Three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to fill the late Rep. Bill Pascrell’s congressional seat made their case in a Monday night forum.
State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon), Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-North Haledon), and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson) offered few surprises and few disagreements, sharing their individual stories that took them from humble beginnings to serving in the New Jersey Legislature, pledging to follow in the footsteps of Pascrell’s decades of service in the state and work to support Vice President Kamala Harris.
The three lawmakers — longtime running mates — will face off on Thursday night when Democratic county committee members in the 9th district vote to replace Pascrell, who died last week, on the general election ballot.
Paterson Mayor André Sayegh initially planned to join the forum but dropped his congressional bid hours before the start time after county leaders consolidated around Pou.
The candidates, who joined the forum just days after launching their congressional runs, sometimes offered few specifics in their answers. But they remained friendly — frequently praising each other — and while Sumter and Wimberly at times appeared more at ease, the discussion allowed the local party leaders who will award the nomination a chance to meet the candidates; 82% of the municipalities in the congressional district are outside the boundaries of the 35th legislative district represented by Pou, Sumter, and Wimberly.
The candidates acknowledged that many voters are increasingly worried about the age of congressional representatives and government leaders—Wimberly said he supported looking into term limits, and Sumter said she supported age limits. Pou said lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court concerned her.
When asked whether the U.S. should continue military aid to Israel, each candidate said Israel has a right to defend itself, and Wimberly and Sumter expressed a desire for the war to come to an end.
“Israel has a right to protect itself. Nobody is in favor of war,” Wimberly said. “Everybody wants to make sure that innocent lives aren’t being lost in any war, not just in Gaza or in the Middle East, but anywhere.”
Sumter endorsed Harris’ position on the Israel-Hamas War, saying she was clear that the U.S. would support its allies.
“We need a ceasefire immediately. Hostages need to be released immediately,” said Sumter.
Wimberly and Sumter both called for a two-state solution as part of a Middle East peace plan and assurances of humanitarian aid.
Pou said “America needs to be a leader in the world.”
“We need to stand by our allies, and we need to stand with democracy and freedom, not dictators,” she said. “All sovereign nations have a right to defend themselves.”
Each candidate defended their vote to overhaul the Open Public Records Act, a controversial bill that allows New Jersey agencies and municipalities more leeway to reject public records requests. The trio said the bill was necessary to modernize transparency in the state and that the prior system caused some to be overburdened. None of the legislators would say if they supported the termination of the party line on election ballots.
In one break from Pascrell, all three candidates endorsed Medicare for All.
Pascrell was one of two New Jersey members of Congress to co-sponsor the Green New Deal, an expansive package of progressive proposals that seek to create jobs, limit income inequality, and protect the environment from climate change. Sumter and Pou both said they would support the Green New Deal in Congress, while Wimberly said he would probably support it but wants to learn more about it from Pascrell’s staff before signing his name to the package.
“Usually, if Bill Pascrell supports something, it’s more than likely that I’m 95 percent sure I would be on board with the bill,” Wimberly said.
“In Paterson, we have businesses that continue to flood, and every time it rains, they’re in a state of panic and trauma, wondering whether their business is going to erode into the Passaic River,” Sumter said. “So part of this is the environment is changing, and we’re seeing it more frequently.”
The three candidates also said they supported immigration reform that would slow the flow of illegal immigration into the country while also opening up pathways to citizenship for people in the United States, particularly DREAMers.
“I do believe that a comprehensive immigration reform is absolutely important and that we ensure every possible [measure] that needs to be taken to secure our borders,” Pou said. “And that it is anchored on the premise that immigration is an economic necessity for all of us.”
All three contenders also said they hope to end the cap on SALT deductions, which allow taxpayers to deduct state and local taxes from their federal tax. The cap, which came as part of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax bill, puts a $5,000 or $10,000 limit on the amount of SALT taxes one can deduct. Removing the cap, which the candidates and many New Jersey leaders support, would benefit taxpayers with more significant tax liabilities.
In closing remarks, Pou highlighted her 27 years in the state legislature, emphasized strengthening the economy and public education, and noted that she would be the first Latina elected to Congress from New Jersey. Sumter said she would work hard in the footsteps of Pascrell and is proud to have served as a running mate with Wimberly and Pou for years. And Wimberly, a longtime high school football coach and mentor, said he hopes to bring that experience to the Capitol while remaining accessible to constituents.
The New Jersey Globe co-sponsored the forum with On New Jersey. and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University. Laura Jones, the host of a weekly public affairs show for MeTV-WJLP New Jersey/New York, moderated the event. New Jersey Globe political reporter Joey Fox, New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein, and Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute, served as panelists.