State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) will head into Thursday’s special Democratic convention for the late Bill Pascrell’s congressional seat with endorsements from the three Democratic county chairmen in New Jersey’s 9th district: Bergen’s Paul Juliano, Passaic’s John Currie, and Hudson’s Craig Guy.
The move makes Pou the clear frontrunner to succeed Pascrell, who died last week, as the Democratic nominee against Republican Billy Prempeh.
Currie had endorsed Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson) last week, but Juliano and Guy met with Currie over the weekend and agreed to keep the seat in Passaic County on the condition that the candidate was Pou, who would make history as the first Latina congresswoman in New Jersey history in a district that is 42% Hispanic.
“This is a pivotal moment for New Jersey. Senator Pou’s candidacy represents progress for our state and a continuation of the strong leadership that Congressman Bill Pascrell provided for nearly three decades,” said Juliano, who has played for the role of power broker for the last week. “We are united in our belief that Nellie Pou is the best person to carry on that legacy.”
Sumter, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson) remain in the race. The vote will be conducted by secret ballot, and with an election set for the Thursday before Labor Day when many county committee members may be on vacation, the turnout model is unpredictable.
“Senator Nellie Pou has a long and distinguished record of public service, and we believe she is the right choice to represent our diverse and vibrant district in Congress,” Currie stated. “We are excited about the historic opportunity to elect the first Latina congresswoman in our state’s history.”
Guy and Juliano developed a strong alliance and went together as a block that represented roughly 54.6% of the Democratic county committee seats in the 9th; that number was actually higher since the Passaic side had considerably more vacancies.
For Guy, the Hudson County Executive, a Latina representing Secaucus and most of Kearny in Congress makes sense. It’s possible that the entire congressional delegation for Hudson – two U.S. Senators and three House members – will be people of color after November.
“While we have great respect for all the candidates who have shown interest in running, Senator Pou is uniquely qualified to serve the residents of the 9th District,” said Guy. “Her experience and leadership will ensure that our community continues to thrive, and we believe she is the best candidate to keep us moving forward during this critical time in our nation’s history.”
Two potential candidates from Bergen County, Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park) and County Commissioner Tracy Silna Zur, considered running but opted not to.
Democrats have an extraordinarily narrow window to replace Pascrell on the ballot; the statutory deadline is August 29. Party leaders will need to work to ensure a quorum of county committee members for Thursday evening; if they can’t get a majority of its members out, they will need to go to court and ask a judge to extend the deadline.