How will the process to replace Mikie Sherrill in Congress work?

Now that Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the governor-elect of the Garden State , there is another vacancy to consider.

Sherrill will have to leave her congressional seat in order to take her new post, leaving an empty seat representing the state’s 11th Congressional District, which includes a large swath of Morris County and smaller parts of Essex and Passaic counties.

Right now, the governor is responsible for announcing the timeline of a special primary and general election to fill a vacancy unless the vacancy happens on or after July 3 of the second year of the representative’s two-year term. In that case, the vacancy is not required to be filled.

Could the process change?

That process could change during the Legislature’s lame-duck session. A bill introduced in May 2024 by state Sens. An