TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Voters in northern New Jersey will decide a special election for the U.S. House of Representatives to fill the seat left vacant when Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died earlier this year.
Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver, Democratic, and Carmen Bucco, Republican, are vying for the seat in the heavily Democratic and predominantly black 10th Congressional District. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy set up the special election under state law after Payne died in April. He had served in the House for more than two decades.
Wednesday’s election will determine who will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends Jan. 3, 2025. The regular election process, held in parallel, will determine who fills the seat afterward. McIver and Bucco are also on the ballot for full terms in the seat, along with third-party candidates.
McIver became the Democrats’ standard-bearer when she won a special primary earlier this summer amid a crowded field of 11 candidates, drawing endorsements from Payne’s family, party leaders and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker. She has served on the city council of the state’s largest city since 2018 and has worked as the human resources director for Montclair Public Schools.
McIver has said her top policy priorities are affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy.”
“In the short time I was campaigning, I spent a lot of time talking to different residents about their options for living,” she said, adding that policies are needed to curb rent increases and prescription drug prices, among other things.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He cites support for law enforcement and ending corruption as key issues.
It’s been a turbulent year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates the state legislature and the congressional delegation.
Developments included the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, who denied the allegations, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders favorably position their favored candidates on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who is running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of their campaign to unseat Menendez, who resigned after his conviction.
