A DEAD congressman just won his nomination for re-election in the New Jersey primary.
Rep. Donald Payne Jr., who died of a heart attack in April, won Tuesday night’s primary for New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District with 99 percent of the vote.
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Payne Jr., who had held the seat since 2012, was the only candidate on the ballot in that district.
There are six consecutive uncontested terms for Payne Jr. since his first election.
But because New Jersey has a rule that Payne Jr. cannot be replaced at the polls despite his death, a special primary election will be held on July 16 to determine who will run in his place.
So far, nearly a dozen Democrats have announced their intentions to run for the now-vacant seat.
These include Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver, Rutgers law professor Eugene Mazo, East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks and Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker.
After seeing the news, some expressed their opinions about Payne Jr.’s victory on X, formerly Twitter.
“Proof of the utter stupidity of the Democratic party,” to read a post.
But not everyone agreed with that sentiment.
Some pointed out that the state’s voters likely had a strategy of voting for Payne Jr. to prevent Republicans from gaining power, not to mention that he was the only option on the ballot.
“New Jersey would rather vote for a dead man than a Republican,” he said another sarcastically.
This is one of the bluest districts in the country, with a 6-1 advantage in voters registered as Democrats.
This area includes Newark and other areas of Hudson, Union and Essex counties.
In fact, a Republican hasn’t won New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District since 1946, and no Democratic candidate has won less than three-quarters of the vote in the past two decades.
Although 11 Democrats are running for Payne’s seat, only one Republican, Carmen Bucco, has filed to run in the district.
Who was Donald Payne Jr.?
Born in Newark, Payne Jr. was raised with two sisters by his father, who held the same position as his son for 20 years before becoming the first black man to represent New Jersey in Congress before dying in office in 2012 after the that his son took over.
His mother, Hazel Payne, died in 1963, when Payne Jr. was just 5 years old.
A graduate of Kean University, Payne Jr. went on to work for the New Jersey Highway Authority and the Essex County Educational Services Commission before running for office.
Payne Jr., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has spoken out on progressive issues like reproductive rights and national access to health care and Medicaid, public education and more.
After years of health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney problems, Payne Jr. died on a ventilator in April after suffering a massive heart attack.
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