National labor and progressive leaders make closing case: "Any old blue just won't do"
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — On the evening before the special primary election for NJ-11, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders headlined Analilia Mejia’s “Stay Warm & Melt ICE” virtual rally and phone bank to get-out-the-vote before election day.
Sanders was joined by national progressive leaders who made the case that this race represents a critical choice between corporate-backed establishment politics and the fighting spirit needed to confront Trump’s authoritarian agenda.
“We as progressives—we are prepared to take on the oligarchs, take on Trump, to fight for the working class of this country” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “What Analilia understands is that the people of this country want fundamental change. Working people are hurting and we cannot continue to have a nation in which billionaires get much, much richer, but so many of our people in New Jersey and Vermont are having difficulty buying food, paying their rent, or paying for their healthcare.”
“We're this close. We know this is within reach,” said Analilia Mejia. “We've been doing the math. We've been crunching the numbers. We can see it. We’re doing this for the working class, the working poor, for middle class people, and to say to the billionaire class, you can't own me. Let’s win this!"
The event also brought together labor unions representing thousands of healthcare workers, higher education faculty, and service employees, alongside progressive organizations mobilizing voters for tomorrow's election.
“This will be the first matchup between the corporate establishment that led us here and the true fighters that we need to lead us to the future," said Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party. "Analilia Mejia has a track record of fighting for everyday workers, a track record of going into government to make government work for everyday people."
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, framed the race as a defining moment for the Democratic Party. "If Analilia wins this election, it will send a signal to primary voters in countless other primaries that it's okay to be inspired again, that being inspired and winning are the same, that electing real organizers is key to getting people to the polls."
Analilia Mejia has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and numerous labor unions and progressive organizations.
The special primary election takes place tomorrow, February 5, 2026. For information on voting, visit www.vote.nj.gov.
