Bill Pascrell, fiery New Jersey Rep., dies at 87

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., the second-oldest member of the House who brought an in-your-face Jersey attitude to the chamber, died Wednesday at age 87.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning,” Pascrell’s family said in a statement posted on social media. “As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America.”

Pascrell had been hospitalized at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in his hometown of Paterson since July 14. His office said he checked himself in because of a fever but two weeks later said he had a “setback” and needed breathing assistance. He was discharged, but days later his health declined again and he checked into into Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.

It’s the second time this year a sitting New Jersey lawmaker has died in office. In April, Democratic Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died nearly three weeks after having a heart attack. The death of Pascrell also represents another loss of power and seniority for New Jersey in the Capitol after Sen. Bob Menendez, the once-influential chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was run out of the Senate after being found guilty of corruption.

The 14-term Pascrell was poised to become the oldest House member in 2025, after California Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano retired. He’d won a primary in June amid backlash to his pro-Israel stance in the Israel-Hamas war and was expected to defeat his Republican opponent in November.

Pascrell was a voluble presence at home in New Jersey or in Washington. Whether it was a press conference to restore a popular tax deduction or making the case to impeach former President Donald Trump, Pascrell could be counted on to deliver an enthusiastic — and usually lengthy — speech.

William James Pascrell Jr. was born on Jan. 25, 1937, and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the city founded by Alexander Hamilton that collapsed into poverty and violence with the end of industrialism. Pascrell, who grew up on the city’s south side, remained there for most of his life.

A baseball enthusiast who said he unsuccessfully tried out for the Phillies, Pascrell played on the Democrats’ congressional baseball team for years and later coached it. In a 2016 interview, he showed a reporter a photo of his youth baseball league and said he would “eat a little dirt before every game to try to scare the other team.” (In 2019, he selected an all-time New Jersey baseball team for the New Jersey Globe, featuring such notables as Yogi Berra, Larry Doby and Sparky Lyle.)

After graduating from Fordham University in 1961, he spent a year in the Army and another five in the Army Reserve. He was a public high school teacher and served as president of the Paterson Board of Education in the late 1970s and early 80s before getting elected to the state Assembly in 1988.

In 1990, while serving in the legislature, Pascrell was elected mayor of Paterson. He spent two terms leading the city before running for the House and defeating incumbent Republican Bill Martini in 1996.

Pascrell has cruised to reelection every two years since then, with few real challenges. He faced perhaps his biggest threat against incumbent Democrat Steve Rothman after redistricting in 2012. The longtime friends and House colleagues waged one of the country’s most contentious intraparty primaries at the time, with Pascrell accusing Rothman of being weak-kneed for challenging him instead of running against a Republican in his newly redrawn district and Rothman questioning Pascrell’s progressive credentials.

Pascrell won in a 22-point blowout.

He enjoyed strong support in the new 9th Congressional District, consisting mostly of towns in Bergen and Passaic counties — areas with significant Jewish and Muslim populations. But after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, Pascrell took intense heat from Arab Americans over his steadfast support of Israel.

Mohamed T. Khairullah, New Jersey’s longest-serving Muslim mayor, ran against Pascrell in the June primary because of his resistance to a cease-fire and support for military aid to Israel. Despite the backlash, Pascrell easily defeated Khairullah, capturing 76 percent of the vote, and was strongly favored to defeat Republican Billy Prempeh in the heavily Democratic district in November.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Pascrell spent years trying to obtain the tax returns of Donald Trump during his presidency. The former president was also a common punching bag for Pascrell, whose social media feed often skewered Trump’s policy record and served up regular reminders that he is a convicted felon. After Joe Biden defeated Trump in November 2020, Pascrell called for “the eventual prosecution” of Trump and “his enablers for their many crimes against the United States.”

One of Pascrell’s other high-profile causes in recent years was ticket prices. He pushed for more than a decade to regulate the live event ticket industry and bring down prices, but his legislation languished.

“A fan shouldn’t have to sell a kidney or mortgage a house to see their favorite performer or team. At long last, it is time to create rules for fair ticketing in this country and my legislation will do exactly that for all the fans,” Pascrell said.

Democrats have until Aug. 29 to select a replacement for Pascrell on the ballot. The decision will be made by Democratic committee members in the 9th District’s towns in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties.

Two high-profile Democrats had made moves to run for Pascrell’s seat in this election but ultimately opted not to: Paterson Mayor André Sayegh and Assemblymember Shavonda Sumter, a Democrat from Paterson. They are both considered potential candidates, along with Assemblymember Benjie Wimberly and others. It remains to be seen whether Bergen County Democrats, whose county has a large share in the district, will field a candidate.