BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – LaMonica McIver, of Newark, and Carmen Bucco, of Nutley – no matter what July 16 election night results one reads – won their respective Democratic and Republican nominations to fill out the late Donald M. Payne, Jr.’s Congressional District No. 10 seat.
A majority of participating registered Democratic party CD 10 voters, with 98 percent of polling districts reporting Tuesday night, granted McIver a landslide primary victory. The Newark Municipal Council Central Ward Councilwoman and Council President, according to the Associated Press at 10:48 p.m. bested 10 other candidates among CD10’s nine Essex County and eight Union County municipalities whole or in part and “Central Jersey City” in Hudson County.
McIver mustered 11,563 votes among the 18 CD10 towns for 47.3 percent of the overall vote. with 93 percent of the polling station districts reporting. The AP had McIver win 55 percent of the Essex County vote and 41 percent in Union County but got only 24 percent in Hudson County.
Bucco, a clothier and orphan charity founder, ran unopposed in CD10’s all three counties to win the Republican primary.
McIver and Bucco are to face each other in the Sept. 18 special general election to finish Payne’s current unexpired term. Payne (D-Newark) was in his seventh U.S. House of Representatives term when he died of a heart attack, complicated by diabetes, here April 24. Payne was also preparing to run for an eighth term in June 4’s regular party primary and in Nov. 5’s General Election.
The primary victors, on the surface, seemed to have somewhat straightforward campaigns. Bucco loyalists and party-affiliated voters helped him get the Republican Party Organization’s support for the Sept. 18 special general election.
McIver got the endorsement and campaign machinery from the Essex County Democratic Committee. Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, however, got the personal endorsement of Union County Democratic Committee President and State Senate President Nicholas Scutari, of Linden. The Hudson County Democratic Committee opted not to endorse any candidate and sat out the primary.
That and “Which candidate are you most familiar with?” may have led to the runner-up finish variances between the AP results and results posted on Essexclerk.com. Armstead placed second in their aggregate results at 3,375 votes or 13.8 percent. Hudson County Commissioner Derek Walker placed third overall, taking Central Jersey City, for 2,354 votes or 9.6 percent.
The current CD10’s 18 towns were grouped together by 2021-22 redistricting. That redrawing was in the wake of demographic shifts found among those municipalities by the 2020 U.S. Census.
Herewith are the results as posted on essexclerk.com by 9:45 p.m. Tuesday covers only CD 10’s nine Essex County municipalities: Newark except the East and North Wards (-they are in CD8-), Montclair’s Fourth Ward (the other wards are in CD11), Irvington, East Orange, Orange, West Orange, Caldwell, Essex Fells and Verona.
The following figures remain unofficial until July 31 to allow for Vote By Mail Ballots postmarked no later than 8 p.m. July 16 to reach Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin’s Election Division Office here. The fortnight before Durkin’s certification allows for any challenges and recounts.
(Any significant variances among the tri-county and overall figures will be noted. The 14-day procedure is the same for Durkin’s colleagues in Jersey City and Elizabeth.)
Republican Primary
CARMEN BUCCO won all 670 votes that were cast for him. The county clerk had not posted any write-in vote challenges – if any were made.
Democratic Primary
LAMONICA MCIVER was the night’s top vote-getter, receiving 7,972 votes or 55.49 percent of the vote. No other candidate broke out of single-digit percentages.
The “Best of the Rest” standing went to DARRYL GODFREY, of South Orange. The Invest Newark Executive Vice President here garnered 1,106 votes for 7.70 percent. He was the only other candidate who drew more than 1,000 votes.
DEREK ARMSTEAD, of Linden, ranked third here, amassing 979 votes for 6.81 percent. The former Linden Fourth Ward Councilman placed second overall by receive 33 percent of the Union County vote against McIver’s 41 percent.
SHANA MELIUS, Payne’s press assistant from Newark, came fourth with 930 for 6.47.
BRITTANY D. CLAYBROOKS finished fifth, carrying 912 or 6.35. The former East Orange Second Ward Councilwoman is the campaign manager for Cong. Andy Kim, of Bordentown, in his Nov. 5 bid to become U.S. Senator.
Newark native, professional teacher and parent advocate SHEILA MONTAGUE was placed sixth, mustering 703 or 4.89.
JERRY WALKER, of Jersey City, was seventh at 530 votes for 3.69 percent of the Essex County vote. While the former basketball player won the Central Jersey City / Hudson County vote at 46 percent, 3.69 percent here and four percent of Union County’s votes left him third overall behind McIver and Armstead.
Former Newark Housing Authority Community Engagement Manager and South Ward Concerned Parents founder ALBERTA GORDON garnered 479 or 3.33 here.
Newark law professor EUGENE D. MAZO, who claimed he had the support of the Hudson County Democratic Corporation and the “Normal Democratic Organization of Union County,” placed eighth with 324 or 2.26.
Jersey City teacher and political science graduate JOHN J. FLORA, finished with 270 or 1.88.
Newark native, education advocate and certified OSHA trainer DEBRA L. SALTERS rounded out the balloted field with 162 or 1.13.
Bucco and McIver may be jousting for Payne’s intended new full term in the Nov. 5 General Election. Bucco had acquired enough petition signatures to get on the June 4 regular primary ballot – which he won – and the Nov. 5 ballot.
The three counties’ Democratic committee have until Aug. 29 to replace Payne’s name on the Nov. 5 ballot with McIver – or someone else they can agree on. Payne’s name could not be removed in time from the June 4 regular primary ballot – which voters approved in a posthumous Payne victory lap.
