Topline
Six-term Democratic New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne died Wednesday at the age of 65, after suffering a cardiac episode earlier this month, an episode reportedly leaving Payne unconscious for more than two weeks.
Key Facts
Payne, who had been on the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, passed away Wednesday morning, according to a statement from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and a New Jersey Globe report.
Murphy remembered Payne, a former toll collector and union worker as a colleague who “deeply understood the struggles our working families face” who “fought valiantly to serve their needs, every single day.”
Payne, who was running unopposed in his primary reelection bid, was first elected to the House in 2012, succeeding his late father, Donald M. Payne, the first Black congressional member from New Jersey.
The younger Payne served New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District, covering Newark and its suburbs, including parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
He also chaired the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, and led the charge on a $900 million appropriation in 2017 for the Gateway Project, a major infrastructure repair initiative between New York and New Jersey.
Key Background
Payne suffered a cardiac episode stemming from complications from diabetes on April 6, according to a statement from his office. As of April 17, Payne’s office said the representative remained “in stable condition” and “under doctor’s care,” though the New Jersey Globe reported Payne had been on a ventilator and unconscious at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center since his cardiac episode. In recent years, the New Jersey Democrat has suffered from multiple health problems, including high blood pressure and kidney issues, the Globe reported.
Surprising Fact
Payne’s death also boosts Republicans’ narrow majority in the House, which the GOP controls with 217 members, over 212 representatives who caucus as Democrats—down from Republicans’ 222-213 lead after the 2022 midterm election. Republicans’ lead in the House has become increasingly tenuous in recent months following the departure of several Republicans, including Colorado Rep. Ken Buck., a Trump critic who resigned last month, as well as Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, who resigned last week. Those resignations come just months after convicted former New York Rep. George Santos was removed from the House, and after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stepped down following his ouster from the speakership last fall.
Tangent
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., offered his condolences after Payne’s death, saying his “prayers are offered today for his family and friends, and especially his wife, [Beatrice], and their three children.” Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Payne a “good friend, highly effective public servant and compassionate leader.” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.Y, said in a statement she “loved [Payne] like a brother” and “will forever cherish the 10 years [she] had the honor of working alongside him.”
