TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey Democrats will choose their House candidate from a large field of nearly a dozen candidates in a special primary in northern New Jersey on Tuesday.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy set the special primary under state law following the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. earlier this year. The special general election is scheduled for Sept. 18.
Among the candidates vying for the seat in the 10th Congressional District are Newark City Council Speaker LaMonica McIver and a former staffer for Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, Brittany Claybrooks.
McIver has raised the most money in the race so far, according to Federal Election Commission figures, and he has the support of prominent party figures including Murphy and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
The special election will determine who will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends on Jan. 3, 2025, while the regular election process, held in parallel, will determine who will fill the seat afterward. It is still unclear who the leaders of the local Democratic parties in each county in the district will choose to appear on the ballot in November.
The 10th District is in a heavily Democratic and predominantly black area in northern New Jersey, where Republicans outnumber Republicans by more than 6 to 1.
Republican Carmen Bucco was the uncontested candidate in the Republican Party primaries.
It’s been a turbulent year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates the state legislature and the congressional delegation.
Developments included the indictment on federal bribery charges against US Senator Bob Menendezwho denies the allegations, and the demise of the so-called county party line – a system in which local political leaders give their favored candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Kim and other Democrats a federal lawsuit filed He opposed the practice as part of his campaign to unseat Menendez, who is seeking re-election this year.
Democrats abandoned Menendez, who vowed to run as an independent, but he challenged the system in a race against state first lady Tammy Murphy, who had the support of the party leader. She withdrew from the race, but a federal judge temporarily halted the longstanding practice that upended the system and manipulated party leaders.