Pou, Prempeh debate in race to succeed Pascrell

State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) and Republican Billy Prempeh debated for the first and only time in their race to replace the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson).

The state senator highlighted her nearly three decades of experience in the state legislature, arguing she will continue Pascrell’s legacy in Congress. Prempeh, a pro-Trump Republican running in the district for the third time, pegged Pou as out of touch with constituents throughout the debate.

“Like Bill Pascrell, I’ve never been shy from taking on a tough fight, and I will always stand up for what is right,” Pou said in her opening statement. “These are the values that I’ve learned growing up in Paterson from my hard-working family.”

“I’m running as a common American, as a regular Patersonian and a first-generation American that came to this country to benefit and help make this country prosper,” Prempeh said in his opening. “What Nellie Pou has done is she does not represent the American people. She does not represent our state.”

Pou hewed closely to Democratic positions throughout the debate, painting Republicans as a threat to abortion access and democratic norms. Prempeh’s pro-Trump beliefs set him apart from many other top Republicans in the state — he went so far as to say he believes there were discrepancies in the 2020 election, though he acknowledged he’s not found any evidence to prove fraud.

Pou accused Prempeh of being in D.C. during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, during which supporters of former President Donald Trump attempted to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election. Prempeh said he watched Trump speak before the riots but did not participate in any violence — though Pou, without evidence, suggested he might have done so. Prempeh said if that were the case, he would be “locked up in jail with the people who did do something on January 6.”

Prempeh broke from Trump on the former president’s approach to foreign affairs, specifically the potential of violence in the Middle East. An Air Force veteran, Prempeh said he doesn’t want the former president to “bomb the hell out of Iran,” as Trump has suggested — but he ultimately supports the president’s judgment.

Pou said she supports the status quo in terms of U.S. military aid to Israel, and she doesn’t think there should be conditions on the aid. When asked what she hopes to do for the sizable Palestinian American and Muslim population in the congressional district, Pou emphasized that she’s “pro-human rights”

“I am looking to represent everyone, every single individual in the 9th congressional district, and yes, that absolutely includes my Palestinian brothers and sisters that are part of our community,” Pou said.

Pou is widely expected to win the election come November. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter does not consider the district competitive.

“If elected, I will go to Washington and make sure that our neighbors get the resources that they need to help make ends meet in these difficult times,” the state senator said in her closing statement.