TRENTON, New Jersey – New Jersey Democrats must choose from a crowded field of nearly a dozen people for their House candidate in a special primary in northern New Jersey on Tuesday.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy set the special primary under state law following the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. earlier this year. Special general elections are scheduled for September 18.
Candidates vying for the 10th Congressional District seat include Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver and a former staffer for Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, Brittany Claybrooks.
McIver has raised the most money so far in the race, according to data from the Federal Election Commission, and has the support of prominent party figures including Murphy and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
The special election will determine who will serve the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends on January 3, 2025, while the regular election process held in parallel will determine who will hold the position after that. It remains unclear who local Democratic party leaders in each county in the district will choose to go to the polls in November.
The 10th District is in a heavily Democratic, majority-black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
Republican Carmen Bucco was uncontested in the Republican Party primary.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the indictment of federal bribery charges from US Senator Bob Menendezthat denies the allegations, and the end of the so-called county party line – a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates a favorable position in primary elections.
Kim and other Democrats filed a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to unseat Menéndez, who is running for re-election this year.
Democrats abandoned Menendez and he promised to run as an independent, but he defied the system amid a race against state first lady Tammy Murphy, who had the support of the party leader. She dropped out of the race, but a federal judge temporarily halted the long-standing practice, upending the system and tweaking the party’s leaders.
