New Jersey voters are set to pick a successor to late congressman in special election

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Voters in northern New Jersey are set to settle a special U.S. House election to fill the seat that opened when Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died earlier this year.

Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver and Republican Carmen Bucco are competing for the seat in the heavily Democratic and majority-Black 10th Congressional District. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy set the special election under state law after Payne died in April. He had served on the House for over two decades.

Wednesday’s election determines who serves out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends Jan. 3, 2025. The regular election process held in parallel will determine who fills the seat after that. McIver and Bucco are also on the ballot for the full term in the seat, along with third-party candidates.

McIver became the Democrats’ standard bearer when she won a special primary earlier this summer amid a crowded field of 11 candidates, receiving endorsements from Payne’s family, party leaders and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker. She has served on the city council of the state’s largest city since 2018 and has worked as a personnel director for Montclair Public Schools.

McIver has said her top policy priorities include affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy.”

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“In my short period of time campaigning, I spent a lot of time talking with different residents about their ability to afford to live,” she said, adding that policies are needed to contain growth of rent and prescription drug prices, among other areas.

Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.

It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.

Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.

Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.