Overview
- Voters will choose between Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election to fill the seat vacated by now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill, with independent Alan Bond also on the ballot.
- The race pits progressive organizer Mejia against Hathaway, a self-described moderate who courts independents and Jewish voters and says he would not be a Trump rubber stamp.
- The Israel-Hamas war looms large, as Mejia has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza and called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal, while Hathaway backs unconditional aid to Israel and accuses her of antisemitism.
- Early votes point to a Democratic edge, with about 54,000 ballots cast by Monday including roughly 34,000 from Democrats, 13,000 from Republicans, and more than 7,000 from unaffiliated voters in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 230,000 to 165,000.
- Mejia holds advantages in money and alliances, raising about $1.1 million to Hathaway’s $525,000 and drawing support from Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, after an AIPAC-affiliated super PAC spent $2.3 million earlier targeting Tom Malinowski in the Democratic primary.