Carmen Bucco, who had been planning to challenge Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. in the fall election, said he will seek the Republican nomination for Congress in a September 18 primary election.
Bucco is unopposed in the June 4 GOP primary to run for a full two-year term in November 2024. In that race, he’ll face whomever Democrats pick to replace Payne on the ballot. Payne, a six-term incumbent who died last week at age 65, is unopposed in the primary and is expected to win renomination posthumously.
Now he needs to file new petitions to run in a special July 16 special primary election for the chance to fill Payne’s unexpired term.
“If I worry about everything in life, I’ll never accomplish anything,” Bucco said.
Bucco also isn’t concerned that the primary is scheduled for the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee; he’s on the ballot next month to become a district delegate pledged to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
Bucco told the New Jersey Globe he plans to vote by mail and attend the convention.
“When there’s a glitch in the system, I deal with it until I find a resolution,” He said.
New Jersey’s 10th district is heavily Democratic. Payne was re-elected with 78% of the vote in 2022.
Last week, Bucco praised Payne’s “dedication to public service” in a statement issued after his passing.