New Jersey state Sen. Nellie Pou poised to replace late Rep. Bill Pascrell on the ballot

Local Democratic leaders on Thursday are poised to pick state Sen. Nellie Pou to replace Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., on the November ballot, a week after the 87-year-old congressman died following a lengthy hospitalization.

Her expected nomination at a special party convention Thursday night comes after Pou won key endorsements from local Democratic powerbrokers in the state and a trio of rivals dropped out of the running this week. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy endorsed Pou on Wednesday.

“Nellie Pou is the ideal public servant to succeed Rep. Pascrell and continue his life’s mission of building a stronger, fairer, and more inclusive New Jersey,” Murphy said in a statement.

New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District is deep blue — Joe Biden trounced Donald Trump there in 2020 by 19 percentage points — so Pou would be heavily favored to defeat Republican nominee Billy Prempeh. If elected on Nov. 5, Pou would make history as the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress from New Jersey. The 9th district, which sits across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has a large Hispanic population.

After spending much of the summer in the hospital fighting a respiratory infection, Pascrell died on Aug. 21 and was remembered at a funeral mass Wednesday at Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in his hometown of Paterson. Pou, Murphy, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Jamie Raskin were among the Democratic officials who attended.

Under state election law, Thursday is the deadline for members of the Democratic county committees to replace Pascrell on the ballot. If local leaders do not act, ballots would be printed with the late congressman’s name.

Pascrell was the second New Jersey Democratic lawmaker to die in office this year. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., 65, died on April 24 from a heart attack related to complications from diabetes. A third Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, died at age 74 on July 19 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Other New Jersey Democratic officials had thrown their hat in the ring to replace Pascrell, a former mayor of Paterson and beloved political figure in the Garden State. The contenders included Assembly members Benjie Wimberly and Shavonda Sumter, as well as Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

But Pou, 68, who has served in the New Jersey legislature since 1997, consolidated support after securing critical endorsements from the Democratic committee chairmen representing the three counties that make up the old Pascrell district: Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties.

Wimberly, Sumter and Sayegh soon dropped out of the race.

In a statement last week, Biden paid tribute to Pascrell and recalled their three-decade-long friendship.

“Bill was a colleague and dear friend. I had the privilege of working with him for decades on issues ranging from the Fire Grants and Safety Act for the wellbeing of first responders and their families, to veterans’ medical care, international trade, tax fairness, labor unions, and so much more,” Biden said.

 “Over the course of our 30-year friendship, Bill defined himself as a devoted patriot, a gentleman, and an exemplary leader,” the president continued. “A beloved bridge-builder and champion for working-class people, Bill fought relentlessly to ensure their voices and needs were at the center of policymaking. I always knew Bill’s positions were guided by his deep conscience and convictions.”