WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in northern New Jersey will select nominees in a special congressional primary on Thursday to replace Democrat Mikie Sherrill in the U.S. House now that she's governor.

The crowded, 11-candidate Democratic primary field features Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett, venture capitalist Zach Beecher, attorney and comedian J-L Cauvin, nonprofit executive Cammie Croft, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, Morris Township Committeeman Jeff Grayzel, former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, progressive organizer Analilia Mejia, Chatham Borough Councilman Justin Strickland, former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way and community activist Anna Lee Williams. Two additional candidates have dropped out of the race, but their names will remain on the ballot.

The winner will face the only candidate in the Republican primary, Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway, on April 16. The Democratic-leaning district could further narrow the 218-214 Republican majority in the U.S. House. Two previously Republican-held seats in Georgia and California are also vacant.

Malinowski entered the final stretch of the abbreviated campaign leading the field in fundraising. But he is also the target of a $1.6 million negative ad campaign by a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. That group targeted members of the progressive congressional group known as the Squad in 2024. Meanwhile, a super PAC affiliated with the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association has spent about $1.5 million on behalf of Way.

The eventual Democratic nominee will have an advantage heading into the April special general election. Sherrill won reelection in 2024 with about 57% of the vote, while Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried the district with 53% at the top of the ballot. Sherrill was elected governor in November and was sworn in last month.

More than half of the district’s 588 precincts are in Morris County, with about 39% in Essex County and 9% in Passaic County. Beecher, Grayzel, Strickland and Williams are from Morris County. Cauvin, Croft, Gill and Mejia are from Essex County, while Way hails from Passaic County. Malinowski lives outside of the 11th Congressional District but previously represented a portion of Essex County until his 2022 loss to GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Kean.

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

New Jersey does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Thursday:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare a winner in the Democratic special primary for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The Republican primary is uncontested.

Who gets to vote?

Registered party members may vote only in their own party’s primary. In other words, Democrats can’t vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may participate in a party’s primary if they affiliate with that party at the polling place.

What do turnout and advance vote look like?

As of Sunday, there were about 602,000 registered voters in the 11th Congressional District. Of those, about 226,000 were Democrats, about 165,000 were Republicans and about 206,000 were not affiliated with any party. The remainder were registered with various minor parties.

About 52,000 votes were cast the 11th Congressional District Democratic primary in 2024 and about 38,000 in 2022. Early and absentee voting comprised about 48% of the primary vote in 2024 and about 47% in 2022.

More than 25,000 ballots from registered Democrats and about 5,400 ballots from registered Republicans had already been cast as of Monday. An additional 29 ballots from unaffiliated voters had also been cast.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 11th District Democratic primary, the AP first reported results at 8:11 p.m. ET, or 11 minutes after polls closed. The tabulation ended for the night at 11:18 p.m. ET with about 90% of total votes counted.

When are early and absentee voting results released?

All counties in New Jersey release most or all the results from early and absentee voting in the first vote update of the night, before any in-person Election Day results are released.

Are we there yet?

As of Thursday, there will be 70 days until the special general election in the 11th Congressional District and 271 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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Associated Press writer Leah Askarinam contributed to this report.

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