New Jersey Politics

Analilia Mejia was sworn in to the U.S. House to replace Mikie Sherrill.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged FIFA to pay $150 NJ Transit round-trip fares for World Cup fans traveling to MetLife Stadium. Schumer released a statement calling on FIFA to cover the full rail cost for fans and pressured the soccer governing body to fund transit operations. He noted FIFA expects about $11 billion in revenue in the 2023-2026 cycle while contributing nothing to NJ Transit's projected $48 million shortfall. NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri estimated the total fan-movement operation will cost $62 million, including $11 million for security, with $10.6 million in federal funds and just over $3 million from the NY/NJ Host Committee. That combination leaves an estimated $48 million funding gap with no financial contribution from FIFA, Schumer said. He called the $150 round-trip fare "more than eleven times the normal fare" and labeled it "a ripoff, plain and simple."

Analilia Mejia won New Jersey's 11th District special election, further narrowing the Republican majority in the U.S. House. The April special election filled the seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill after she became governor and was called minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. ET. Mejia defeated Republican Joe Hathaway and independent Alan Bond and will serve the roughly eight months remaining in the current term. The Associated Press and CBS projected her victory, and Democrats outnumber Republicans in NJ-11 by more than 60,000 registered voters.