Contested race to replace Governor Mikie Sherrill launches a high-stakes battle across Essex, Morris and Passaic counties
Voters across a wide swath of North Jersey are heading to the polls today, February 5, 2026, to shape one of the most closely watched congressional contests in the state, as the 11th Congressional District holds a special primary election to determine who will move on to the general election later this year.
The contest was triggered when Mikie Sherrill formally resigned her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after being sworn in as governor of New Jersey, leaving a sudden vacancy in a district that has repeatedly proven to be one of the state’s most competitive and politically influential congressional seats.
Today’s vote is not the general election. Instead, Democratic and Republican voters are selecting their respective party nominees, who will then face each other in a special general election to serve the remainder of Sherrill’s unexpired term in Congress.
The 11th District stretches across portions of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties and encompasses a complex mix of suburban neighborhoods, historic town centers and densely populated commuter communities. Its electorate includes some of the state’s most highly educated voters, major corporate employment centers and a growing bloc of younger families drawn by transit access and school systems. That demographic diversity has long made the district a political bellwether for North Jersey and, increasingly, for national party strategists watching suburban voting trends.
On the Democratic side, three well-known figures are competing for the nomination.
Brendan Gill, currently serving as an Essex County commissioner, enters the race with deep institutional backing and years of experience as a political strategist and campaign advisor. Supporters describe him as a pragmatic coalition-builder with strong relationships throughout Essex County’s municipal leadership and labor community. Gill’s campaign has emphasized local economic development, public safety coordination among municipalities and federal investment in transportation and housing.
State Senator Britnee Timberlake is positioning her candidacy around housing affordability, tenant protections and civil rights enforcement. Representing a portion of Essex County in the Legislature, Timberlake has built a statewide profile through her advocacy on fair housing access, social equity and community development programs. Her campaign messaging has focused heavily on affordability pressures facing working families and the need for stronger federal involvement in urban reinvestment.
Veteran State Senator John McKeon brings one of the longest public service records in the field. McKeon has represented parts of Morris County in Trenton for decades and is widely recognized for his leadership on environmental protection, land preservation and open-space funding. His candidacy highlights environmental resilience, climate preparedness and long-term planning for regional growth.
The Republican primary features two candidates with sharply different professional backgrounds and campaign themes.
Raafat Barsoom, a physician who previously ran for the 11th District seat, is centering his campaign on healthcare access, cost reform and physician-led policy development. Barsoom has argued that Congress lacks sufficient medical professionals directly shaping healthcare legislation and has framed his candidacy as a practical response to rising insurance costs and system inefficiencies.
Joseph Belnome, a local building inspector and longtime civic advocate, is presenting himself as a hands-on community problem-solver with firsthand experience in municipal operations and regulatory enforcement. His campaign has focused on neighborhood safety, permitting reform and what he describes as the need for more locally grounded representation in Washington.
The political stakes surrounding the primary extend far beyond the district’s borders. While the 11th District currently leans Democratic, its recent history of competitive races and shifting suburban voting behavior makes it one of the few North Jersey seats that both parties view as a true battleground. National party committees and outside groups are expected to invest heavily once nominees are selected.
Beyond party control, the outcome will influence how the district is represented in federal debates over transportation funding, commuter rail reliability, housing supply and regional economic development. With the North Jersey commuter economy closely tied to large-scale infrastructure and redevelopment efforts, candidates in both parties have already pointed to federal support for regional construction and modernization projects as central to the district’s long-term growth.
Polling locations are open throughout the district until 8:00 p.m. this evening.
The 11th Congressional District includes the following municipalities where voters are casting ballots today.
In Essex County, voters are participating in Belleville, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair, North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, South Orange, Verona, West Caldwell and West Orange.
In Morris County, polling locations are open in Boonton Town and Boonton Township, Butler, Chatham Borough and Chatham Township, Denville, Dover, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Borough and Mendham Township, Mine Hill, Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township, and Victory Gardens.
In Passaic County, voters are heading to the polls in Little Falls, Pompton Lakes, Totowa, Wayne and Woodland Park.
State election officials remind voters that polls close promptly at 8:00 p.m. Residents can confirm their specific polling location using the state’s official polling place locator.
Most voters who have previously cast ballots in New Jersey will not be required to present identification. However, first-time voters who registered by mail may be asked to show either a digital or physical form of identification, such as a driver’s license, government-issued ID, utility bill or bank statement.
With a new governor in office and an open congressional seat for the first time in years, today’s special primary marks the opening chapter in a race that will shape North Jersey’s voice in Washington at a moment when federal policy decisions on transportation, housing, environmental protection and economic competitiveness are increasingly intersecting with everyday life across Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.
