New Jersey Democrat House Member Dead After Heart Attack
Earlier this month, Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) suffered a heart attack.
There have not been many updates since that until now.
On Wednesday, his office announced that Payne had died from that heart attack that left him in a coma.
He’s Gone
Payne, who was only 65, had a history of medical issues leading up to his heart attack.
According to his office, he had “experienced a physical accident at home on April 6” that required him to be hospitalized.
The statement continued, “During his treatment for this health issue, he faced medical complications due to diabetes and high blood pressure that led to subsequent cardiorespiratory arrest. Despite the dedicated efforts of the medical staff to treat him and improve his health, they were unable to prevent his passing unfortunately.”
Payne represented NJ-10, which is the Newark area.
Payne won a special election for the seat in 2012 after his father, the late Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), passed away.
He has been in that seat ever since.
Governor Phil Murphy expressed his condolences, stating, “With his signature bowtie, big heart, and tenacious spirit, Donald embodied the very best of public service.
“It was my great honor to work side-by-side with Donald to build a stronger and fairer New Jersey, and we will hold his memory close to our hearts as we build upon the Payne family’s deep legacy of service in advocating for the communities they served so dearly.”
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) also had kind words for Payne, stating, “His passing is an unimaginable loss for his loved ones, and devastating news to all members of our Committee.
“His legacy will be one of a tireless commitment to public service and fierce advocacy for his constituents for over a decade in Congress.”
Payne was running unopposed in his primary election, which is June 4, so he will need to be replaced on the ticket.
And don’t get any ideas about that seat being flipped, as NJ-10 is about as blue as it gets.
