JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<ul>
    <li class="menuitem" id="myTag">                    
        <a id="lnk-1" href="#" class="menu-item-a">Click here to apply
           <span class="menu-item-span"></span>
        </a>                   
    </li>
</ul>

CSS

.menuitem{
    width: 200px;
    height:30px;
    background-color: #005abb;
    font-size:16px;font-family: 'gotham_htfbold';-webkit-border-radius: 15px;
-moz-border-radius: 15px;
border-radius: 15px;
}

.menuitem a{
    width: 200px;
    height: 30px;
    height: auto;
    display: block;
    position: relative;
    color: #FFF;
    text-align: center;
    z-index: 9999;
    
}

.menu-item-span{
    display: none;
    width: 200px;
    height: 30px;
    background-color: #fff;
    bottom: 0;
    left: 0;
    position: absolute;
    right: 0;
    top: 0;
    color:#005abb;
    z-index: -999;
    -webkit-border-radius: 15px;
-moz-border-radius: 15px;
border-radius: 15px;
}

JavaScript

$(function() {
  $(".menuitem").find("class")
  .hide() // Finds span hide.
  .end() // After find stop.
  .hover(function() { // On hover find and fadein then fadeout
    $(this).find("span").stop(true, true).fadeIn();
  }, function() {
    $(this).find("span").stop(true, true).fadeOut();
  });
});