A new poll conducted by CAIR Action and the Unity and Justice Fund shows Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh with a lead among registered Democrats in a five-way race for the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson)’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sayegh leads Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson), 38%-26%, followed by Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson) with 13%, Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park) with 12%, and State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) with 11%. The poll seemingly did not give respondents an option to choose “undecided,” which likely inflated each candidate’s support level in a low-profile race where many of the candidates running have minimal name recognition.
The poll had one question: “Who do you think would be the best choice as a representative for New Jersey’s 9th district?”
“Much of the discourse regarding who should be the Democratic nominee did not have Mayor Sayegh as a leading contender,” said CAIR Action senior advisor Ali Aljarrah. “The initial polling data show that he clearly holds the lion’s share of favorability amongst voters. Sayegh’s name recognition in the district is likely due to the past six years that he has spent serving as the mayor of the city of Paterson and preparing for higher office.”
CAIR Action is a non-profit organization connected to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. It seeks to engage Muslim voters and champion Muslims’ rights and voices in American politics. The Unity and Justice Fund is CAIR Action’s super PAC.
Calabrese, a four-term lawmaker from Bergen County, is not seeking the nomination.
Democratic county committee members in the 9th district will select a replacement candidate for Pascrell, a fourteen-term congressman who died last week at age 87. New Jersey law gives Democratic Party leaders the authority to pick a replacement when a candidate dies or withdraws between the primary and general elections.
Party leaders have scheduled the vote for Thursday evening in Paterson.
“We hope this polling data is useful to Committee members who will be deciding the Party’s nominee in the coming days and hope they will consider the candidate who best reflects the values and priorities of the district’s constituencies,” said Aljarrah.
The poll was conducted using text messaging.
The CAIR Action and the Unity and Justice Fund poll was conducted on August 24-25 and has a sample size of 383 registered Democrats in New Jersey’s 9th district, though CAIR said that 80,000 registered Democrats were contacted and that “data collection will continue through the next few days.” The margin of error was not provided.