New Jersey governor sets July primary and September special election to fill Payne’s House seat

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has set a July primary and a September general election to fill the Newark-based U.S. House seat that opened after Rep. Donald Payne Jr.’s recent death. Murphy signed a writ of election Friday as required under state law. The July 16 primary will be about a month after the state’s regularly scheduled June 4 contest. The general election will be Sept. 18. The special election will determine who serves out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends Jan. 3, 2025. It’s not yet clear who will be running in the heavily Democratic and majority-Black district.