over the disclosure issue, arguing the controversy contributed to his 2022 loss to Republican Tom Kean Jr. The county commissioner, who launched his own campaign outside his childhood home in the district, has also knocked Malinowski for switching districts.
“I’m drawing a contrast,” Gill said. “Those are decisions that he made as a member of Congress that cost us that seat and that’s why I have an issue, quite frankly, with the nature of this candidacy, where he deserted and left the people that he represented in District 7.”
While in office, Malinowski described his failure to disclose his trades on time as “a matter of carelessness on my part, which I regret and take full responsibility for,” according to a report from the former Office of Congressional Ethics. The House Ethics Committee’s investigation into his stock trade disclosures ended when Malinowski left office and would need to be reopened by the committee to continue.
Malinowski said the attacks on stock trading Gill has raised in this race mirror those Republicans made against him in 2022. He also raised concerns about the late infusion of spending against him, prompted by AIPAC’s opposition to his willingness to place conditions on aid to Israel. The former congressman previously had the group’s support.
“Their goal is to intimidate the Democratic Party,” he said. “If it works here, we’re going to see the same play in multiple other Democratic primaries. If we stop it here, the party will be more immune.”