New Jersey state Sen. Nellie Pou on Thursday secured the Democratic nomination to replace the late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.) on the November ballot. She is now likely to become the next House member from New Jersey’s 9th District, which is solidly Democratic.
Pou would be the first Latina to represent New Jersey in Congress.
Pou received a unanimous vote at a convention Thursday evening where local party leaders were tasked with picking the new Democratic nominee, according to the Passaic County Democratic Party. All of Pou’s competitors had withdrawn by Wednesday evening, when New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) endorsed her.
“Senator Nellie Pou is the ideal public servant to succeed Congressman Pascrell and continue his life’s mission of building a stronger, fairer, more equitable, and more inclusive New Jersey for every family,” Murphy said in a statement.
Pascrell, 87, died on Aug. 21 after being hospitalized for weeks with a fever and respiratory infection. The 14-term congressman had been the second-oldest member of the House.
Democrats were on a tight timeline to replace Pascrell on the ballot, facing a Thursday deadline.
Pou has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2012 and was a member of the General Assembly before that. She was appointed to replace Pascrell in the chamber in 1997 after his election to Congress.
The Republican nominee for the November election is Air Force veteran Billy Prempeh.