Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, has died at 65, according to a statement Wednesday from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Payne suffered a heart attack on April 6 and was hospitalized at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. According to an update shared by his office last week, the cardiac episode was related to complications from diabetes.
The New Jersey Globe, which first reported Payne’s death, said the congressman had battled numerous health issues including high blood pressure, kidney problems and diabetes.
The six-term House member was the son of a former congressman, Rep. Donald Payne Sr. (D), the first Black representative from New Jersey. When his father died of colon cancer in 2012, Donald Payne Jr. ran for his seat in New Jersey’s 10th District.
The younger Payne is survived by his wife, Beatrice, and their three children.
Before his election to Congress, Payne served as president of Newark’s City Council and the Essex County board of commissioners. He previously worked as a toll collector.
Payne was a “strong supporter” of the Affordable Care Act and advocated children’s health-care legislation as well as gun violence prevention and investments in infrastructure and transportation, according to his biography. After his father’s death, Payne became a staunch advocate of colon cancer awareness and was a member of the Congressional Men’s Health Caucus, the Colorectal Cancer Caucus and the Peripheral Artery Disease Caucus.
Elected officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), took to social media Wednesday to share their condolences over the congressman’s death.
In a statement Wednesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said he was deeply saddened by Payne’s death.
“With his signature bow tie, big heart, and tenacious spirit, Donald embodied the very best of public service,” Murphy wrote. “As a former union worker and toll collector, he deeply understood the struggles our working families face, and he fought valiantly to serve their needs, every single day.”
Other Democrats shared their memories of Payne online.
“This is incredibly painful news,” Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said in a post on X. Payne, Kim said, “was a kind man who was never afraid to fight for what was right. We should aspire to follow that example. I’m honored I got to work alongside such a great man.”
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) noted that every time he would stay on the House floor to give a speech, “Payne was there in the first chair.”
“What a loss of a great member of the Congressional Black Caucus,” Frost wrote on X.
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) said the group had lost a “dear colleague and friend.”
“He was an advocate for racial justice, equal rights for all, reproductive freedom, free college tuition, and public transportation,” he said in a statement.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clarke (D-Mass.) said in a statement that Payne followed his father’s “trailblazing footsteps” and that, throughout his “distinguished service in the House, he waged a passionate fight to bring down the cost of health care, widen the path to prosperity, rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, and honor every child’s right to clean drinking water.”
Under New Jersey law, because there are more than six months left in Payne’s term, Murphy must call a special election to fill the vacancy.
There are two options from which the governor can choose. The first would have Murphy call for a special election, with a special primary potentially being held in early July and a special general election in September to fill the remainder of the term. The governor also could call for a special election to be held on Election Day in November. There is no statute determining when a special primary for that timeline has to be held.
Payne was running for reelection unopposed in the Democratic primary in the deep-blue district. The primary is scheduled for June 4, and the filing deadline to run in the primary has already passed. Payne’s name is already on the ballots. The state’s mail-in voting began late last week.
Because there are fewer than 61 days before the primary, Payne is likely to be the party’s nominee. The New Jersey secretary of state would then declare a vacancy for the candidacy, which triggers a mechanism in state law that allows Democratic committee chairs of the counties in his district to select the Democratic nominee for the November general election.
That Democrat, if elected in November, would serve the full two-year term starting Jan. 3, 2025.
In an email to The Washington Post, Alicia D’Alessandro, a spokesman for the New Jersey Division of Elections, declined to comment on how the Democratic primary will unfold in the wake of Payne’s death.
“Out of respect for the late congressman, we aren’t commenting on process at this time,” she said, adding that the office expects to share more information in the coming days.
News of Payne’s death came at the same time as the official resignation of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.). This means the split in the narrowly divided House will be between 212 Democrats and 217 Republicans, giving Johnson a two-vote margin.
Azi Paybarah contributed to this report.
