New Jersey has never sent a woman to the U.S. Senate.
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served |
|---|---|---|
| Mikie Sherrill | D | 2019-present |
| Bonnie Watson Coleman | D | 2015-present |
| Marge Roukema | R | 1981-2002 |
| Millicent Fenwick | R | 1975-1982 |
| Helen S. Meyner | D | 1975-1978 |
| Florence P. Dwyer | R | 1967-1972 |
| Florence P. Dwyer | R | 1957-1966 |
| Mary Teresa Norton | D | 1925-1950 |
Tahesha Way In 2018, Sheila Oliver (D) took office as New Jersey's second lieutenant governor. She was the first woman of color and the first Black woman elected to statewide office in NJ and served until 2023. In New Jersey, the governor and lieutenant governor, elected together, are the only statewide elected officials. Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey’s first (and to date, only) woman governor, served from 1994-2001.
Number includes the women currently serving in Governor Phil Murphy's cabinet.
| Name | Position | Year(s) Active |
|---|---|---|
| Tahesha Way | Secretary of State | 2/9/18-present |
| Elizabeth Muoio | State Treasurer | 4/13/18-present |
| Christine Norbut Beyer | Commissioner of Children and Families | 6/20/18-present |
| Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti | Transportation Commissioner | 6/20/18-present |
| Marlene Caride | Banking & Insurance Commissioner | 6/26/18-present |
| Beth Noveck | Chief Innovation Officer | 8/13/18-present |
| Judith Persichilli | Health Commissioner | 8/5/19-present |
| Lisa J. Hou | Adjutant General | 10/16/20-present |
| Angelica Allen-McMillan | Acting Education Commissioner | 10/20/20-present |
| Sarah Adelman | Acting Human Services Commissioner | 1/16/21-present |
| Laurie Doran | Director of Homeland Security | 6/4/21-present |
| Victoria Kuhn | Acting Corrections Commissioner | 6/8/21-present |
| Latrecia "Trish" Littles-Floyd | Motor Vehicle Commission Chair | 7/2/2022-present |
| Allison Chris Myers | Civil Service Commission Chair | 1/1/2023-present |
| Jacquelyn Suárez | Acting Community Affairs Commissioner | 9/18/2023-present |
| Carole Johnson | Human Service Commissioner | 4/3/18-1/15/21 |
| Zakiya Smith Ellis | Higher Education Secretary | 6/17/18-7/5/20 |
| Catherine McCabe | Environmental Protection Commissioner | 6/19/18-1/15/21 |
| Deirdre Webster Cobb | Civil Service Commission Chair | 4/13/18-12/31/2022 |
| Sue Fulton | Motor Vehicle Commission Chair | 4/19/18-7/1/2022 |
| Sheila Oliver | Community Affairs Commissioner | 1/17/18-8/1/2023 |
New Jersey ranks 21st among the 50 states in the proportion of women serving in its legislature. Women of color make up 54.8% of all women in the New Jersey legislature: 63.6% of women in the Senate and 51.6% of women in the Assembly.
| Name | Party | Position | Race/Ethnicity | Dates Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renee C. Burgess | D | State Senator | Black | 2022-present |
| Linda Carter | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| Annette Chaparro | D | State Representative | Latina | 2016-present |
| Kristin Corrado | R | State Senator | White | 2017-present |
| Nilsa Cruz-Perez | D | State Senator | Latina | 2014-present |
| Sandra B. Cunningham | D | State Senator | Black | 2007-present |
| DeAnne DeFuccio | R | State Representative | White | 2021-present |
| Aura K. Dunn | R | State Representative | White | 2019-present |
| Kimberly Eulner | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Vicky Flynn | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Nia H. Gill | D | State Senator | Black | 2002-present |
| DiAnne C. Gove | R | State Representative | White | 2009-present |
| Linda R. Greenstein | D | State Senator | White | 2010-present |
| Shama A. Haider | D | State Representative | Asian American/Pacific Islander | 2022-present |
| Sadaf Jaffer | D | State Representative | Asian American/Pacific Islander | 2022-present |
| Mila M. Jasey | D | State Representative | Black | 2007-present |
| Angelica M. Jimenez | D | State Representative | Latina | 2012-present |
| Pamela R. Lampitt | D | State Representative | White | 2006-present |
| Yvonne Lopez | D | State Representative | Latina | 2018-present |
| Michelle Matsikoudis | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Bethanne McCarthy Patrick | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Angela V. McKnight | D | State Representative | Black | 2016-present |
| Gabriela M. Mosquera | D | State Representative | Latina | 2012-present |
| Nancy F. Munoz | R | State Representative | White | 2009-present |
| Carol Murphy | D | State Representative | White | 2018-present |
| Ellen Park | D | State Representative | Asian American/Pacific Islander | 2022-present |
| Eliana Pintor Marin | D | State Representative | White | 2013-present |
| Marilyn J. Piperno | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Nellie Pou | D | State Senator | Latina | 2012-present |
| Annette Quijano | D | State Representative | Latina | 2008-present |
| Verlina Reynolds-Jackson | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| M. Teresa Ruiz | D | State Senator | Latina | 2008-present |
| Beth Sawyer | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Holly T. Schepisi | R | State Senator | White | 2021-present |
| Shanique Speight | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| Jean Stanfield | R | State Senator | White | 2022-present |
| Shavonda E. Sumter | D | State Representative | Black | 2012-present |
| Lisa Swain | D | State Representative | White | 2018-present |
| Claire Swift | R | State Representative | White | 2022-present |
| Britnee Timberlake | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| Cleopatra G. Tucker | D | State Representative | Black | 2008-present |
| Shirley K. Turner | D | State Senator | Black | 1998-present |
| Jacqueline S. Yustein | D | State Representative | White | 2023-present |
Sheila Y. Oliver (D), served as speaker of the Assembly from 2011-2013. Oliver is only the second Black woman in the nation to serve as a speaker of a lower house. One woman previously served as speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. Marion West Higgins (R) became speaker in 1965, only the third woman in the nation to be speaker of a state house. She served as acting governor on occasion when Governor Richard Hughes traveled out of state.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) | Majority Leader |
| Sandra B. Cunningham (D-31) | President Pro Tempore |
| Linda R. Greenstein (D-14) | Assistant Majority Leader |
| Nellie Pou (D-35) | Majority Caucus Chair |
| Kristin Corrado (R-40) | Republican Conference Leader |
| Holly T. Schepisi (R-39) | Deputy Republican Conference Leader |
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Annette Quijano (D-20) | Majority Conference Leader |
| Pamela R. Lampitt (D-6) | Deputy Speaker |
| Mila M. Jasey (D-27) | Deputy Speaker |
| Angelica M. Jimenez (D-32) | Deputy Speaker |
| Yvonne Lopez (D-19) | Deputy Speaker |
| Angela V. McKnight (D-31) | Deputy Majority Leader |
| Gabriela M. Mosquera (D-4) | Deputy Majority Leader |
| Annette Chaparro (D-33) | Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore |
| Shanique Speight (D-29) | Deputy Parlimentarian |
| Carol A. Murphy (D-7) | Majority Whip |
| Lisa Swain (D-38) | Assembly Appropriations Chair |
| Linda S. Carter (D-22) | Deputy Whip |
| Eliana Pintor Marin (D-29) | Assembly Budget Chair |
| Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) | Constituent Outreach Chair |
| Nancy F. Munoz (R-21) | Deputy Minority Leader |
| Serena DiMaso (R-13) | Deputy Republican Whip |
| Name | Committee |
|---|---|
| Nellie Pou (D-35) | Commerce |
| Nilsa Cruz Perez (D-5) | Economic Growth |
| Sandra B. Cunningham (D-31) | Higher Education |
| Linda Greenstein (D-14) | Law and Public Safety |
| Name | Committee |
|---|---|
| Angela McKnight (D-31) | Aging and Senior Services |
| Lisa Swain (D-38) | Appropriations |
| Eliana Pintor Marin (D-2) | Budget |
| Britnee N. Timberlake (D-34) | Commerce and Economic Development |
| Shavonda Sumter (D-35) | Community Development Affairs |
| Pamela Lampitt (D-6) | Education |
| Mila M. Jasey (D-27) | Higher Education |
| Shanique Speight (D-29) | Homeland Security and State Preparedness |
| Yvonne Lopez (D-19) | Housing |
| Angelica Jimenez (D-32) | Human Services |
| Cleopatra G. Tucker (D-28) | Military and Veterans Affairs |
| Gabriela M. Mosquera (D-4) | Women and Children |
Among the five counties in New Jersey that elect executives, no woman currently holds that title.
Four women serve as commissioner chairs, directors or presidents. Women serve as commissioners in 19 of the state’s 21 counties. The counties with no women commissioners are Cape May and Salem.
Eight Black women (Cooper, Garretson, Graham, Hopson, McCullum, Pearson, Robinson, and Williams), eight Latinas (Aponte-Lipski, Azcona-Barber, Betteridge, Cedeno, Leon, Ortiz, Rodriguez, and Sooey) and one Asian American/Pacific Islander woman (Narra) currently serve as commissioners.
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Caren Fitzpatrick (D) | Atlantic |
| Amy L. Gatto (R) | Atlantic |
| Maureen Kern (R) | Atlantic |
| Mary Amoroso (D) | Bergen |
| Germaine M. Ortiz (D) | Bergen |
| Joan Voss (D) | Bergen |
| Tracy Silna Zur (D) | Bergen |
| Allison Eckel (D) | Burlington |
| Felicia Hopson (D), Director | Burlington |
| Melinda Kane (D) | Camden |
| Virginia Betteridge (D) | Camden |
| Victoria Groetsch-Lods (R) | Cumberland |
| Carol Musso (D) | Cumberland |
| Donna Pearson (D) | Cumberland |
| Tyshammie L. Cooper (D) | Essex |
| Romaine Graham (D) | Essex |
| Patricia Sebold (D) | Essex |
| Denice DiCarlo (D) | Gloucester |
| Heather Simmons (D) | Gloucester |
| Yraida Aponte Lipski (D) | Hudson |
| Fanny Cedeno (D) | Hudson |
| Caridad Rodriguez (D) | Hudson |
| Susan Soloway (R) | Hunterdon |
| Cathleen M. Lewis (D) | Mercer |
| Kristin L. McLaughlin (D) | Mercer |
| Nina Melker (D) | Mercer |
| Lucylle Walter (D), Chair | Mercer |
| Clary Azcona Barber (D) | Middlesex |
| Leslie Koppel (D) | Middlesex |
| Chanelle Scott McCullum (D) | Middlesex |
| Shanti Narra (D) | Middlesex |
| Lillian G. Burry (R) | Monmouth |
| Susan M. Kiley (R) | Monmouth |
| Christine Meyers (R) | Morris |
| Deborah Smith (R) | Morris |
| Bobbi Jo Crea (R) | Ocean |
| Virginia Haines (R) | Ocean |
| Cassandra Lazzara (D) | Passaic |
| Melonie Marano (D) | Somerset |
| Shanel Robinson (D), Director | Somerset |
| Sara Sooey (D) | Somerset |
| Dawn Fantasia (R) | Sussex |
| Jill Space (R) | Sussex |
| Angela Garretson (D) | Union |
| Bette Jane Kowalski (D) | Union |
| Lourdes M. Leon (D) | Union |
| Kimberly Palmieri Mouded (D) | Union |
| Rebecca Williams (D) | Union |
| Lori Ciesla (R), Director | Warren |
These women officials include: 11 county clerks, 1 sheriff and 10 surrogates.
Three Black women (Ireland-Imhof, Jalloh, Scott) and two Latinas (Cassanova, Cortes) currently serve in county constitutional offices.
| Name | County |
|---|---|
| Joanne Schwartz (D) | Burlington |
| Rita M. Rothberg (R) | Cape May |
| Celeste Riley (D) | Cumberland |
| Mary Melfi (R) | Hunterdon |
| Paula Sollami Covello (D) | Mercer |
| Nancy Pinkin (D) | Middlesex |
| Christine Giordano Hanlon (R) | Monmouth |
| Ann F. Grossi (R) | Morris |
| Danielle Ireland Imhof (D) | Passaic |
| Joanne Rajoppi (D) | Union |
| Holly Mackey (R) | Warren |
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Mildred S. Scott (D) | Middlesex |
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Michelle Gentek Meyer (D) | Camden |
| E. Marie Hayes (R) | Cape May |
| Susan Hoffman (R) | Hunterdon |
| Diane Gerofsky (D) | Mercer |
| Claribel Cortes (D) | Middlesex |
| Maureen Raisch (R) | Monmouth |
| Heather Darling | Morris |
| Zoila Cassanova (D) | Passaic |
| Nicki A. Burke (D) | Salem |
| Tina Jalloh (D) | Somerset |
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Diane Coleman (D) | Hudson |
Data as of February 2023.
Two Black women (Marie Larence and Kaya A. McIntosh) and one Asian Pacific Islander (Susan Shin Angulo) serve as big city mayors.
| Name | Municipality | Population | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Shin Angulo | Cherry Hill Township | 71,245 | Camden |
| Theresa Berger | Howell Township | 51,952 | Monmouth |
| Joann Gattinelli | Washington Township | 47,753 | Gloucester |
| Susan McCartney | West Orange Township | 47,473 | Essex |
| Jaclyn Veasy | Evesham Township | 45,188 | Burlington |
| Victoria Kilpatrick | Sayreville | 44,173 | Middlesex |
| Laura Pfrommer | Egg Harbor Township | 42,105 | Egg Harbor Township |
| Susan Cohen | Manalapan Township | 39,225 | Monmouth |
| Marie M. Larence | Winslow Township | 38,543 | Camden |
| Kaya A. McIntosh | Willingboro Township | 32,005 | Burlington |
Data as of February 2023.
| Name | Municipality | County |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Horton | Absecon City | Atlantic |
| Rosemary Tuohy | Allamuchy Township | Warren |
| Amy Wilczynski | Allendale Borough | Bergen |
| Loretta Gluckstein | Atlantic Highlands Borough | Monmouth |
| Patti Harris | Barrington Borough | Camden |
| Deborah Buzby-Cope | Bass River Township | Burlington |
| Nancy Taggart Davis | Beach Haven Borough | Ocean |
| Angie D. Devanney | Berkeley Heights Township | Union |
| Phyllis A Magazzu | Berlin Township | Camden |
| Mary Jane Canose | Bernardsville Borough | Somerset |
| Vicky Papics | Bloomsbury Borough | Hunterdon |
| Jennifer L. Sciortino | Bordentown City | Burlington |
| Julie A. McCleary | Brooklawn Borough | Camden |
| Ashley Felice | Chatham Township | Morris |
| Jamila Odom Bremmer | Chesilhurst Borough | Camden |
| Janet Hoven | Chester Borough | Morris |
| Janice Kovach | Clinton Town | Hunterdon |
| Sue Fitzpatrick | Colts Neck Township | Monmouth |
| Abigail Perlstein O'Brien | Deerfield Township | Cumberland |
| Kate L. Fitzpatrick | Delanco Township | Burlington |
| Carolyn Blackman | Dover Town | Morris |
| Jenna Casper-Bloom | East Amwell Township | Hunterdon |
| Dina M. Grilo | East Newark Borough | Hudson |
| Janice S Mironov | East Windsor Township | Mercer |
| Lisa Jiampetti | Egg Harbor City | Atlantic |
| Carolyn King-Sammons | Elk Township | Gloucester |
| Danielle Dipaola | Emerson Borough | Bergen |
| Elizabeth Owen | Estell Manor City | Atlantic |
| Colleen Mahr | Fanwood Borough | Union |
| Marcia A. Karrow | Flemington Borough | Hunterdon |
| Jen Blumenstock | Garwood Borough | Union |
| Kristine Morieko | Glen Rock Borough | Bergen |
| Margaret Peg Phillips | Green Township | Sussex |
| Colleen Bianco Bezich | Haddonfield Borough | Camden |
| Heather Wasser | Haworth Borough | Bergen |
| Michele Lee | High Bridge Borough | Hunterdon |
| Elsie Foster | Highland Park Borough | Middlesex |
| Carolyn Broullon | Highlands Borough | Monmouth |
| Susan Bluth | Hightstown Borough | Mercer |
| Dahlia Vertreese | Hillside Township | Union |
| Marlene Lowande | Jamesburg Borough | Middlesex |
| Linda Karlovitch | Kenilworth Borough | Union |
| Rose P. Araneo | Keyport Borough | Monmouth |
| Mary Ann Wardlow | Lawnside Borough | Camden |
| Beverly Koehler | Lebanon Township | Hunterdon |
| Bettyann Cowling-Carson | Magnolia Borough | Camden |
| Christine Serrano Glassner | Mendham Borough | Morris |
| Maggee Miggins | Millburn Township | Essex |
| Trina Mehr | Milltown Borough | Middlesex |
| Lisa M. Orndorf | Millville City | Cumberland |
| Devra Keenan | Montgomery Township | Somerset |
| Nicole Gillespie | Moorestown Township | Burlington |
| Michelle Teets | Newton Town | Sussex |
| Linda H Schwager | Oakland Borough | Bergen |
| Dianne Camelo Didio | Oradell Borough | Bergen |
| Gina Ragomo Tait | Palmyra Borough | Burlington |
| Ladaena D. Thomas | Penns Grove Borough | Salem |
| Judy M. Ward | Pleasantville City | Atlantic |
| Monica Niki Giberson | Port Republic City | Atlantic |
| Marjorie Sperry | Quinton Township | Salem |
| Deirdre A Dillon | Ramsey Borough | Bergen |
| Robyn Fatooh | Raritan Township | Hunterdon |
| Suzanne Cairns Wells | Riverton Borough | Burlington |
| Peggy Malkin | Roosevelt Borough | Monmouth |
| Jody Veler | Salem City | Salem |
| Caryl Chris Shoffner | South Bound Brook Borough | Somerset |
| Sheena C. Collum | South Orange Village Township | Essex |
| Jackie Palmer | Spotswood Borough | Middlesex |
| Jennifer Naughton | Spring Lake Borough | Monmouth |
| Patricia Zdichocki | Stanhope Borough | Sussex |
| Lisa Chammings | Stillwater Township | Sussex |
| Judith M. Davies-Dunhour | Stone Harbor Borough | Cape May |
| Nora G Radest | Summit City | Union |
| Jean Frankel | Tewksbury Township | Hunterdon |
| Susan R Marshall | Tuckerton Borough | Ocean |
| Beth Holtzman | Ventnor City | Atlantic |
| Melissa Dabal | Wallington Borough | Bergen |
| Ethel Conry | Washington Borough | Warren |
| Jessica S. Doheny | Wenonah Borough | Gloucester |
| Carol E. Sabo | West Cape May Borough | Cape May |
| Janet W Tucci | West Long Branch Borough | Monmouth |
| Michele Dale | West Milford Township | Passaic |
| Shelley Brindle | Westfield Township | Union |
| Anna Marie Skoog | White Township | Warren |
The chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee is a man (LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.). The chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee is a man (Bob Hugin).
| Name | County | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy Sungenis | Cumberland | Democrat |
| Amy DeGise | Hudson | Democrat |
| Arlene Perez | Hunterdon | Democrat |
| Janice S. Mironov | Mercer | Democrat |
| Amalia Duarte | Morris | Democrat |
| Peg Schaffer | Somerset | Democrat |
| Dawne Rowe | Sussex | Democrat |
| Jacci Vigilante | Gloucester | Republican |
| Lisa Richford | Mercer | Republican |
| Laura Ali | Morris | Republican |
Justice Anne Patterson, appointed by Governor Chris Christie and sworn in on September 1, 2011; Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis, appointed by Governor Phil Murphy and sworn in on September 1, 2020; and Justice Rachel Wainer Apter, appointed by Governor Phil Murphy and sworn in on October 21, 2022. Pierre-Louis is the first black woman to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court.
The first woman to head New Jersey’s highest court was Chief Justice Deborah Poritz; appointed by Governor Whitman, she served from 1996 until she retired in 2006. Whitman also appointed Justice Virginia Long, who served from September 14, 1999 until she retired in March, 2012 and Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who served from January 26, 2000 until she retired in December 2021. Governor Jon Corzine appointed Justice Helen E. Hoens, who served from October 26, 2006 until October 26, 2013. Judge Mary Catherine Cuff was assigned temporarily to serve on the Court by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner in October 2012. The first woman member of New Jersey’s Supreme Court was Justice Marie L. Garibaldi, who was appointed by Governor Thomas Kean and served from 1982 until 2000.
Our thanks to the Office of the NJ Secretary of State, NJ Association of Counties, the NJ League of Municipalities, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and the New Jersey Republican State Committee.
Reproduction of this entire document or any part of it for non-commercial purposes is encouraged, provided credit is given to Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University. Any information reproduced must include footnotes/endnotes which apply to that information. Commercial reproduction requires prior permission in writing from Center for American Women and Politics.