Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, a 38-year-old rising star in Morris County Republican politics, will run for Congress next year in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district.
That’s a district that could come before voters in a special election as soon as next spring, if incumbent Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) wins this year’s gubernatorial contest – but Hathaway says he expects Sherrill to lose, and that he’ll take on the congresswoman himself next November.
“After Jack Ciattarelli wins the governorship, and Mikie comes back to the district, I’ll be here to continue to hold her accountable,” Hathaway said in his campaign announcement.
Hathaway was born and raised in Clifton, just outside the boundaries of the 11th district, and played football while at Yale. After returning home to New Jersey, Hathaway joined the administration of Gov. Chris Christie, working as the governor’s advance director of special events before joining the private sector and starting his soon-to-be five-member family.
In 2022, Hathaway began his career in elected office when he was appointed to a seat on the township council in Randolph, a swing town where Republicans have nonetheless maintained consistent control of local government. He was re-elected in 2022 and again in 2024, and at the beginning of this year, Hathaway was chosen by his colleagues as the town’s next mayor.
“Washington doesn’t need more show ponies,” Hathaway said in his launch video. “It needs workhorses ready to get in the trenches. So if you’re tired of the career politicians and the glory-seekers, and representatives who put personal gain over everyday people, then join us. Let’s prove workhorses still matter.”
The congressional district Hathaway now aims to win was held by Republicans until 2018, when Sherrill scared Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) into retirement and subsequently won his seat. In 2021, Democrats on the congressional redistricting commission took what was then still a swing seat and redrew it heavily in their favor, and Sherrill was re-elected 57%-42% last year after Republicans completely ignored the race.
But with Sherrill now running for governor, Republicans are expressing more interest in the 11th district – which covers largely well-off North Jersey suburbs in Morris, Essex, and Passaic Counties – than they have in a while. Hathaway is the first Republican to enter the race, but Morris GOP Chair Laura Ali said over the summer that “at least 15 people” had approached her about their interest in running.
That interest is likely to be especially strong in the event that Sherrill defeats Ciattarelli in November and triggers a special election, or if Sherrill loses and decides not to seek re-election to the House. (Plenty of ambitious politicians on the Democratic side of the aisle would likely run for the district in those scenarios, too, and a few have already launched hypothetical campaigns.)
But even in the event that Sherrill is still running in the 11th district come November 2026, Hathaway said he believes the recent controversy related to a cheating scandal that took place while Sherrill was at the U.S. Naval Academy will sully her in voters’ eyes.
“As the son of an Army veteran, I was raised to believe that honor and integrity matter, especially when serving your country,” Hathaway said. “Mikie Sherrill has refused to come clean about her role in one of the biggest cheating scandals in military history, and voters deserve answers.”
