The Democrat serving out the remainder of the late New Jersey Democratic Rep. Donald Payne Jr.’s term was sworn in on Monday evening, narrowing Speaker Mike Johnson‘s (R-LA) majority with nearly 40 days until the 2024 election.
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) became the newest Democratic member of the House after she won the special election to succeed Payne and represent New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. Payne died in April at age 65 after suffering a cardiac episode, leaving the seat vacant for the first time since he entered Congress in 2012.
“Tonight, I walk in the footsteps of those who have came before me,” McIver said in her first floor speech. “The city of Newark, my lifelong home, has produced fierce, unyielding leaders who have dedicated their life and careers to the pursuit of justice.”
