If she wins the congressional seat last held by the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) would become the first member of New Jersey’s Puerto Rican community to represent the state in Congress – and a wide array of Puerto Rico Democrats, including the island’s current governor and the mayor of San Juan, are supporting her campaign.
“Nellie Pou has been a great friend of the 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico throughout her political career,” Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said in a statement. “As a fellow Boricua, her voice and advocacy in Congress representing New Jersey will advance the needs of the people of Puerto Rico and Latinos throughout the fifty states and territories. I know she will continue leading with her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as she has already proven throughout her years in public service. I fully support Nellie Pou.”
In addition to Pierluisi, Pou received the backing of San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero, current Puerto Rico Democratic Chairman Charlie Rodríguez, incoming Puerto Rico Democratic Chairman Luis Dávila Pernas, and seven members of the territorial legislature in Puerto Rico.
Also supporting Pou are Poder PAC, a political action committee dedicated to supporting Democratic Latinas for office, and Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York), Darren Soto (D-Florida), and Nydia Velázquez (D-New York), the latter two of whom are Puerto Rican. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), New Jersey’s only current Hispanic member of Congress, endorsed Pou over the weekend.
Pou, who has been a member of the state legislature for more than 27 years and was one of its first Latina members, has emerged as the frontrunner for the plurality-Hispanic 9th congressional district. The senator has the public support of the chairmen of the Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson County Democratic organizations, which makes her the favorite to win the Thursday party convention to fill Pascrell’s spot on the November general election ballot.
Three other candidates – Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-North Haledon), Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson), and Paterson Mayor André Sayegh – are also in the race as of now, though it’s possible that not all of them will continue their campaigns through the August 29 convention.
Pou would be the first Latina to serve in Congress from New Jersey, and would follow in the footsteps of three prior Latino congressmen: Bob Menendez, Albio Sires, and Rob Menendez, all Cuban Americans who represented the same Hudson County-based district in succession.
This story was updated at 3:12 p.m. with more endorsements for Pou.