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CHC Roundup: Rep. Nellie Pou (NJ-09) - Living on the Electoral Edge [1]
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Date: 2025-09-13
I follow elections religiously. Most elections are highly predictable and not worth watching. However, there is at least one election per cycle that comes out of left field and surprises me. In 2024, no one thought Rep. Nellie Pou was in any danger. No money was spent on the race by the big national organizations. Her opponent was repeat challenger Billy Prempeh — who had been smoked by deceased Rep. Bill Pascrell in 2022. Yet, this happened...
Pou, 68, a state senator, jumped into the race after Rep. Bill Pascrell died Aug. 21 following a prolonged hospital stay. She was selected to replace him on the ballot in the 9th Congressional District at a special convention one week later. Pou won with 50.6% of the vote, or 123,772 ballots, while 112,936 votes (about 46%) went to Republican Billy Prempeh, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, with 95% of the vote in.
All of this happened while the district went from a 20-point Biden win in 2020 to a 1-point Trump win in 2024. This is one of the most unexpected and fiercest swings in voting patterns in the country. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Rep. Nellie Pou is increasingly under fire from both the right and the left.
Rep. Nellie Pou, a Democrat who won her first election to Congress in 2024 even as her district swung to the right, is facing increasing attacks from progressives and Republicans as she gears up for her first reelection fight next year. Republicans believe Pou, who succeeded Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. after Pascrell died last August, is the most vulnerable House Democrat in New Jersey, and have targeted her over her votes against GOP spending bills and for her opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Progressive activists, meanwhile, are criticizing her for joining other Congress members on a recent trip to Israel paid for by a pro-Israel lobbying group. Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, noted that incumbents are easiest to topple during their first reelection campaigns, and Republicans have a slim majority in the House of Representatives that they want to retain after next year’s midterm elections. Rasmussen added that Pou’s vulnerability was exposed last November when she won her election by a relatively small margin. Pou defeated Republican Billy Prempeh by five points. The last time Pascrell sought reelection in a presidential election year, he defeated Prempeh by 34 points.
New Jersey needs an organizational kick in the ass, and Rep. Nellie Pou’s future may depend upon whether New Jersey Democrats have sufficiently been alarmed by the closer than normal Presidential result in 2024.
Murphy said regardless of the closeness of the race, New Jersey is still blue. "This year, there is no doubt the margins in our state were far tighter," Murphy said. "Illinois, New York, Maryland, ourselves, California all came in somewhere between 10 and 12 points relative to the performance in 2020." The governor told reporters New Jersey is still a blue state, even though Vice President Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump by only five points. "I don't think we're in swing territory, but a mistake you could make right now is to put your feet up and think this is just an aberration, and we're not going to do that," Murphy said. Pou said she hears what voters are saying. "I will go to Washington and deliver their message and make sure their voices are heard," she said. Democrats said they need to work on their messaging to voters, especially when it comes to the economy.
Rep. Nellie Pou is a New Face in Congress. What have been her priorities in her short tenure? How is she making sure that she ingratiates herself to her constituents? All of those questions and more will be answered below the fold.
Personal History
Rep. Nellie Pou has followed in the footsteps of former Rep. Bill Pascrell several times.
Rep. Nellie Pou was born on May 20, 1956 in Paterson, New Jersey. I could find very little about the personal history of Rep. Nellie Pou before she became a public figure. I know that she is Puerto Rican by heritage. Her campaign website explains her early life before going to college.
Nellie was born and raised in a welcoming blue collar family in Paterson. Nellie’s father was a worker for the City of Paterson, and her mother was a homemaker and the rock of the family who always set an extra seat at the table for family and guests. While her parents worked hard to make ends meet, they instilled in Nellie and her siblings a strong work ethic and a commitment to community and public service that guides her to this day.
Pou spent much of her career working for the city of Paterson in various roles such as business administrator, director of human services, and CETA training and education coordinator. In 2019, she became the project coordinator for the Paterson Parking Authority. Pou also spent time on the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, The Passaic/Bergen County HIV Health Services Advisory Council, and was coordinator of the Passaic County Youth Program. All in all, already a solid resume.
Rep. Nellie Pou was appointed to the New Jersey General Assembly seat held by former Rep. Bill Pascrell in 1997. Pascrell was elected to Congress leaving the seat vacant. She quickly rose to Assistant Minority Leader in 2000 and Deputy Speaker in 2002. She left leadership to sit on the influential Appropriations Committee as the chair in 2006. Rep. Nellie Pou decided to run for the New Jersey State Senate in 2011 instead of staying in the General Assembly. She cruised to easy elections in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021, and 2023. She left the State Senate when elected to Congress.
Issue Positions and Work in Congress
Rep. Nellie Pou has kept a low profile in DC, hoping that being inoffensive will lead to victory.
Rep. Nellie Pou has a DW Nominate score of -0.345, which places her near the median of the House Democratic caucus. She is to the left of 69% of the entire House while being more moderate than 61% of her Democratic colleagues. Progressive Punch gives her a 91% “A-” score for her brief voting record which is fairly good for someone who sits in a district Trump won. Here’s to hoping that she can continue to be a more loyal Democratic member of Congress!
It would be nothing short of amazing if Rep. Nellie Pou had authored a piece of legislation that became law in the nine short months that she has been in DC. As a reminder, she is in the minority in the chamber and it is a tough sell to get her bills even considered. Pou is the primary sponsor of 3 proposed bills and has co-sponsored an additional 87 proposed bills. She’s not as prolific as others but that’s still a solid record.
Rep. Nellie Pou sits on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Both committees rarely make the news so she isn’t as prominent as many others in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Pou has joined both the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition upon joining Congress. Both speak to her nature as someone in the middle of the caucus and willing to straddle both wings of the party.
Pou has already delivered for the Paterson area. She saved the main government building from liquidation by “DOGE” and its puppet the GSA.
Pou already has at least one major save on her resume. While reviewing information for a subcommittee meeting, she noticed that the Robert A. Roe Federal Building in Paterson was on a list to be eliminated or sold. She immediately knew to question the General Services Administration representative testifying at the meeting about the building's inclusion on the list. Pou, the Silk City native, knew that less than a year ago the building was selected to enter into a contract for renovations. After that hearing, the building was removed from the list. Pou said she saw that instance as an “opportunity to be there at the forefront fighting to making sure that this administration doesn't do things that would hurt us.”
How is she adjusting to life in Washington, DC? Rep. Rob Menendez (NJ-08) has been helpful but the most help has been her previous experience as a legislator.
The freshman representative sees not just being in Washington but being the first Latina ever to represent New Jersey in Congress as not just a “big deal” but a “huge responsibility” that she takes seriously. Her first bill, a bipartisan effort to mandate that the secretary of homeland security work toward ensuring that all basic training programs in the department are accredited by providing regular reports to Congress, cleared committee earlier this month. Pou’s district in the Legislature included six towns and about 237,000 people. She now represents 35 towns and about 770,000 people. She sits on two House committees, Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure, and serves on four subcommittees, Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Aviation, Highways and Transit, and Water Resources and Environment. And though she has had experience as a lawmaker, it’s no secret that things in Washington, D.C., are a bit chaotic at the moment. “Everything is just a little crazy these days," Pou said. "There's something happening every single day, and sadly a lot of what's happening is really difficult for the people of not only my district but throughout the country."
Rep. Nellie Pou isn’t in Congress to seek notoriety. In fact, seeking to be well-known may be a detriment to her re-election chances in the future!
Congressional Chronicle: Week of September 8, 2025
The latest on Capitol Hill when it comes to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Monday, September 8
x By a vote 50-43, the #Senate confirmed Edward L. Artau to be US District Judge for the Southern District of Florida. It was a party line vote with Senators Blunt Rochester, McCormick, Murkowski, Ossoff, Risch, Van Hollen, and Wyden not voting. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 8, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Tuesday, September 9
How embarrassing for House leadership…
x JUST NOW — House Republican leadership just suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Rules Committee.
The GOP leadership tried to block an amendment to the NDAA that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. This is a bipartisan amendment by @RepGregoryMeeks @chiproytx @RepSaraJacobs… — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 9, 2025
The House voted to pass the rules package for the week. H. Res 682 was passed (210/207/14) with most of the CHC voting NAY. Reps. Casar, Castro, and Correa did not vote.
x By a vote of 51-46, the Senate invoked cloture on the Law nomination. Republican Senators Budd and Murkowski voted against.
Senators Duckworth, Van Hollen, and Wyden did not vote. The Senate is in recess until 2:15 p.m. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
x By a vote of 49-46, the #Senate confirmed Robert Law to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans, Department of Homeland Security. The Senate is now voting on cloture on the nomination of Kyle Dudek to be a District Judge for the middle district of Florida. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 2:59 PM
x By a vote of 53-44, the #Senate invoked cloture on the nomination of Kyle Christopher Dudek to be US District Judge for the Middle District of Florida. Senator Welch voted in favor. Senators Johnson, Van Holle, and Wyden did not vote. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 3:42 PM
x By a vote of 53-45 the #Senate confirmed Kyle Christopher Dudek to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida. Senator Welch voted aye. Senators Hagerty and Van Hollen did not vote. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 6:14 PM
To explain the next Senate votes — basically the GOP is trying to change the rules to nuke Senate holds and confirm batches of Trump nominees at the same time. These votes set the stage for a Thursday vote to change the rules.
x By a vote of 53-46, the #Senate agreed to the Thune motion to table the Schumer point of order in relation to S.Res. 377. This was a party line vote. Not voting: Senator Van Hollen — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 6:47 PM
x By a vote of 53-45, the Senate moved to proceed to Executive Session for the consideration of S. Res. 377, en bloc nominations. Senators Peters and Van Hollen did not vote. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Wednesday, September 10
There were a bunch of votes today in the House on amendments. I’m not going to delve into each one. Just know they worked rapid-fire to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The House voted to pass H.R. 3838. The NDAA was passed (231/196/5) with much of the CHC voting NAY. Reps. Cuellar, Gonzalez and Gluesenkamp Perez voted AYE.
This amendment that would’ve released the Epstein files was tabled. Notice who crossed over and who protected the pedophiles.
x By a vote of 51-49, the #Senate agreed on the motion to table the Schumer amendment #3849 to S. 2296, FY2026 NDAA. GOP Senators Hawley and Paul voted against. This is the last vote of the evening. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Thursday, September 11
The House voted to pass H.R. 3486. The “Stop Illegal Entry Act” would increase penalties for entering the nation as an undocumented immigrant and then committing a felony. The bill was passed (226/197/9) with much of the CHC voting NAY. Reps. Cuellar, Gonzalez, Gluesenkamp Perez, and Vasquez voted AYE.
The House is adjourned until Monday, September 15.
The fucking up of the Senate rules was on the agenda for today. First, the vote needed to fail, and then be reconsidered, and then the chair needed to be overruled. Now executive branch nominees can be confirmed in batches without invoking a 60-vote cloture.
x By a vote of 52-47, the Senate did not agree to invoke cloture on S. Res. 377. Senator Hassan did not vote. ML Thune voted no and made a motion to reconsider. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
x By a vote of 51-45, the #Senate agreed to the motion to reconsider the cloture vote of S. Res. 377, resolution authorizing the en bloc consideration in Executive Session of certain nominations of the Executive Calendar. The vote was party line. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 4:47 PM
x By a vote of 45-53, the decision of the Chair stand as the judgement of the Senate in relation to the cloture threshold in relation to S.Res.377. is not sustained. Party line vote; Senators Fetterman and Hassan did not vote. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 5:13 PM
x By a vote of 53-43 the #Senate invoked cloture on S.Res. 377, upon reconsideration. This was a party line vote. Not voting: Senators Fetterman, Hassan, Kelly, and Peters. — Senate Press Gallery (@senatepress.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 5:36 PM
The Senate is adjourned until Monday, September 15.
Rep. Nellie Pou has maintained her low profile demeanor in the halls of Congress. Considering the fact that she sits in a district Donald Trump won in 2024, she has been a loyal Democratic vote on most issues. Only time will tell if the 2024 election results in this area of New Jersey were a fluke or a sign of what is to come. For her sake, Pou understands that she cannot coast to re-election any longer and has acted like an incumbent in peril.
The CHC Roundup is a diary series meant to highlight the contributions of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to the Democratic Party. These 43 members of Congress range from members of the Squad to the most conservative members of the party. The series will run every Saturday morning, at 8:00AM.
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