Three Democrats vying for the late Rep. Bill Pascrell’s seat in the 9th Congressional District fielded questions in a get-to-know-you forum Monday night.
Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Passaic) was already well positioned to become the Democratic nominee, having been endorsed by the county chairs of the Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Democratic committees.
By Tuesday morning, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Passaic) had dropped out. At midday, Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly texted, “I haven’t made a decision yet.” Wimberly collected endorsements from local Democratic leaders.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh withdrew even before last night’s forum, which was sponsored by New Jersey Globe, On NJ, and the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
Passaic County Chair John Currie, who had originally endorsed Sumter, switched to Pou, noting her election would send a New Jersey Latina to Congress for the first time.
“At some point he decided he was going switch because there was this sense of compromise for Pou,” Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute, said. “For many parties, they sort of follow the mold of … those who are loyal, those who put in their time, those who wait their turn, get rewarded.”
After 87-year-old Pascrell died suddenly last week, Democrats faced an Aug. 29 deadline to name a replacement for the November ballot. With not enough time for a primary, where all of the district’s almost 192,000 registered Democrats could vote, the choice falls to elected Democratic committee members in the 9th District — normally about 800, but hampered by significant vacancies in Passaic County.
The committee members meet to vote Thursday.
