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Tahesha Way
Tahesha Way (Democratic Party) is the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. She assumed office on September 8, 2023. Her current term ends on January 20, 2026.
Way (Democratic Party) is also the New Jersey Secretary of State. She assumed office on February 26, 2018. Her current term ends on January 20, 2026.
Way (Democratic Party) is running in a special election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 11th Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the special Democratic primary on February 5, 2026.[source]
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) appointed Way Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey on September 8, 2023, to replace Sheila Oliver (D). [1]
Biography
As of 2023, Tahesha Way lived in Wayne, New Jersey. Way earned a degree from Brown University and a juris doctor from the University of Virginia. Her career experience includes working as an administrative law judge with the State of New Jersey, the freeholder director of the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and a special counsel with the Passaic County Board of Social Services. Way has served as the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, on the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, and as the president of the Women Empowered Democratic Organization of Passaic County.[2]
Political career
Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.
Way's political career includes the following offices:
- 2023-present: Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
- 2018-present: New Jersey Secretary of State
Appointments
2023
Way was appointed to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey by Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy (D). She was sworn in on September 8, 2023 to replace Sheila Oliver, who died on August 1, 2023. [3]
2018
Way was nominated to serve as the New Jersey Secretary of State on December 18, 2017, by then-Governor-elect Phil Murphy (D). She was sworn in on February 26, 2018, after her nomination was confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate.[4]
Elections
2026
See also: New Jersey's 11th Congressional District special election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on February 5, 2026. The general election will occur on April 16, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 11
The following candidates are running in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 11 on February 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| John Bartlett | ||
 | Zach Beecher | |
 | J-L Cauvin  | |
| Marc Chaaban | ||
| Cammie Croft | ||
| Dean Dafis | ||
 | Brendan Gill | |
 | Jeffrey Grayzel | |
 | Tom Malinowski | |
 | Analilia Mejia | |
 | Justin Strickland | |
 | Tahesha Way | |
 | Anna Lee Williams | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Lewis (D)
- Kennedy Pivnick (D)
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Special Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 11
Joe Hathaway (R) is running in the special Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 11 on February 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Joe Hathaway | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
| New Jersey | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
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Officeholder Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Associated Press, "Tahesha Way sworn in as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor after death of Sheila Oliver," September 8, 2023
- ↑ NJ Department of State, "About the Lt. Governor," accessed October 3, 2023
- ↑ Associated Press, "Tahesha Way sworn in as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor after death of Sheila Oliver," September 8, 2023
- ↑ State of New Jersey Department of State, "About the Secretary," accessed August 5, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sheila Oliver (D) |
Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey 2023-Present |
Succeeded by Dale Caldwell (D) |
| Preceded by Kimberly Guadagno (R) |
New Jersey Secretary of State 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
