Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell dies at the age of 87
Top line
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., the second-oldest member of the House, died Wednesday at age 87 after being recently hospitalized for a respiratory infection and fever, his family said.
The longtime lawmaker was the second-longest-serving member of the House of Representatives.
Key data
According to his family, Pascrell died on Wednesday morning. He said he “fought until his last breath to return to the job he loved so much and to the people he loved.”
The New Jersey lawmaker was reportedly hospitalized earlier this month, days after Pascrell was released following a several-week hospital stay for a respiratory infection and fever that left him on a ventilator.
Pascrell, who was first elected to Congress in 1996, was the second-oldest member of the House of Representatives after 87-year-old Representative Grace Napolitano (D-California).
Republicans hold a 220-211 majority in the House of Representatives, with four seats vacant following the resignation of Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and the deaths of Reps. Donald Payne of New Jersey and Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas earlier this year.
Get text alerts for breaking Forbes news: We’re launching SMS alerts to keep you informed of the day’s top headlines. Send alerts to (201) 335-0739 or sign up Here.
What you should pay attention to
The deadline for Democrats to nominate a successor to Pascrell in the November election is August 29. His successor will be Republican Billy Prempeh, whom Pascrell defeated by 12 points in 2022 and who now represents New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District.
Important background
A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Pascrell was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1988 after serving on the state’s Board of Education. He was then elected mayor of Paterson in 1990 before launching his congressional campaign in 1996. Pascrell, a graduate of Fordham University and a former member of the U.S. Army, was elected to his 14th term in the House in 2022, two years after undergoing heart surgery to unclog clogged arteries. During his tenure, Pascrell supported environmental protection efforts – including co-signing the Green New Deal – and the Affordable Care Act. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee in 2020, Pascrell criticized former President Donald Trump as “subhuman” and called on him to disclose his tax returns.
More information
Bill Pascrell
