Aug. 12 (UPI) — Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., an 87-year-old U.S. House member from New Jersey seeking re-election, is back in a hospital after being treated briefly at a rehabilitation facility.
On Sunday, he went to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Essex County in Livingston, N.J., four days after he was discharged from St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, officials said.
Pascrell was hospitalized for 24 days with a fever and needing “breathing assistance,” his staff said. No other details were released on his medical situation.
The Democrat has been a member of Congress since 1997 after he served as Paterson’s mayor in the 1990s and in the New Jersey Assembly for four terms starting in 1988.
If re-elected, he would become the oldest member of Congress. Retiring Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., is 52 days older, also at 87.
The 2022 election in the 9th District in northern New Jersey was his closest race when he defeated Republican Billy Prempeh, a network engineer, by about 17,000 voters, which was 55% of those cast. Prempeh, who had 43%, is again his opponent in November.
President Joe Biden won the district by 19 percentage points.
Pascrell’s name will remain on the ballot if he doesn’t drop out by Aug. 27. County party leaders would be able to pick a new nominee by Aug. 29.
The current makeup of the U.S. Congress is 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats after Democrats Donald Payne of New Jersey and Sheila Jackson of Texas died this year. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, resigned in April.