Sen. Nellie Pou to replace late Rep. Bill Pascrell on November ballot
Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Passaic) will face Republican Billy Prempeh in November. (Hal Brown for New Jersey Monitor)
Democratic officials selected state Sen. Nellie Pou on Thursday to replace the late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. on the November ballot as the Democratic Party nominee in the 9th Congressional District.
Pou won the uncontested nomination by a voice vote of more than 400 Democratic committee members at a convention held at the Passaic County Technical Institute. She will face Republican Billy Prempeh in November.
If elected in November, she would be the first Latina to represent New Jersey in Congress. The 9th District is heavily Latino and Hispanic, with the community making up more than 40% of the population.
She noted the “pivotal moment in history” in her acceptance speech.
“As I take this step, the significance of being the first Latina to serve in Congress from New Jersey ignites my heart and lifts up my spirit reinforcing in me our most sacred pledge: to defend every person no matter where they come from, no matter who they are, or what they look like, or who they love,” she said.
Her nomination comes eight days after the 87-year-old congressman died following a prolonged hospital stay. Pascrell’s funeral was held Wednesday.
His death prompted a week-long scramble for a new candidate, with a deadline of Aug. 29 to fill primary nominee vacancies for the general election. It swiftly became a crowded field, with Pou, Paterson Mayor André Sayegh, Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Passaic), and Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Passaic) jumping into the race.
Pou received the backing of the Democratic chairs of Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson counties — parts of which make up the 9th District — over the weekend. Sayegh suspended his campaign Monday, and Sumter withdrew from the race Tuesday. Wimberly, who had picked up endorsements from labor groups and faith leaders, dropped his bid Wednesday.
Pou, 68, has served in the Legislature since 1997, when she succeeded Pascrell in the Assembly after he left for Congress. She joined the state Senate in 2012 and currently serves as the majority caucus chair. She has also served as chair of the state Legislative Latino Caucus since 2006 and was elected president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators in 2021.
This is the second special convention Democrats have held in recent months to find successors for members of Congress who have died. In July, Democratic officials chose LaMonica McIver to replace the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. on the November ballot in the 10th Congressional District.
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