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Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed Democrat wins key House race; GOP fails to expand fragile majority
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Republicans fell far short in their bid to flip a vacant U.S. House seat in a blue-leaning district in northern New Jersey.
Democrat Analilia Mejia, who was backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of neighboring New York, convincingly defeated GOP candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, The Associated Press reported. The race was called minutes after the polls closed at 8pm ET.
With her victory, Mejia will fill the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.
The special election came as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority. Republicans would have relished the opportunity to pick up the seat, but they faced a steep uphill climb to flip the suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year’s gubernatorial election.
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order 12 restricting certain immigration enforcement activities on state property shortly after taking office in January. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, in congratulating Mejia on her victory, said her «grassroots campaign spoke to hardworking New Jersey families. I know she’ll fight to lower costs, protect health care, and tackle the affordability crisis head-on.»
Mejia, a progressive organizer who served as national political director on the 2020 Sanders presidential campaign, pulled off an upset in the February Democratic primary, narrowly edging out a more moderate rival, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, in a field of 11 candidates. While Mejia was the clear choice of the party’s left flank, the rest of the field appeared to divide the moderate and center-left vote.
Her primary victory was another boost for the left against the establishment after democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was unopposed for the GOP congressional nomination, aimed to paint Mejia as too far to the left for the district. He told Fox News Digital the choice for voters was «between a common sense, practical independent leader who’s gotten things done at the local level in New Jersey and knows the issues, contrasted with someone who’s running on pure ideology, far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology.»
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Analilia Mejia secured the Democratic Party nomination in a special election to find out who will take over newly elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vacant House seat. (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mejia recently appeared at a town hall with Malinowski and, on Sunday, teamed up with Sherrill on the campaign trail as she aimed to unite Democrats, who enjoy a sizable registration advantage in the district. Sherrill, a moderate Democrat, flipped the district in her 2018 election to Congress.
Hathaway claimed Mejia was trying «to hide a little bit» from «some of her rhetoric, because she knows that those policies are completely out of touch, but it’s not fooling voters. It’s certainly not fooling us.»
Jewish voters make up a key part of the district’s electorate, and Hathaway, in the only debate in the special election, claimed Mejia was antisemitic, noting she has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
«She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7,» Hathaway said. «I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric.»
Hathaway said, «I’ve spoken to more members of the Jewish community who have told me they’ve never voted for a Republican in their life, who are going to vote for me in this race. I mean, that shows you where the Jewish community is on the importance of this race and how they are not aligned with Mejia … and her platform.»
Mejia pledged to «protect the rights of Jewish constituents» and said her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mejia said, «Joe Hathaway’s inability to distinguish between criticism of a government or government official and bigotry is troubling and disgusting in equal measure.»
Mejia last week wrote that she was «honored» after being endorsed by the liberal pro-Israel political group J Street PAC. But her acceptance of the endorsement triggered pushback on the left, with the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America calling her move a «heel turn.»
As he worked to win over independents and Democrats, Hathaway pointed out where he agrees and disagrees with President Donald Trump, who lost the district by eight points in the 2024 presidential election.
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Campaign signs for Republican candidate Joe Hathaway and Democrat Analilia Mejia in the NJ-11 special congressional election, in Randolph, N.J., April 13, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
«I’m always going to do what’s right for this district first. And I’ve been clear: If the president’s going to do things that are good for the district, increasing the SALT cap deduction, putting money back in people’s pockets, especially New Jersey, affordability is so tough here. If we’re doing things like border security, reducing fentanyl deaths like we’ve seen in our community, those are good things. I support those policies,» Hathaway said.
«But, on the other hand, if the president’s going to do things that aren’t in the best interest of our district, it’s my job to push back, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.»
Hathaway pointed to Trump’s move last year to terminate billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York, and the president’s plans to cut roughly 1,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in funding for an Army base located in New Jersey.
«I’m going to call balls and strikes in this race. I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody,» Hathaway said.
«I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing on April 16.»
Republican congressional candidate Joe Hathaway speaks with voters at the Randolph Diner April 13, 2026, in Randolph, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
But Hathaway came up short, given the rough political climate facing Republicans and the traditional headwinds for the party in power.
Mejia repeatedly linked Hathaway to Trump and Republicans in Congress.
«MAGA Republicans are driving up everyday costs with extreme policies my opponent supports. Healthcare and critical programs are being gutted just to fund tax breaks for the ultra-rich. We can’t afford another vote for Trump in Congress,» she wrote in a recent social media post.
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Dan Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor and pollster, called Hathaway’s hopes of capturing crossover Democrats «a pipe dream.»
«Democrats as a whole do not seem interested in finding common ground with Trump,» Cassino said on Monday, predicting most voters in the special election would be strong partisans.
«Democratic turnout is through the roof, and Republican turnout is depressed at this point.»
Hathaway, looking ahead to a likely rematch with Mejia in November, said in a statement Thursday night, «I still believe the broader electorate in NJ-11 is looking for balanced, pragmatic leadership, not the kind of far-left policies embraced by Ms. Mejia. That conversation is not over.»
bernie sanders, democrats elections, alexandria ocasio cortez, republicans, mikie sherrill, house of representatives, new jersey
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Trump responds to reports FDA chief Mark Makary could be fired: ‘Know nothing about it’
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President Donald Trump downplayed reports that he was getting ready to fire Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary while speaking to reporters Friday.
«I’ve been reading about it, but I know nothing about it,» Trump said in response to a question about Makary’s potential firing. When asked what’s going on with Makary, Trump responded «nothing much.»
Initial buzz about a possible Makary ouster started circulating when The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump had pressured Makary to fast track approval for flavored nicotine vapes.
Makary, according to WSJ, pushed back on the request, drawing Trump’s ire.
The friction pushed Trump to sign off on a plan to fire Makary, WSJ reported Friday.
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President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. look on as Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary delivers remarks during an announcement on significant medical and scientific findings for America’s children in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump did not confirm the WSJ reporting, instead telling reporters «no, no» when asked if he was bringing in a new FDA head.
Makary has been embroiled in a number of controversies since being confirmed as the FDA head in March 2025.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary speaks during a press conference with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 2025, discussing administration’s plans to lower drug costs. (Annabelle Gordon/REUTERS)
Pro-life activists have accused the former oncology surgeon of slow-walking a safety review for abortion pill mifepristone.
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«This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP,» SBA Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement calling for Makary’s firing.
«The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top,» she wrote.
Pharmaceutical and biotech firms have also opposed Makary. John Crowley, the head of the biotech trade group, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), condemned some of Makary’s personnel cuts in a recent op-ed.
«Some of the administration’s recent efforts to reform the federal government through aggressive and often indiscriminate personnel cuts have lacked the strategic insights necessary to modernize and reform our nation’s health care agencies, especially the FDA,» Crowley wrote.
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But others, particularly those in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) camp, have come to Makary’s defense, arguing calls for his firing are corporate-funded attacks.
«Dr. Makary is an ally in the MAHA movement,» Kelly Ryerson, an author and popular advocate also known as Glyphosate Girl, told Fox News Digital.
Food activist Vani Hari attends the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 29, 2025. (Ben Curtis/AP)
«It is not surprising that his uncaptured approach to protecting human health has been met with the swamp calling for his firing,» she continued.
«The criticism is that he didn’t approve flavored vapes quickly enough. The mothers who don’t want their kids smoking find that reasoning alarming,» Ryerson concluded.
«The attacks against FDA Commissioner Marty Makary are coming from Big Pharma and the media outlets financially dependent on pharmaceutical advertising for survival,» Turning Point USA-affiliated podcaster Alex Clark wrote in a Friday post on X.
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«Washington SWAMP CREATURES hate Makary because he brings actual scientific scrutiny, independent thinking, and puts Americans’ health FIRST. President Trump has consistently said he wants to Make America Healthy Again. Replacing Makary with a pharma puppet would move us backward, not forward. DO NOT FIRE MAKARY. He is one of the strongest representatives of the MAHA movement inside the federal government. SCREW OFF BIG PHARMA,» Clark wrote.
Vani Hari, a popular food blogger and prominent media figure among the MAHA movement, also wrote that a Makary ouster «would be a horrible move.»
Fox News Digital contacted the White House, HHS, the FDA, BIO and SBA Pro-Life America for additional comment.
health care, robert f kennedy jr, white house, maha
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LGBTQ ‘lavender graduations’ set to take place at major Christian colleges, including one with a drag show
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Some of the country’s most prominent Catholic colleges and universities are holding separate LGBTQ-affirming graduation ceremonies this spring, including one that also plans to include a drag performance.
At least 20 colleges or universities associated with the Catholic Church have held, or plan to hold, these «lavender graduation» ceremonies and celebrations, which are done separate from the main commencement ceremony and are intended to «honor and celebrate the achievements of our LGBTQ+ graduates,» according to a Fox News Digital review of university websites and social media posts.
The term «lavender» has been used to describe LGBTQ+ affiliations amongst the gay community for decades, but the phrase has also carried a loaded meaning in Catholic circles, where critics have used it in phrases like «lavender mafia» to refer to alleged homosexual networks within Church institutions.
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A clergy member holds up a pro-LGBTQ+ sign that reads: «God loves you as you are!» (Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)
The schools that have held, or plan to hold these graduation events, include Georgetown, Gonzaga, the University of San Francisco, Boston College, College of the Holy Cross, Fordham, Fairfield University, Marquette, Xavier, Seattle University, Saint Louis University, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara University, St. John’s, Albertus Magnus College, St. Mary’s College of California, Regis University, Siena Heights University, St. Thomas University and Our Lady of the Lake University.
The ceremonies sparked criticism from Catholic watchdog the Cardinal Newman Society, an education advocacy group focused on ensuring Catholic schools uphold traditional church teachings. The society, which first highlighted several of the «lavender» ceremonies taking place this year, argues that the events promote an ideology at odds with the church’s teaching.
One of the schools holding a separate LGBTQ+ graduation, Seattle University, indicates on its website that their «Lavender Celebration» will even include «a special performance» from «Sativa the Drag Queen,» who, later this month, is headlining an event called «DICK’S DELUXE DRAG EXTRAVAGANZA.»
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A University of Southern California grad wears a pro-LGBT patch on his graduation gown. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
At the University of San Francisco, the school’s website indicates it plans to hold a «Queer Prom» directly after their «Lavender Commencement.»
Other schools plan to give special honors, host various keynote speakers and provide students with unique cords or stoles they can wear with their cap and gown. Some events included food, drinks and other activities as well.
«Although intended as a compassionate gesture to students, the ceremonies reinforce harmful ideologies about sexuality and gender that contradict Catholic teaching,» the Cardinal Newman Society said in a news release about the graduation ceremonies.
A person holding a pride flag. (AP)
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«They potentially lead students into sinful activity and undermine a Catholic college’s claim to teach the truths of the Catholic faith,» the Catholic education group continued. «The Church is clear in its teaching that sexual attraction to persons of the same sex is not itself a sin, but such attractions are ‘objectively disordered.’»
Several of the same Catholic universities hosting LGBTQ-focused «lavender» graduation events also advertise separate cultural or identity-based commencement celebrations for non-White students, according to university event pages.
faith values, roman catholic, college, celebrations, controversies education
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