ICYMI: Meet Joe Hathaway, the Republican running to replace Mikie Sherrill
Meet Joe Hathaway, the sole Republican who’s running to replace Mikie Sherrill.
In a recent interview, Hathaway explained that “affordability is the major focus” of his campaign, highlighted his readiness to “put the political nonsense aside and get to work,”and shared that he’s “still a football player at heart… who just runs in the trenches and tries to make things happen and do the job.”
“While radical Democrats fight amongst themselves in their crowded and messy primary, Republican Joe Hathaway is focused on what matters: lowering taxes and costs for New Jersey families.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole
Read the full story here or see excerpts below:
Lone Republican candidate finds his edge as a dozen Democrats clash in race to replace Mikie Sherrill
Fox News
Deirdre Heavey
December 5, 2025
As the only Republican running to replace Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in the special election for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway has the advantage of not needing to bump elbows in a 12-candidate field like his Democratic counterparts.
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Hathaway told Fox News Digital that New Jersey voters are tired of the political “spin” and “fighting” in Washington, D.C., pitching himself as the generational leader whom voters from across the political spectrum can look to for leadership.
“People want someone who is going to put the political nonsense aside and get to work. That’s what I represent, so I think that is going to be an attractive offer for Republicans, for independents, for Democrats, for voters across the board,” Hathaway added.
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As a 38-year-old father of three, Hathaway said young families and voters have become disillusioned by the American Dream, fighting to make ends meet and earn enough to make a living. The Randolph Township mayor said he jumped into the congressional race to bring a “workhorse mindset down to Washington” and deliver for the “hardworking people of this district.”
“Affordability is the major focus of our campaign,” Hathaway said. “It gets at the core of what we just talked about, the challenges that so many families face here in New Jersey.”
Specifically, Hathaway said he would support tax-elimination for first-time home-buyers because being able to afford a home and start a family is “really what the American Dream is all about at the end of the day.”
The Republican also committed to finding ways to “incentivize roles that equip workers for the jobs of today and for the jobs of tomorrow,” through vocational training and other “in-demand, highly valuable skills that don’t necessarily require all the student loan debt.”
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Ultimately, Hathaway said he is committed to advocating for what’s best for the voters of his district, even if that means being at odds with the administration on a proposal or specific issue that impacts New Jersey.
“Our campaign is going to be something that is attractive to voters of all persuasions because of what we are representing, which is someone who is here to roll up their sleeves, do the work, who doesn’t really quite frankly care about what the political winds are swirling around. It’s about doing the job,” he said.
“I’m still a football player at heart. I’m still a nose guard at heart who just runs in the trenches and tries to make things happen and do the job, so that’s the kind of mentality I’m going to bring to the seat, and I think that’s something that, quite frankly, voters across the board want to see in their representative,” Hathaway said.
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Thirteen Democratic candidates qualified for the primary ballot in the race for Sherrill’s open congressional seat following her gubernatorial win.
Marc Chaaban, a former congressional staffer for Sherrill, dropped out of the race earlier this week, bringing the tally as of Friday to 12 Democrats vying for the party’s nomination.