U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. said that he had registered a positive test for COVID-19 a week after he announced plans to run for re-election in the June Democratic primary.
“Today I tested positive for COVID,” said Pascrell, in a statement issued. “I am fully vaccinated and boostered. Blessedly my symptoms are mild. I am working from home and will closely monitor my health.”
“Omicron spreads like wildfire and is no joke. If you haven’t yet get off your butt and get vaccinated and get boostered: these shots are the only reason my case is luckily mild,” said Pascrell. “Don’t worry about me: get your shots!”
The 84-year-old Pascrell is Congress’ latest breakthrough COVID-19 case, with at least 93 had tested positive for the virus.
Luke Letlow, the representative-elect from Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District died from complications related to COVID-19 about one year ago, before he was sworn into office. David Valadao was elected to represent California when he announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus only a few weeks before his swearing in.
Senator Cory Booker and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman are the only other members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation to have reported having COVID-19.
Other representatives who have contracted the virus are Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Don Young, Raul Grijalva, Salud Carbajal, Raul Ruiz, Ken Calvert, Lou Correa, Michelle Steel, Doug Lamborn, Ed Perlmutter, Joe Courtney, Jahana Hayes, Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Neal Dunn, Mario Diaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar, Michael Waltz, Darren Soto, Barry Loudermilk, Rick Allen, Drew Ferguson, Austin Scott, Brad Schneider, Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, Cheri Bustos, Jacob LaTurner, Brett Guthrie, Cedric Richmond, Clay Higgins, Lori Trahan, Stephen Lynch, Bill Huizenga, Tim Walberg, Susie Lee, Adriano Espaillat, Joseph Morelle, Ted Budd, Virginia Foxx, Tim Ryan, Bob Latta, Scott Perry, Mike Kelly, Michael Doyle, Dan Meuser, Jenniffer González-Colón, Joe Cunningham, Joe Wilson, Ralph Norman, Tom Rice, Charles Fleischmann, Louie Gohmert, Kay Granger, Troy Nehls, Ronald Wright, Kevin Brady, Ben McAdams, Morgan Griffith, Rick Larsen, Dan Newhouse, Pramila Jayapal, Bryan Steil, Gwen Moore, and Glenn Thompson.
Senators who have had it include John Hickenlooper, Rick Scott, Chuck Grassley, Bill Cassidy, Angus King, Roger Wicker, Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, Elizabeth Warren, Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee, and Ron Johnson. Scott, Grassley, Cassidy, Wicker, Tillis, Paul, Graham, Lee, and Johnson sre Republicans while Booker, Hickenlooper and Warren are Democrats. King is an independent.
Pascrell is serving his 13th term in Congress since first being elected in 1996 and last week announced his intention to run for re-election in 2022.
Pascrell said he will seek re-election in next year’s June primary, proclaiming that “the challenges of our time are titanic and demand fearless leadership.”
After spending $300,000 of her own money on the race, Zinovia Spezakis earned about 17% of the vote in a challenge to Pascrell last year and said in court documents that she plans to run again in 2022, but Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes is the only candidate registered with the Federal Election Commission besides Pascrell.
Wildes’ federal campaign account had $860,903.76 in cash on hand and the incumbent was sitting on $1,613,124.42 as of September 30, 2021.
“While I know intimately our Passaic, Bergen and Hudson County communities, I will work assiduously to meet all our new neighbors and learn the needs, hopes, and dreams of our new cities and towns. They will have a tireless champion of their interests in Bill Pascrell,” said the Democratic lawmaker after the latest redistricting maps were made public.
“I was in the House chamber on January 6, 2021,” said Pascrell. “The broken glass cracked under my shoes as I went to ratify the Electoral College for President Biden. This is not exaggeration: the threat to our democracy today is greater than at any moment since 1860. You can either retreat or join the fight. I never retreat. I am staying to fight.”