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Ellen Park

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Ellen Park
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 37th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2022
Serving with Shama Haider
Preceded byValerie Huttle and Gordon M. Johnson
Personal details
Born (1972-03-06) March 6, 1972 (age 52)
South Korea
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRichard Ma
WebsiteLegislative webpage

Ellen J. Park (born March 6, 1972) is an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who was elected in the 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election as an assemblywoman for New Jersey's 37th legislative district, making her the first Korean American woman to be elected to the New Jersey Legislature.

Political career

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Born in South Korea, Park moved to the United States as a child and was raised in the New York City neighborhoods of Sunnyside and Flushing. She attended Bronx High School of Science and New York University.[1] She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law.[2] She was elected in 2016 to serve on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Borough Council. In the November 2021 general election, she was elected together with her running mates, making her the first Korean woman to serve in the state legislature.[1]

Since 2024, Park has served in the Assembly as Parliamentarian.[2]

Committees

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Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[2]

  • Judiciary (as chair)
  • Budget
  • Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture

District 37

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Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.[3] The representatives from the 37th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[4]

Electoral history

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37th Legislative District General Election, 2023[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ellen J. Park (incumbent) 26,942 36.4
Democratic Shama A. Haider (incumbent) 25,943 35.0
Republican Robert Bedoya 10,673 14.4
Republican Katherine Lebovics 10,526 14.2
Total votes 74,084 100.0
Democratic hold
Democratic hold
37th legislative district general election, 2021[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ellen J. Park 33,532 33.77%
Democratic Shama A. Haider 32,797 33.03%
Republican Edward P. Durfee Jr. 16,193 16.31%
Republican Perley V. Patrick 15,863 15.97%
Children&Seniors First Natacha M. Pannell 923 0.93%
Total votes 99,308 100.0
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ a b Chao, Mary. "Meet Ellen Park: The first Korean woman elected to NJ Legislature", The Record, November 6, 2021. Accessed November 9, 2021. "It's been a whirlwind week for Ellen Park. The Englewood Cliffs attorney made history Tuesday as the first Korean woman to be elected to the New Jersey Legislature, representing the 37th District Assembly of Bergen County."
  2. ^ a b c Assemblywoman Ellen J. Park (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 29, 2024.
  3. ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Legislative Roster for District 37, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/02/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
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