Joe Hathaway, the mayor of Randolph and a brand-new Republican candidate for Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair)’s House seat, announced today that he’s raised $107,106 during his first week in the race.
“I’m deeply grateful to everyone who stepped up so early to support our campaign,” Hathaway said in a statement. “This incredible start shows strong momentum for our team, and that voters are ready for new leadership that works as hard as they do. I’ve always believed in putting my head down, doing the work, and earning every inch. That’s exactly how we’ll continue to run this campaign.”
Hathaway is the first Republican to launch a campaign for the 11th congressional district, and his early fundraising gives him a head start against a field that could grow much busier – but neither he nor anyone else knows yet what kind of election he’ll be running in.
Sherrill, who has represented the Democratic-leaning North Jersey district since 2019, is currently locked in a competitive gubernatorial race that will be decided this November. If Sherrill wins, that would trigger a special election to fill her seat sometime next spring, drastically increasing national attention in the race; if she loses, however, no special election would be needed and she could seek re-election in 2026.
Hathaway has thus far projected confidence that Republicans will beat Sherrill next month: “After Jack Ciattarelli wins the governorship, and Mikie comes back to the district, I’ll be here to continue to hold her accountable,” he said in his launch announcement.
He’s off to a better financial start than the prior Republican nominee for the district, building inspector Joe Belnome. Belnome, who lost to Sherrill 57%-42% in 2024, raised less than $100,000 from donors throughout his entire campaign (though he supplemented that total with $139,000 in self-funding).
