IN MEMORIAM: New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne Jr. Dies at 65

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “With his signature bowtie, big heart, and tenacious spirit, Donald embodied the very best of public service,” Murphy wrote in a statement on Wednesday. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, expressed their condolences and offered prayers to Payne’s family and friends. Jeffries described him as a “highly effective public servant and compassionate leader.” By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, has died at the age of 65, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. Payne had been hospitalized since early April after suffering “a cardiac episode based on complications from his diabetes,” according to a statement released last week by his office. The statement further noted that Payne was receiving treatment at a local hospital. According to the& New Jersey Globe, Payne was unconscious and on a ventilator after suffering a heart attack on April 6. “With his signature bowtie, big heart, and tenacious spirit, Donald embodied the very best of public service,” Murphy wrote in a statement on Wednesday. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, expressed their...