Nellie Pou's learning curve

PATERSON, New Jersey — The 9th Congressional District caught the political world by surprise last year following a 20-point swing toward President Trump at the top of the ticket.

Coming in what has long been a Democratic stronghold nestled in the western New York City suburbs, the sharp veer toward the GOP was indicative of other Democratic losses across the country.

Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou notched a 5-point win last year despite Trump carrying the district by roughly a point. Pou, something of an accidental candidate, was thrust into the seat following Rep. Bill Pascrell’s death after the primary last year. She then defeated perennial candidate Billy Prempeh, who lacked necessary resources to flip the seat in an otherwise favorable Republican environment.

But with an ever-shrinking House battlefield, Republican strategists say with the right resources and candidate—coupled with foibles from Pou—they could put this district in play.

“Democrats have left this district behind for decades, and all Nellie Pou has done in Congress is pick up that mantle,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement to National Journal. “Pou has voted to raise her own constituents’ taxes, push radical gender ideology on their kids, and let dangerous criminals roam their streets.”

For her part Pou, now a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Frontline” list of most vulnerable members, is working to reintroduce herself to her constituency.

The congresswoman spent the August recess touring her district and attending more than 20 local events and cultural festivities. She closed out the recess on Sunday by serving as a grand marshal at the Haledon Labor Day parade and championing her support for labor unions.

“I wish I had more time off. My office isn’t giving such opportunities, but it’s been good,” Pou told National Journal. “I’ve been doing a lot of meetings. I’ve been able to go around my district. I’ve had a number of different opportunities to meet with a number of people in each of our towns.”

Pou had attended and marched in many of these events over her nearly three-decade state legislative career, but this was her first time appearing as a member of Congress. Nowhere was Pou—who is Puerto Rican—more celebrated than during a Dominican flag-raising ceremony in Paterson on Saturday, attending as her state’s first Latina congresswoman.

The congresswoman wasn’t without challenges during her monthlong recess. Earlier in the month, a 140-year-old water main broke in the district while Pou was attending a trip to Israel hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. A quarter of her constituents were left without water for days.

Paterson Mayor André Sayegh, who isn’t ruling out a primary challenge against Pou, seized on her absence. Sayegh, along with several mayors, sent an Aug. 13 email to Pou’s congressional office, criticizing her for “lack of involvement and perceived lack of care” amid the water crisis. Sayegh’s wife, Farhanna, criticized Pou for her Israel trip on Facebook, urging her followers to “flood” Pou’s office with phone calls.

Pou’s trip abroad came as the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel’s war exposes deep divisions within the Democratic Party. The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and its partner organizations hosted a press conference outside the congresswoman’s Paterson office on Aug. 21, highlighting the district’s Palestinian American population. Anti-war demonstrators were also present at the Sunday parade in Haledon.

Shashi Dharmapuri, a Clifton resident who attended the Sunday parade alongside New Jersey Peace Action, held a sign reading: “NELLIE POU: SAY ‘NO!’ TO AIPAC.” She told National Journal that she voted for Pou in 2024, but was “disappointed” in Pou’s trip to Israel.

Pou sent an Aug. 14 response to the mayors defending her handling of the water crisis, adding that she was in contact with members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which she sits on. On Friday, Pou introduced the Water Crisis Prevention Act, a bill that would require the U.S. comptroller general to review disasters caused by water infrastructure failures. The bill passed through committee on Wednesday.

Prempeh, who ran for the House in 2020, 2022, and 2024, may have some name recognition in the district, but he entered July saddled with debt from his previous campaign.

Clifton City Councilwoman Rosie Pino launched a campaign this summer, but it’s not yet clear if she has the fundraising chops to compete. And the lack of a deep GOP bench in New Jersey makes recruiting more challenging than in other states across the country.

Still, Republicans insist the freshman isn’t ready for primetime—and can be defeated.

“She’s not anything like Bill Pascrell,” Prempeh told National Journal. “I personally don’t believe she has what it takes to represent us in Washington, D.C., nor does she know what she’s doing.”

In what’s likely to be a more favorable year for their party, Democrats don’t ultimately think they’ll have to worry too much about the seat. But they say they won’t get caught sleeping, as nearly happened with last year’s closer-than-expected contest, so long as Pou maintains visibility in the district.

“Republicans have failed to recruit a single credible candidate into the race, because even they know they won’t be able to take down a battle-tested champion for Jersey families like Nellie,” DCCC spokesperson Eli Cousin told National Journal in a statement.

Both parties are more preoccupied with the governor’s race in November, waiting to see if it serves as a bellwether for whether the House race will be competitive next year. If Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill wins the gubernatorial election and carries the 9th District this fall, Democrats could feel more confident about Pou’s prospects.

North Haledon Mayor Randy George, a Republican, told National Journal he views Pino and Prempeh as “quality people,” but when asked if he thought it’d be easy for a Republican to challenge Pou, he curtly responded: “No.”

“I think the residents in my town, they can vote for the person instead of the party,” George said.