Paterson Mayor André Sayegh confirmed he will not seek the state Senate seat of Rep.-elect Nellie Pou, who is leaving Trenton for Washington come January.
Democratic Party leaders picked Pou, a North Haledon Democrat, to succeed Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) after his death in August. The longtime state legislator’s closer-than-expected election to Congress means her state Senate seat will open by Jan. 3, when she’s sworn into Congress.
Democratic leaders from Bergen and Passaic counties will hold a special convention, likely in January, to fill the seat until a special election is held next November. The winner of the special convention will instantly become the front-runner for the Democratic primary and November 2025 special election. The winner of that special election will finish out the term, which ends in 2028.
Sayegh told the New Jersey Globe on Tuesday morning that he was focused on Paterson and not interested in taking up a role in Trenton.
“I’m here, and I’m going to complete a lot of the projects that we’ve started,” the two-term mayor said.
Pou has held the Senate seat since 2012.
The Paterson mayor launched a short-lived congressional campaign after Pascrell’s August death. He dropped the bid when it became clear that county Democratic leaders in the 9th district were coalescing around Pou.
Sayegh was mum on who he might support to succeed Pou. The mayor said there are a “few Assembly people” interested, and that he wants to hear from them, but didn’t name names.
Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-North Haledon) and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson) serve with Pou in the 35th district. Sumter and Wimberly also ran to succeed Pascrell but similarly withdrew when Pou became the favorite.
The 35th legislative district stretches across parts of Bergen and Passaic counties. The district encompasses Elmwood Park, Garfield, Haledon, North Haledon, Paterson, and Prospect Park.