Who Will Replace Payne? Primary Election On Tuesday (What To Know)

NEW JERSEY — Voters in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District will head to the polls on Tuesday, July 16 for a special primary election.

Residents of the district are currently without a voice in the U.S. House of Representatives following the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April. See Related: Mourning Continues For NJ Congressman With ‘Big Heart’

Gov. Phil Murphy announced that a special election will be held to fill the rest of Payne’s unexpired term. A primary election will be held to choose Democratic and Republican nominees on July 16. The winners and any independent candidates will face off again on Sept. 18 in the general election. A full term will be up for grabs in the general election on Nov. 5.

New Jersey's 10th Congressional District includes the following municipalities:

• Essex County – Caldwell, East Orange, Essex Fells, Irvington, Montclair (part), Newark (part), Orange, Verona, West Orange
• Hudson County – Jersey City (part)
• Union County – Cranford, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden (part), Roselle, Roselle Park, Union Township

Get more information about the July 16 special primary election here, including polling locations, secure drop box locations and more. Learn more about voting in New Jersey here.

CANDIDATES

Only one Republican candidate will appear on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary election: Carmen Bucco.

On the flip side, a large field of candidates are competing for the Democratic Party nomination. They include:

• Shana Melius
• Alberta Gordon
• Jerry Walker
• Eugene Mazo
• LaMonica McIver
• Sheila Montague
• Darryl Godfrey
• Brittany Claybrooks
• Derek Armstead
• Debra Salters
• John J. Flora

CANDIDATE FORUM

Many of the candidates running to replace Payne recently met to debate the issues at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. Two candidates – Bucco and Salters – didn’t attend the forum.

Watch video footage from the July 1 candidate forum below, or view it online here.

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