LaMonica McIver, widely viewed as the frontrunner in a July 16 special Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-Newark) in New Jersey’s 10th district, has raised $90,833 and had $56,847 cash-on-hand as of June 26.
That might be enough to propel McIver, the Newark City Council president, into a congressional seat. The 10th is among the most Democratic districts in the nation, and there will be little to watch on September 18 when the primary winner faces Republican Carmen Bucco in the special election.
Former East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks, who worked as Rep. Andy Kim’s North Jersey political director in the U.S. Senate primary, raised $9,036 and reported $2,399 in the bank.
Darryl Godfrey, a Murphy administration official who serves as chief operating officer of the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, appears to have raised about $100,000, including a personal contribution of roughly $50,000. Reports he filed with the Federal Election Commission are a hot mess, with numbers not adding up.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead missed last night’s deadline to file pre-primary reports by more than ten hours. He’s raised $51,325 and has $32,449 cash-on-hand.
Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker has still not filed a report, missing the July 4 deadline.
McIver won endorsements from Democratic organizations in Essex and Union counties, but that’s less impactful in a free-standing primary with no other offices on the ballot. Hudson County Democrats declined to take sides, but Craig Guy, the county executive and the new Democratic county chairman, is hosting a fundraiser for Walker next week.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who lives in the 10th district and held the Central Ward city council and now represented McIver, has endorsed her congressional run. So have Gov. Phil Murphy, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, East Orange Mayor Ted Green, members of the Payne family, and key legislators, county elected officials, and unions.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination are former Payne staffer Shana Melius, law professor and election law expert Eugene Mazo, John Flora, Alberta Gordon, Sheila Montague, and Debra Salters. None of them filed with the FEC.
As of Wednesday morning, 6,047 vote-by-mail ballots had been returned to election officials in Essex, Hudson, and Union counties – 18.9% of the total mailed out.
This story was updated on July 5 at 12:28 PM.