The congressional seat in Newark’s 10th district is one of the most heavily Democratic in the nation. Democrats have held the seat since Peter Rodino won it in 1948 and the winner of the July 16, and Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-Newark) was re-elected by 57.5 percentage points in 2022.
Essex County Democrats want the seat to remain in Newark.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has already taken himself out of the race; he’s seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2025.
Here’s a quick look at the six leading candidates to replace Payne, who died last week at age 65, in a July 16 special primary and September 18 special election:
* Patrick O. Council, 53, a Newark South Ward city councilman and the South Ward Democratic chairman. He’s a pastor, former teacher, one-time school board member, and served as a manager of Recreation and Cultural Affairs when Sharpe James was mayor. Council is the South Ward Democratic chairman.
* Alturrick Kenney, 47, is serving his second term as the Essex County Surrogate. He’s a former deputy mayor of Newark and a member of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board.
* LaMonica McIver, 37, the Newark City Council President serving her second term as the councilwoman from the city’s Central Ward. She was the personnel director for the Montclair public schools — she’s now at PSE&G — and a longtime community leader.
* A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, 28, an Essex County Commissioner who is seeing a meteoric rise in Essex County politics. She was elected to the Newark school board in 2019 at age 23 and won election to the commissioner board’s 2nd district last year. A longtime community activist, she is a graduate of Swarthmore College and is studying for a divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary.
* Rev. Ronald Slaughter, 48, the pastor of St. James AME Church in Newark and the vice chairman of the New Jersey State Parole Board.
* Shanique Speight, 45, a four-term state assemblywoman from Newark chairs the Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee. Her husband, Bishop Andre Speight, is the Newark Central Ward Democratic chairman.
Click HERE to download the nominating petition for the July 16 special election ballot.