Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) is the second Democratic congressman from New Jersey to pass away this year — and state Democrats only have eight days to find his replacement.
Pascrell died Wednesday morning at the age of 87 after an illness. He spent the last month with an undisclosed illness, according to WABC, passing away at the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America," Pascrell's X account posted.
Pascrell had served in the House of Representatives for 14 terms, and was running to serve again this year. He was known as a Democratic firebrand unafraid to call out Republicans, and was a harsh critic of former President Donald Trump.
His passing puts the Democratic Party in his district in a tough situation, however. The deadline to put a replacement candidate on the ballot for the general election is August 29, according to the New Jersey Globe.
Pascrell handily won his primary on June 4 with 76.1% of the vote, defeating Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. It seems unlikely that Khairullah is in the running to replace him in the general election, given that he got less than a quarter of the vote. As of today, no candidate has thrown their hat into the ring.
Pascrell's fellow Democratic congressman, Rep. Donald Payne Jr., died of a heart attack on April 24. Payne died after the deadline to replace him on the primary ballot, and won his election despite no longer being alive. Payne's seat remains vacant, but Democrats were able to run a special July primary to determine who would run in the general election. LaMonica McIver won the primary, and will face off for his seat in the general.
Both seats have been long held by Democratic candidates. Pascrell has held office since 1997, replacing the Republican Bill Martini, who only served one term, and whose predecessor was a Democrat. Payne's seat has been held by Democrats since 1949.
