Montclair, New Jersey - New Jersey's Analilia Mejia has declared victory in a closely watched special Democratic primary election for Congress.

Mejia became the presumptive Democratic nominee to represent New Jersey's 11th congressional district after Tom Malinowski, who represented the state's 7th district from 2019-2023, conceded the race.

"I congratulate Analilia Mejia on her hard won victory in the NJ-11 special primary. I look forward to supporting her in the April general election. It is essential that we send a Democrat to Washington to fill this seat, not a rubber stamp for Trump," Malinowski said in a statement.

The special election primary took place on February 5. For days, results of the race have remained tight as ballots continue to be tabulated.

The Associated Press currently shows Mejia up by around 900 votes but has not yet called the race.

Before her congressional campaign, Mejia was co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy. She has also served as director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, national political director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, and deputy director of the Women's Bureau in the Biden administration's Department of Labor.

"I'm so excited to be able to say we did it!" Mejia told supporters on Tuesday. "I think the lesson for this race, coming out of this race, is that people power can win."

Mejia is running to succeed Mikie Sherrill, the former Democratic US representative who took over as New Jersey governor in January.

She will face off against Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, who ran uncontested in this month's Republican primary, in the general election on April 16.

The winner of that contest will serve the remainder of Sherrill's term, which runs through January 3, 2027.