November 21, 2025
Kevin R. Wexler/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
New Jersey has scheduled the special election to fill Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill's vacant U.S. House seat. A primary election will take place Feb. 5 followed by the special general election on April 16. Sherrill, center is shown above celebrating on election night.
The special election for Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill's vacant seat in the House will take place April 16, the governor announced Friday.
Gov. Phil Murphy issued a writ of election to fill Sherrill's House vacancy after her resignation from Congress went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Sherrill, like Murphy a Democrat, becomes governor on Jan. 20.
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Murphy directed that a special primary election be held on Thursday, Feb. 5. The deadline for primary candidates to file nominating petitions is Monday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m.
The race to succeed Sherrill in the House is already a crowded one. At least 10 Democrats and one Republican have already announced campaigns, including Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, and Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way.
The person elected by voters on Thursday, April 16, will fill out the remainder of Sherrill's current term, which ends Jan. 3, 2027.
The 11th Congressional District includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties.
In-person early voting for the special primary will run from Jan. 29 through Feb. 3, and for the special general election from April 6 through April 14.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole blasted Murphy's special election timeline as "blatant political corruption designed to protect Democratic insiders and silence voters."
"By setting a ballot deadline to just after the Thanksgiving holiday, he's denying access for anyone outside the political machine to qualify and give voters a real choice at the ballot box," she said in a statement Friday.
Sherrill, who will be New Jersey's 57th governor, defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a 14-point margin in the gubernatorial race earlier this month.
New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.
