On April 20, 2026, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) swore Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-N.J.) into the U.S. House of Representatives, filling the vacancy in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
The vacancy began on Nov. 20, 2025, after Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) resigned to prepare to serve as governor of New Jersey. In the special general election, Mejia defeated Joe Hathaway (R) 63% to 37%.
As of April 20, 2026, Republicans have a 217 to 214 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies. Additionally, Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) is an independent who caucuses with Republicans.
This vacancy was the sixth in New Jersey’s congressional delegation since April 24, 2024:
- New Jersey's 10th Congressional District was vacant for 152 days after Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) died on April 24, 2024.
- New Jersey's 9th Congressional District was vacant for 135 days after Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) died on Aug. 21, 2024.
- New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District was vacant for 26 days after then-Rep. Andrew Kim (D-N.J.) resigned Dec. 8, 2024, in order to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.
- One of New Jersey’s two U.S. Senate seats was vacant for 20 days after Sen. Bob Menendez Sr. (D-N.J.) resigned on Aug.16, 2024, after being convicted on 16 counts of federal corruption charges.
- The U.S. Senate seat became vacant again for one day after Sen. George Helmy (D-N.J.) resigned on Dec. 8, 2024, allowing Kim to take office early.
Vacancies in the 119th Congress
So far in the 119th Congress, there have been 11 in the U.S. House and four in the U.S. Senate. Of those vacancies:
- Three in the U.S. Senate were filled via appointment.
- One in the U.S. Senate was filled when Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) was sworn into office 11 days after the start of the 119th Congress. Justice delayed his swearing-in in order to fulfill the remainder of his term as governor of West Virginia.
- Eight in the U.S. House were filled after special election winners were sworn in.
As of April 20, 2026, the vacancies in Texas' 23rd Congressional District, California's 14th Congressional District, and California's 1st Congressional District have not been filled.
Of the 15 vacancies, the longest was in Texas' 18th Congressional District, which became vacant on March 5, 2025, following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas). The vacancy ended on Feb. 2, 2026, after 334 days.
Congressional vacancies since the 113th Congress
During the 113th through 118th Congresses, there were 88 vacancies in the U.S. House and 16 in the U.S. Senate. The average length of a vacancy in the U.S. Senate during that period was seven days. The average length of a vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was 138 days.
The longest vacancy in the U.S. Senate during that period was in New Jersey. The vacancy occurred during the 118th Congress, when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) resigned on Aug. 20, 2024. Following Menendez's resignation, the seat was vacant for 20 days.
The longest vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. The vacancy occurred during the 115th Congress, when Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) resigned on Dec. 5, 2017. Following Conyers' resignation, the seat was vacant for 359 days.