Payne family patriarch endorses Mikie Sherrill for governor

Newark political royalty – the family of the late Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. – is backing Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, eschewing Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s bid to become the state’s first Black governor.

“Because we have very serious concerns about the policies coming out of the White House, we place an even greater importance on winning the Statehouse in November. We do not want to see the policies of the Trump administration brought home to New Jersey,” said William D. Payne, a former assemblyman.  “We believe that Rep. Mikie Sherrill has a positive vision for New Jersey’s future and is the candidate most capable of winning the trust of a majority of the voters.”

The Payne and Baraka families go way back and are neighbors in Newark’s South Ward; the late Rep. Donald M. Payne, Sr., and the late mayor’s father, Amiri Baraka, were sometimes allies and sometimes rivals.  The same can be said about a third prominent South Ward political family led by Sharpe James.

William Payne, the 92-year-old patriarch of a family that has produced two congressmen, freeholders, legislators and city councilmen, was the first in the family to enter politics; he ran for an at-large seat on the Newark City Council in 1962 and ran for mayor in 1994 when the incumbent, James, defeated both Payne and Baraka, then 24-years-old.  Baraka ran against Donald Payne, Jr. in a city council race.

“We speak with great personal respect for the talented field of candidates running for the democratic nomination for Governor,” Payne said.  “All of them are friends of the family and honorable public servants with much to offer the state.”

According to Payne, the endorsement is on behalf of the family and in recognition of Sherrill’s friendship with Donald Payne, Jr.

“She was a loyal and committed friend to Donald Jr.;  they worked hard together to deliver funding for the Gateway Tunnel, the most consequential infrastructure project in the country, which will create thousands of jobs in New Jersey,” William Payne said.  “Mikie has persuaded us that she is committed to carrying the torch forward on the issues Donald Sr. and Donald Jr. fought for in the 10th congressional district in the Halls of Congress.”

Sherrill and Payne shared representation of Bloomfield, Montclair, and West Orange; for a time, Payne was Sherrill’s congressman.

“Donald Payne, Jr. was a dear friend, mentor, and an expert on transportation policy. We had so many important discussions about how to better deliver for New Jersey, but when he really lit up was when he talked about his family,” stated Sherrill.  “I’m humbled and grateful to have their support in this campaign. The Paynes have dedicated their lives to public service, improving the City of Newark and the State of New Jersey — and I look forward to carrying those efforts as governor to tackle the structural barriers that hold kids and families back.”

Prior to his death in April 2024, Donald Payne told the New Jersey Globe that he had not intended to take sides in the Democratic primary.