The 9th Congressional District — covering parts of Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties — has been a safe Democratic seat for decades, with the late Rep. Bill Pascrell’s legacy still looming large in the district. State Sen. Nellie Pou succeeded Pascrell and Democratic confidence was high.
But 2024 was a year of tumult, and the district actually voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election. Pou survived, but won the seat by just five percentage points. Now, national Republicans have taken notice and have put Pou on their 2026 congressional hit list. Republican Billy Prempeh, a three-time candidate who came close to toppling Pou last year, said he thinks he has momentum.
“A lot of the change that’s happened in this district specifically, I think it’s very unique from a lot of other places in the country,” he said. “It required a lot of ground game, a lot of door knocking, a lot of face to face conversations and advocating for people over the years which has led to this point.”
Prempeh may not have the momentum he thinks he has from last year, others said, including fellow Republicans. He hasn’t really raised any money, and that skill set is important for the national party.
“Now that this becomes a more nationally-focused race, the national Republicans are going to want to see fundraising momentum,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
“They’re going to want to see organizing momentum, and the fact that Prempeh is a little bit slow out of the gate this time, they may be looking for somebody [else],” he said. “It creates an opportunity for someone who can raise money, swoop in and hit the ground running.”
Pou may still be new in Congress, but she’s an old hand at New Jersey politics. She acknowledged that the GOP thinks it has a chance in her district, but she insisted that it’s reading the signs all wrong.
“There was a situation last year where the voters really wanted to have an opportunity to see what else was out there that could help them,” said Pou of the district’s shift right. “But they’re recognizing today that what they were promised is absolutely not what is being delivered.”
Pou just raised a half a million dollars this past quarter, the most she’s ever raised in a quarter.
