Newark City Council President Donald Payne Jr. won his late father's seat in Congress today in not one but two elections — one to finish his father's term, and one for the next two years.
Payne, 53, ran unopposed to fill his father's seat in the 10th congressional district until the end of the year. In a separate election, he defeated Republican candidate Brian Keleman for the full term that starts in January. Donald Payne Sr. served in Congress for 23 years and died of colon cancer in March. He was 77.
There are 10 registered Democrats for every Republican in the 10th district, which runs through Essex, Hudson and Union counties. Democrats jockeyed briefly for the seat but eventually cleared the field to let Payne succeed his father.
Payne, also an Essex County freeholder, will be sworn in as soon as his special election victory is certified. But that could take days or weeks as state and county officials are facing a battery of logistical problems counting votes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
"With people being displaced and all the provisonals that have to be cast, it could be some time," Payne said today.
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