Policy
Published June 4, 2024 at 1:38 pm ET
Democratic voters will elect a beloved New Jersey congressman in Tuesday’s primary, but there’s just one problem: He’s dead.
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. had held his seat in the Garden State’s 10th Congressional District for more than a decade and is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The 65-year-old member of the Congressional Black Caucus died on April 24 after a heart attack, after the primary filing deadline had already passed.
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. will win his primary election on Tuesday, even though he died on April 24. Hum Images/Universal Images Group via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
Because of this, under New Jersey election rules, no one can replace him on the ballot, according to the Washington Examiner.
That means Payne is still set to win the primary in the deep blue urban district that includes Newark and other parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
But Payne’s imminent victory won’t be the end of the story.
Local and state officials are already preparing for a special primary election on July 16.
The winner will almost certainly win the September 18 special general election and end the late congressman’s term, which ends in January.
Meanwhile, Democratic district committee members will meet to choose a new candidate for the Nov. 5 general election, the Examiner reported.
Payne Jr. came from a political family and assumed New Jersey’s 10th congressional district seat after the death of his father, who held it for decades. LightRocket via /Keynote USA/Getty Images Payne’s funeral was held on May 2 in Newark, where he once served as City Council president. KeynoteUSA
The winner of that race will take office next January and will represent the district until the end of 2027.
Eleven Democrats have already announced their candidacy for the upcoming special election, including Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver, Rutgers Law Professor Eugene Mazo, East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks, and County Commissioner Hudson, Jerry Walker, said the Examiner.
Only one Republican, Carmen Bucco, ran as a candidate in the district, which is one of the most left-wing in the country.
New Jersey election laws said it was too late to replace the late congressman on the ballot, even though he had died. Michael Rolands – stock.adobe.com
The Tenth has not sent a Republican to Congress since 1946, and no Democratic candidate has received less than three-quarters of the vote in the last two decades.
Payne’s father, Donald Milford Payne, was the first black congressman to represent New Jersey in Congress after his election in 1989.
Payne Sr. held the position for more than two decades before his death in 2012, at which time his son took over.
With post cables
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