>> From NJ PBS studios, this is NJ Spotlight News with Brianna Vannozzi.

>> Hello and thanks for joining us.

I'm Joanna Gaggis.

>> We're bringing you a special NJ Decides edition of NJ Spotlight News with the two major party candidates running for the 11th congressional district.

The seat was left vacant by governor Mikey Sherrill.

The candidates are Republican Joe Hathaway and Democrat Annelilia Mejia.

They'll face off in a special election on April 16th to fill out the remainder of Sherrill's term through January 2027.

We invited both candidates to appear together for a conversation about the issues that matter most to voters in this district, Annelalia Mejia's campaign declined that invitation.

So instead, today, we bring you a one-on-one conversation with each of the candidates.

The 11th district includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, and it's largely made up of affluent suburban towns.

Sheryl was first elected to represent CD11 in 2018, flipping the historically red district to blue.

Since then, the lines of the district were redrawn, and it now leans blue, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by more than 60,000 voters.

So what are the issues that matter most to voters?

Let's get into it with our first guest, who joins me in studio now, Republican Joe Hathaway, a councilman and the former mayor in the township of Randolph, who once served as an aide to Governor Chris Christie, and who ran unopposed in the primary.

Welcome to the program.

Thanks, Joanne.

I appreciate it.

For voters who haven't quite met you yet, don't know your platform, why are you running to take over the seat in the 11th District?

Certainly.

Well look, for us since the beginning, this race has been about, in a lot of ways, my dual role.

Both as a mayor and councilman at the local level, someone who's familiar with the local issues that impact all of us in New Jersey.

And also my role as a dad of three young children.

I have a six year old, a four year old, and a five month old now.

So I see in both of those roles what a lot of families, especially young families in our district, are dealing with when it comes to issues around affordability.

Whether it's owning a home, paying the electric bill, paying for child care, these are challenges that many families face.

And we have an opportunity to send someone down to Washington who's going to bring that mayor's mindset of fixing things that matter to our residents, bringing that down to Washington to lower costs and drive affordability.

We heard the president talk about affordability when he was on the campaign trail.

We heard Governor Mikey Sherrill talk about it on her campaign trail.

What would you do that's different.

How would you address this nationally for the residents here in New Jersey.

Certainly I think there's a lot of things we can do if we send someone to Washington who knows the challenges that we face here in Jersey and can bring solutions to Washington to fix some of those.

Some of our big platforms are all around things like creating a tax freeze for first time home buyers to put money back in their pocket while they're making that critical life change and planning their roots in their community.

We want to increase vocational training for young people that maybe don't want to pursue a four year traditional degree.

Get them in the workforce drive our economy.

And we o want to institute a child care tax credit to make sure that families that are having to choose right now between my career and my child don't have to make that choice.

These are common sense things we can do to lower costs to drive affordability not raise more taxes to subsidize affordability falsely.

You say they're common sense.

Do you believe that your colleagues in Congress on the Republican side see it that way.

Do you think they would be on board.

I think so.

I think a lot of the ideas we're putting forward are things that you know can work together in a bipartisan way to move the needle forward.

I mean look that's what we need in Congress if we're going to be leaders we need to send common sense practical independent minded people that can work with anybody if it means getting something done for the people that we represent.

The last time we spoke we talked about DHS.

It's one of the headlines that's been driving the news cycle because there are just so much there's so much that's been happening here in New Jersey and across the country since the last time we spoke.

DHS officers killed two American citizens on the streets of Minneapolis.

At that time I asked you if you believe that reforms were needed.

Has your position changed.

Would you do you call for reforms to the way that DHS is carrying out immigration enforcement in America.

Yeah I think our our our position has been very clear on this from from the jump since we last spoke to look.

I think there's a lot of common sense things we can do to reform the way ICE is operating.

So jazz short look things like better technology things like body worn cameras things like better training de-escalation training these are all things that we should be bringing to the table.

Masks coming off?

I think masks coming off is absolutely part of the conversation as well.

But look I would ask that my Democrat opponent here and that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle also come to the table with common sense reforms on their side.

Look in New Jersey our local police departments our county police departments have no role to play in keeping people safe and keeping American citizens safe especially ones who want to execute their constitutional right to protest.

What do you mean when you say no role to play?

Well right now because of our sanctuary city laws in states like New Jersey, our local police department can have no communication, have no knowledge about what's going on with ICE and when we see some of these tragic incidents happen, it's when there's no ability for our local PD to be able to ensure that citizens are practicing their right to protest safely and that's when we see a lot of these things happen.

I think there's ways we can both come together on both sides of this issue to make things safer.

My point is the only answer for anything with this is to defund police at the federal level, state level, and local level.

Obviously, this is a state issue, but here in New Jersey, the legislation that's being proposed and the executive order that the governor issued require a judicial warrant before any arrest is made.

Do you think that that essentially identifies the sanctuary law here?

Do you believe that a judicial warrant should be needed in these arrests?

Well I think the warrant process as it is is pretty cut and dry and it's pretty standard for any kind of arrest in this type of situation.

As of now it can be an administrative warrant.

Right correct.

Look I think I think the bigger issue here with the sanctuary state laws the biggest challenge is the fact that our local PD doesn't have a role to play.

I'll give you a quick example.

In Morris County the sheriff's office has what's called the FAST team.

The First Amendment support team.

A organization that is literally built for situations like a protest like a labor dispute where they can come in and help make sure that people are safe.

Right now with these sanctuary state laws they have no ability to know where ICE is where they're operating how they can help.

That to me makes no sense and I don't think it's beneficial to the people of our state.

And I think when we have radical statements like let's just abolish things let's you know defund police.

That's not keeping our family safe in this district it's a dangerous policy.

There is a lot of pushback bipartisan the Republican led town council in Roxbury is pushing back as as is governor Cheryl who they both filed a joint lawsuit against this facility a warehouse that was purchased by DHS to turn into an immigrant detention center.

One do you believe that that center should move forward.

I don't I can I came out on this pretty early on as well look I can tell you I know Sean and the guys over in Roxbury of being a you know our neighbor and Randolph and being a mayor as well I know the infrastructure challenges that they have they're similar to what we have in many municipalities in this district and when you kind of you know don't communicate and force these kind of major operations on a town that has challenges with water and sewer that has challenges with land challenges with overdevelopment it's going to be a burden on the community of Roxbury.

I'm opposed to the way this thing has been pulled together.

ICE has a very important job to do to get illegal criminals off of our street.

I think they went about this one the wrong way.

Do you agree overall with the president's immigration enforcement and the way it's being carried out in our country?

Well, look, I think it's an important job.

I think most people in America want their streets safer.

I think most people in America want the legal criminals that are committing heinous crimes out of our streets and off our streets and out of our country.

But again, I think there's some common sense things that we should do to come to the table to make sure that we can really move the ball forward when it comes to DHS overall, because right now we're getting hung up and we're seeing DHS not be funded, TSA not getting paid.

These are things that are going to put Americans and New Jerseyans at risk in the long term.

We have to come together to find a solution.

You have called your opponent make here a radical socialist.

You've criticized her position on Israel.

She has been critical of the Israeli government calling Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal for his actions in Gaza.

First, do you think the U.S.

should rethink its position on Israel given what recently happened where we saw the top U.S.

counterterrorism official exit his position last week saying that Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation?

Not at all.

I think we need to stand in lockstep with our allies in Israel and with our Jewish community here in the district.

I can tell you as a mayor in Randolph we have a strong Jewish community.

I remember on October 7th 2023 about two three days later being with our Jewish community trying to just wrap our heads around what had happened with the Hamas terror attacks.

Being there being with them our Jewish community deserves someone who's going to go to Washington and have their back.

Where was Miss Mahia at that exact same time?

She was behind a keyboard taking to Twitter blaming the Israeli government for the attacks on October 7th, not Hamas terrorists.

She is totally out of step with the people of this district with a strong Jewish community.

And our residents should be concerned with someone with that kind of rhetoric and ideology going on to represent them in Washington.

She has said that your rhetoric against her has been dangerous and put her in dangerous situations.

She told us that that is part of the reason why she didn't want to debate you.

She says that you're calling her anti-Semitic and you have called her anti-Semitic.

Is it fair to call someone anti-Semitic for being critical of a government.

I think it's fair to call someone anti-Semitic when they do things like blame Israel for the attacks on October 7th.

I think it's fair to call someone into government right.

Blame the Israeli government.

Blame the Israeli government for the attacks on October 7th.

Right.

I think it's fair to call someone anti-Semitic when they say that they don't believe that Israel should have a right to exist in their ancestral homeland.

I believe it's fair to call someone anti-Semitic when they're the only Democrat out of 11 who raises their hands and say yes I believe Israel's committing genocide in Gaza.

Yes I call her anti-Semitic because she takes an anti-Semitic positions.

Do you have any concerns after hearing this U.S.

counterterrorism official Joe Kent saying that it's clear that this war was started because of pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby?

Look, this one is clear as day to me.

We need to stand with our Jewish community.

We need to stop normalizing rhetoric and behavior that allows for anti-Semitism to be driven in our communities.

We need to increase things like our security grants for houses of worship.

We need to codify the definition of IHRA.

I stand in lockstep with our Jewish community in this district.

I have as mayor and I will as a congressman.

Gateway funding is still uncertain.

There have been many lawsuits.

They have won in the courts the fight to get the federal funding flowing again.

But the Trump administration is still fighting it.

Looks like they could take it all the way to the Supreme Court.

What's your position there?

You've been critical of the president in the past.

What's your position?

Yeah, look, I mean, I think when it comes to the gateway funding for that project, this is something that is too important to the people of New Jersey.

It's certainly too important to the people of the 11th District.

It's a big commuter district into New York.

So look, I've been clear from day one.

I think the president needs to move this forward.

This should not be something we play politics with.

This should not be used as a pawn in some broader political game.

It's too many jobs.

that I would represent in Washington.

And at the end of the day we have to remember this role is to do exactly that.

To represent the people of our district before our party before president certainly before a squad.

And the voters of this district need to know that with me they'll have someone who always puts their interests first no matter what.

Do you support the Save America Act which would really change the way that people register for elections here in our country and quite frankly make it harder for women in particular to register if they have had a name change?

I do support it.

I think this is kind of one of those 80/20 rules that most Americans think it's a good idea to have stronger integrity of our elections and stronger voter ID laws and rules.

So I think it makes sense.

I think it's something that I would be supportive of.

I maybe disagree that it's an overly burdensome process for women who have certainly many instances where they have to deal with a name change or documents and things like that.

But if we can take steps to secure our elections and to make Americans feel more confident in that, I think it's a good thing.

Some say that it disenfranchises voters.

You don't agree?

No, I don't agree with that, to be honest.

How do you see your role if you were to be sent to Congress, working with Democrats, working across the aisle, or perhaps pushing back, as you have in this conversation, where you don't agree with Republicans?

Look, I think if Congress is going to lead, right, if Congress is going to retake its role as the first branch, we can't do that by just standing in our corners and yelling and screaming about partisan positions.

Congress leads by coming to the table, moving legislation, and setting the tone and direction for our country.

I think I'm the only candidate in this race who can credibly say that they're going to be doing that.

I've done it at the local level.

We've worked with the Phil Murphy administration to get things done in Randolph, been able to work across the aisle.

You have to remember, my opponent, she has built a platform around any old blue won't do.

So not even is she unwilling to work with Republicans to get things done, she won't work with moderates in her own party.

That's not what we need to actually lead down in Washington.

All right, we have to leave it there.

But Joe Hathaway, Councilman in Randolph, thank you so much.

Appreciate you coming on.

Thanks, Joanne.

Coming up, we talk with a Democratic candidate for CD11, Annelilia Mejia.

That's next.

Major funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

Democratic candidate Annalilia Mejia is here.

She's a longtime progressive activist and labor organizer.

She won a crowded primary to become the Democratic candidate, beating former Congressman Tom Malinowski and nearly a dozen others to clinch the nomination.

Mejia formerly led the progressive New Jersey Working Families Party.

She served as Senator Bernie Sanders' national political director, and she worked in the Biden Labor Department.

Annalilia, welcome to the show.

- Thank you for having me on.

For voters who still haven't familiarized themselves with you, with your platform, why are you running to fill this open seat?

- Well, we're in a moment in which it's clear that we're in a democratic backslide.

It's clear that this economy is hurting working class, middle class families.

I think that this is a moment in which we have to lean into this idea of self-governance.

As you shared, I've been an organizer for 25 years in New Jersey.

Folks may not be familiar with my name, but they may be familiar with my work.

I led the campaign to raise the minimum wage in New Jersey.

I fought for paid sick leave for all workers.

I fought for democracy, expanding measures and fighting gerrymandering so that your vote can actually count.

And in this moment where it's clear that we need to take back our democracy and support our democratic institutions, I jumped in because I feel like I could represent the interests of New Jersey's 11th.

Really quickly you say democratic backslide.

Do you mean with a small d. Yes I mean with a small D. So I believe that in this moment we have a president that is usurping power from Congress whether it's the power of the purse or leading us into war.

We're in a moment in which our judiciary feels like it's been taken over by ideological extremists.

We have a president who is pushing for acts and bills that would curtail our ability to participate in the electoral process.

The Save America Act.

The Save America.

What are your thoughts there?

Well, I think that that runs counter to saving America.

I think that we need to expand our opportunities to engage in government, engage in policymaking, engage in the electoral process.

And the truth is it will hurt both sides of the aisle, both Democrats, Republicans, independents, from actually being able to participate, all to fix an imaginary problem.

So do you not think that we need to ensure or more proof that it is only citizens who are voting in our elections?

Of course.

We need to make sure that we have the integrity of our voting institutions.

But here's the thing.

We have studied whether or not there is actually a problem of illegal voting.

And we know that the instances are few and far between.

But the impact of instituting corrections, like demanding that our elderly have a certain kind of ID to be able to participate, we would harm legal eligible voters from participation.

We have a system that has worked.

Instead, what we should focus on is expanding voting access, making sure that early voting is more expansive, that we have the ability to vote by mail, that we have the ability to ensure that people can participate so that we can be at the helm of our government.

>> You mentioned affordability is an issue that you've campaigned on.

You would like to see the minimum wage raised nationally.

What would you like to see there?

>> Well, one, I mean, our minimum wage is so incredibly low.

New Jersey, for example, is at $15.96, I believe, which, again, we fought hard to make sure that there was a staggered increase that allowed our small businesses to be able to adapt and our workers to be able to benefit.

The truth is there isn't a place in the United States where making less than $25 an hour allows a family to actually sustain itself.

And affordability is huge when you consider that inflation is up 3.4 percent.

When you consider that housing costs are up upwards of 5 percent energy costs are up upwards of 6 percent and health care is up one hundred and seventy four percent.

How are we going to make ends meet at in these depressed wage conditions.

We have to make smart policies that actually lift working class middle class families in New Jersey.

You've been vocal in your criticism of credit credit.

Excuse me.

You've been vocal in your criticism of President Trump on a number of issues.

Let's start with ice.

You have called for the abolishment of ice.

Why do you believe it's abolished and not reform?

Well, I think it's abolish and replace.

The truth is that there is multiple levels to the problems that we see in ice.

They have a recruitment problem.

They're the individuals that they're recruiting are problematic on many levels.

Some of them ousted from other agencies.

They have an oversight problem.

They have a violence problem.

They have a training problem.

So instead of nibbling around the edges and trying to course correct something that frankly has only been in existence for the last 22 years, we should take a fraction of the 75 billion that was essentially stolen from the American people, money that had been allocated to SNAP, to Medicaid, to different safety net programs.

Take that 75 billion and take a fraction of it and invest it in more judges, invest it in the early part of our immigration system.

The truth is we have the data to be able to fix our immigration system, we just don't have the judges and the capacity to move people.

Do you believe that immigration enforcement needs to be carried out in our country so that folks who are here illegally or without documentation should be removed?

I think that we need to create pathways to citizenship for people who have been building their lives in this nation.

The truth is that we invest in educating children of undocumented children or in undocumented families.

The truth is that immigrants have built businesses, have established homes, have raised families, and it would be unconscionable to rip hard-working people, law-abiding people out of our nation.

It's not only unfair to them, but it's bad for our economy.

Instead, we should ensure that we use data, we use information, we use a fair process to weed out people we do not want in the country.

Who wants a nation full of criminals?

Nobody does.

Do you think President Biden was reckless or dangerous in terms of how he left the southern border open?

And do you think that President Trump was right in closing it?

Well, I don't know if they're opening or closing borders.

The truth is that we have had an immigration system that has been broken for many, many years.

And I would say that the correction can be bipartisan, should be intentional, and should actually fix the problem.

We need more judges.

We need more information.

We need to stop the terror in immigrant communities.

And frankly, it's -- I don't know about you, but this is the first time that I've seen ICE agents, homeland security agents turn their weapons on American citizens and shoot people in streets.

That is unconscionable.

That has to stop.

You've also faced criticism from your opponent on being critical of Israel.

You've criticized Netanyahu, called him a war criminal for his actions in Gaza, which you call a genocide.

In your opinion, should the U.S.

have a strong relationship with its ally in the Middle East, Israel?

Of course we should have a strong relationship with nations that are focused on building democracy, ensuring uplifting human rights, making sure that we are in relationship with folks who are trying to build a just society.

What I desire for myself I desire for others.

But here's the truth.

Eighty percent of Gaza is in rubble.

We know that there is continued violence that's going through either settler violence.

We know that there's continued land annexation.

We know that there's continued violence even though there is a supposed ceasefire and that creates the instability.

We have to be able to fight anti-semitism.

We need to fight Islamophobia.

We need to fight in the United States.

There is a way in which we can uphold human rights and civil liberties and everyone be born free and have the ability to tell even our friends when we think that they have crossed the line and there should be a course correction.

The hardest thing is to tell our friends that we disagree with an action.

But we need to be able to do that especially with some of our closest allies which Israel is.

Your opponent has called you anti-semitic for saying that.

Well I believe you said Palestinians Israelis and Jews have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.

If I'm quoting you.

Yes I. But he's called you anti-semitic.

Do you agree.

I think that is completely ridiculous.

Does that mean that if we uphold the human rights of one group we are negating the human rights of another.

I think that's just ridiculous name calling.

I will say as a mother of two sons that when my children start to lose an argument or don't have anything actually worthwhile to say or to criticize each other on, they go to name calling.

The truth is we can uphold the human rights of all communities that we feel allyship to.

The truth is that we have to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

The truth is that we need to create conditions in which Palestinians Israelis Muslims Jewish people Christians can live free in their homelands.

And I believe that Israel can be a Jewish state and a democratic one.

I believe that we can uphold the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis and that doesn't cross over to anti-Semitism.

But when we throw these accusations around, that's just a cynical way to say I don't care about these communities.

And that's unjust.

And I reject it.

OK.

Let me ask you this.

We did invite you to have this conversation with Joe Hathaway.

You did not want to do that.

You also turned down the League of Women Voters for a debate.

Actually, I agreed.

We were confirmed.

Now, here's the thing.

New Jersey's 11th congressional district is close to 40% diverse.

I, as a woman of color running to represent this district, I've lived here for 13 years.

I think it's important to be inclusive.

My request was that we can uphold neutrality and we can uphold diversity.

I was ready, willing, and able, as I've shared, I have said to both the League of Women Voters and to my supporters, "Look, I don't back away from an argument or a fight.

Just ask my siblings.

I'm the youngest of 15.

I know how to disagree without being disagreeable."

But, you know -- -So, what was the issue?

-For me, the issue is we need to ensure that our -- the way in which we present ourselves is diverse and inclusive.

That's a value for me.

-The League says that they had a diversity on the panel, but you insisted on approving the moderators.

-Yeah, I insisted on having diversity in that moderating panel.

I had agreed that I would happily participate in a debate.

I have been holding town halls across this district.

I in fact just last night had a tell a town hall ensuring that I am available to to constituents.

But here's what I'll also say.

The truth is that you know we are in a moment in which the distinction the difference between me and my opponent could have been more clear.

I uphold the Constitution and I believe in a democratic institutions.

My opponent stands with January 6 insurrectionists.

I believe that health care rising at one hundred and seventy four percent is not only untenable it's unconscionable.

Health care should be a human right.

My opponent would side with Donald Trump in taking away further tax credits.

I believe that we have a housing affordability crisis not only in the country but in New Jersey's 11th.

My opponent gleefully says that he has fought against building affordable housing in his home in his hometown and will likely do the same.

You're either going to choose someone that's going to right, even when it's uncomfortable.

Someone that will say the truth, even when there's the potential for political backlash.

We need to be able to have a different kind of politics that isn't rooted on us versus them, that isn't left or right, but it's about right and wrong.

And to me, the difference is so stark and clear that I trust that voters are going to make the right decision.

All right, well, they're going to make that decision very soon.

Annalilia Mejia, thank you for joining us.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

My thanks to both candidates for speaking with us today.

And a reminder to voters, the special election for the 11th Congressional District is Thursday, April 16th.

I'm Joanna Gagas for the entire team here at NJ Spotlight News.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you next time.

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