NJ-10 Activist Takes On Donald Payne, ‘Establishment Democrats’

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A "pro-democracy activist" and seasoned political organizer from Essex County has officially thrown her hat into the ring against U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr.

Imani Oakley will challenge Payne in the 2022 primary for the Democratic Party’s nod in New Jersey’s 10th congressional district – the only Black-majority district in the state.

Payne has served as congressman for the district since 2012. He successfully fended off four challengers during the 2020 general election, and battled off a pair of Democratic Party candidates in that year's primary election.

The 10th District covers portions of Essex, Hudson and Union counties, including the following municipalities: Bloomfield, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Maplewood, Montclair, Newark, Orange, South Orange, West Orange, Bayonne, Jersey City, Hillside, Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park and Union Township.

Oakley’s campaign released the following statement about her background and qualifications:

“Oakley has been an unyielding advocate for the district’s powerless for decades … Excluding the four years where Imani resided in a humble apartment in Newark’s North Ward as a result of nearly losing her childhood home to foreclosure, Imani has lived on the same street her entire life. Born in New Brunswick and raised in Montclair, Imani was raised by a single mother who taught pre-school students in East Orange and Newark.”

Her campaign staff continued:

“After graduating Howard law school, Oakley went on to serve as a constituent’s advocate in the U.S. Senate, a deputy chief of staff in the state Legislature, and the legislative director for the New Jersey Working Families Alliance. Most recently, she was the dean of movement building at Movement School Campus, where she helped bring courses on electoral campaign skills to progressives from marginalized backgrounds nationwide. However, Oakley is probably most well known as New Jersey’s preeminent opponent of the ‘ballot line’ — a relic of the political machine that undermines democracy across the state.”

Oakley said her campaign plans to focus on fighting for economic and racial justice, a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, workers’ rights, innovative infrastructure, demilitarization both nationwide and abroad, and “a fair democracy for each and every one of us.”

According to Oakley, she’s up against a big challenge: “the establishment wing of the Democratic Party.” But instead of being overwhelmed by the odds, she’s finding inspiration in them.

“For years, I've been disheartened by the rabid corruption infesting our state,” Oakley said. “From patronage, to cronyism, to New Jersey’s corrupt ballot design, I knew I had to start fighting to make a change.”

“The district has long been underserved by government officials and exploited by corporations,” she alleged in her campaign announcement. “In addition to having one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country, NJ-10 also has significant issues with lead, soil and air pollution from negligent industries.”

Learn more about her platform and qualifications here.

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.