New Jersey state Sen. Nellie Pou picked to replace late Rep. Bill Pascrell on the ballot

Nellie Pou would make history as the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress from New Jersey if she wins Bill Pascrell's district in November.

Democratic leaders in New Jersey on Thursday selected state Sen. Nellie Pou to replace Rep. Bill Pascrell on the November ballot, a week after the 87-year-old congressman died following a lengthy hospitalization.

Her nomination at a special party convention Thursday night comes after Pou won key endorsements from party powerbrokers in the state and a trio of rivals dropped out of the running this week. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, endorsed Pou on Wednesday.

“Nellie Pou is the ideal public servant to succeed Rep. Pascrell and continue his life’s mission of building a stronger, fairer, and more inclusive New Jersey,” Murphy said in a statement.

New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District is deep blue — Joe Biden trounced Donald Trump there in 2020 by 19 percentage points — so Pou would be heavily favored to defeat Republican nominee Billy Prempeh. If elected on Nov. 5, Pou would make history as the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress from New Jersey. The 9th District, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has a large Hispanic population.

After spending much of the summer in the hospital fighting a respiratory infection, Pascrell died on Aug. 21 and was remembered at a funeral Mass Wednesday at Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in his hometown of Paterson. Pou, Murphy, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Jamie Raskin were among the Democratic officials who attended.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/nellie-pou-bill-pascrell-new-jersey-ballot-rcna168780

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