After sparring over whether they would debate at all, Democrat Analilia Mejia of Glen Ridge and Republican Joe Hathaway finally faced off Wednesday — unleashing a sharp, personal exchange in what may be voters’ only chance to see them share a stage before the April 16 special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
For just over an hour, the candidates traded attacks in a sometimes heated virtual faceoff that focused as much on defining each other as themselves.
The debate — sponsored by the New Jersey Globe and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University — came after Mejia faced criticism for declining a League of Women Voters forum. It was moderated by Globe Washington reporter Joey Fox, with questions from Rebovich Director Micah Rasmussen and civil rights leader Jeannine LaRue.
Topics ranged from MAGA and socialism to the cost of living, the Gateway tunnel, immigration enforcement and air traffic safety. The start time was moved to 4 pm to avoid conflicting with Passover. The event was livestreamed and carried by C-SPAN; the Globe website will post replays.
Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway, congressional candidates in District 11. Montage by Kristen Neymarc
CLASH OVER TRUMP, TAXES AND POLITICAL RECORDS
Hathaway, a Randolph councilman, cast himself as a moderate Republican willing to work across party lines.
Asked if he is MAGA, he called himself a “new generation of Republican” who believes in a “big tent.” He acknowledged President Biden’s 2020 win, said he would “push back” against any attempt by President Trump to seek a third term, and broke with Trump on funding the Gateway tunnel, calling it too important to “play politics” with.
GOP congressional candidate Joe Hathaway speaks during virtual debate in 11th District special race, April 1, 2026. Screenshot by Kevin Coughlin
But he backed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” contending its tax cuts benefit everyone, and said he would support House Speaker Mike Johnson most of the time.
“I think the results that he’s gotten done for our district are the right thing. We don’t have to agree on every single thing,” Hathaway said.
Mejia, who served in President Biden’s Labor Department and was national political director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, framed herself as a defender of middle-class families and human rights.
Democratic congressional candidate Analilia Mejia speaks during virtual debate in 11th District special race, April 1, 2026. Screenshot by Kevin Coughlin
She blamed Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill” for enriching billionaires while cutting healthcare and food programs, and said tax cuts for the wealthy have added $3 trillion to the deficit. Tariffs, she added, are driving up costs for families.
Mejia dubbed her opponent a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” who “spun Bridgegate” while working for Gov. Chris Christie, and would be a loyal Trump soldier on Capitol Hill.
“In this moment, he will talk a good game, but his actions actually speak the truth. A three-time Trump supporter who will support Mike Johnson and will continue to fail you,” Mejia said.
IMMIGRATION, HEALTH CARE AND FOREIGN POLICY
Hathaway warned that Mejia’s proposals would expand government too far and are out-of-touch with one of the wealthiest districts in America.
He said her universal healthcare plan would “balloon the deficit,” limit access to care and allow the government to decide “who gets that life-saving medicine and who does not.”
“That is not the kind of America I want to live in,” he said.
He also argued that abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would weaken public safety, and defended U.S. air strikes on Iran as “incredibly effective.”
Mejia countered that diplomacy must come first in foreign policy and said immigration reform can be achieved without ICE.
“We don’t need armed thugs running around our streets shooting American people just for exercising their First Amendment rights,” she said, referencing the killing of activists Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
ISRAEL, IDENTITY AND ELECTORATE
The sharpest exchanges came over Israel.
Hathaway accused Mejia of aligning with critics of Israel and told her: “Ms. Mejia, I’ll stop calling you anti-Semite when you stop saying things that are antisemitic, and when you stop taking money from people…who shout that Jews in Israel are the same thing as Nazis in Germany.”
Mejia rejected the characterization and emphasized her small-donor fundraising.
“But here is the bottom line: 80% of Gaza is in rubble. Can we agree that that is wrong?” she said, adding that cutting electricity to desalination plants “goes against the Geneva Convention, and it is a war crime.”
She called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal,” while arguing that criticism of Israel’s government is not anti-Israel.
“I believe that criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration is not anti-Israel any more than criticism of Donald Trump is anti-American,” she said.
CLOSING MESSAGES
Both candidates leaned into their roles as parents.
As a “dad with little ones at home,” Hathaway said he worries about the impact of AI and social media on children and said he draws guidance from his late father.
Mejia said she has spent years speaking with “fellow moms” about rising costs while “trying to raise my family in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district.”
District 11 spans much of Morris County — including Greater Morristown — along with parts of Essex and Passaic counties. It has 229,561 registered Democrats, 203,542 independents and 164,954 Republicans.
Recent election results underscore its Democratic tilt: 57 percent backed Sherrill for governor last fall, 53 percent supported Kamala Harris in 2024, Joe Biden won 58 percent in 2020, and Hillary Clinton garnered 54 percent in 2016.