Primary challenger’s fundraising spurs NJ Rep. Payne to step up efforts

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Oakley said that Payne has benefited from New Jersey’s “machine” style of politics and that he has been inactive in the role so voters don’t know him. She is pushing issues like housing and the environment and says the district needs “somebody who is not just inheriting a seat and keeping it warm.”

“When I go door-to-door and when we’re canvassing, the No. 1 thing I hear, before I even get to talk about policy, is that people are ready for a change here in New Jersey, ”she said. “They use the phrase, ‘We’re ready for a new blood.'”

Oakley said she expected to post a six-figure fundraising number for the first quarter of this year when disclosures are filed at the end of this week. Through the end of 2021, she had raised $ 261,000 but had $ 103,000 in cash on hand, compared with the $ 400,000 Payne had in the bank. In the third quarter of last year, Oakley took in $ 124,000 to Payne’s $ 68,000.

Payne is backed by the county Democratic organizations in his district, which means he’ll get preferential ballot placement alongside other party-endorsed candidates, an advantage known as “the line” that makes primary challenges difficult in many parts of the state.

New Jersey’s governor and two senators have also made public endorsements, as did many House colleagues, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.

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