Summary
Michael L. Testa Jr. (born May 1, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer who represents the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate. A Republican, Testa was elected to the state senate on November 5, 2019 in the special election to fill the remaining 14 months of the unfinished term of Jeff Van Drew, who won a seat to the United States House of Representatives in 2018. He was sworn into office on December 5, 2019.[1]
Mike Testa | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 1st district | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Andrzejczak |
| Chair of the Cumberland County Republican Party | |
| Assumed office July 19, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Greco |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1976 Vineland, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Julie Barber |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Villanova University (BA, JD) Temple University (LLM) |
| Website | Legislative webpage |
Background edit
Testa was born in Vineland, New Jersey, on May 1, 1976.[2][3] He is the great-grandson of Italian immigrants on his father's side, and his mother is a Polish Jew who was born to parents who had met each other in a concentration camp.[4] Testa received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University, and a Master of Laws degree from Temple University.[2]
Testa is a partner at the law firm of Testa Heck Testa and White, P.A.[2] He was elected as chairman of the Cumberland County Republican Party in 2014, after serving as vice chairman for three years. From 2006 to 2008, Testa was a member of the Vineland Downtown Improvement District/Main Street Vineland. He has also been a chairman of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties, and board president of Vineland Regional Dance.[5]
In October 2019, the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign named Testa, along with State Senate Minority Whip Joseph Pennacchio, as New Jersey co-chairs for the president's re-election bid.[6]
New Jersey Senate edit
On November 5, 2018, 1st District State Senator Jeff Van Drew won a seat to the United States House of Representatives, creating a vacancy for his state senate seat.[7] On November 20, Testa announced he would run for the special election for the remainder of Van Drew's State Senate term.[5] President Donald Trump recorded robocalls for Testa in his state senate election, which were sent out on the day before election day.[8]
Testa ran as a team with Antwan McClellan and Erik K. Simonsen for Assembly. During the campaign, the team made immigration and taxes a key part of their campaign. He, alongside Testa and McClellan, ousted the 1st District's legislators, Senator Bob Andrzejczak (who had been appointed to fill Van Drew's seat) and Assemblymen R. Bruce Land and Matthew W. Milam.[9] Their victories were the only gains Republicans made in the 2019 New Jersey elections.[10]
Tenure edit
Testa was sworn into the Senate on December 5, 2019, by Senate President Steve Sweeney. After Rep. Jeff Van Drew switched to the Republican Party, Testa endorsed Van Drew.[11]
Committee assignments for the 2024-2025 session are:[2]
- Budget and Appropriations
- Judiciary
District 1 edit
New Jersey's 1st Legislative District encompasses parts of Atlantic County, Cumberland County, and all of Cape May County. 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. The representatives from the 1st District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[12]
- Senator Mike Testa (R)
- Assemblyman Antwan McClellan (R)
- Assemblyman Erik K. Simonsen (R)
Personal life edit
Testa and his wife Julie, a former Miss New Jersey, live in Vineland. They have three children.[13][6]
Electoral history edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael L. Testa Jr. (incumbent) | 29,186 | 64.6 | |
| Democratic | Charles R. LaSpata | 15,972 | 35.4 | |
| Total votes | 45,158 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Testa (incumbent) | 42,438 | 64.59 | |
| Democratic | Yolanda E. Garcia Balicki | 23,269 | 35.41 | |
| Total votes | 65,707 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Testa | 27,163 | 53.5 |  19.5
| |
| Democratic | Bob Andrzejczak (incumbent) | 23,636 | 46.5 | ||
| Total votes | 50,799 | 100.0 | |||
References edit
- ^ Biryukov, Nikita. "Testa sworn in Cumberland County GOP chairman takes Senate seat", New Jersey Globe. December 5, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Senator Michael L. Testa Jr. (R), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 21, 2024.
- ^ Furman, Harrison (February 12, 2020). "Senator Michael Testa to speak as part of new JCRC series". Jewish Community Voices.
- ^ About Mike, Mike Testa for State Senate. Accessed January 14, 2020. "On Mom’s side, my grandparents were Polish Jews who met in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II and were, thank God, freed by Allied soldiers. After the war, they came to the United States, where my Mom was born. They settled in Buena and my family ran a chicken farm that I fondly recall playing at as a kid."
- ^ a b Joseph P. Smith. "Testa running for N.J. Senate in 1st District".
- ^ a b Graney, Gary (October 16, 2019). "Trump campaign names Pennacchio, Testa to head NJ campaign". New Jersey Globe.
- ^ "Jeff Van Drew wins New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District seat". The Washington Post. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ "Trump records robocall to help Testa Senate bid". New Jersey Globe. November 4, 2019.
- ^ Verma, Pranshu. "Democrats suffer a setback in New Jersey as Republicans win battleground legislative districts", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 6, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2023. "In the same district, which covers Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties, Democratic incumbents Bruce Land and Matthew Milam conceded their Assembly race to Republican challengers Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan. Unofficial results showed Simonsen and McClellan leading by a four-point margin late Tuesday."
- ^ Verma, Pranshu. "New Jersey Democrats outspent Republicans 3-1 in the 2019 election — and still lost seats", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2024. "When the new legislative session begins in January, Democrats will hold a 52–28 majority in the lower house and a 25–15 edge in the upper chamber.... But all of the Democratic losses came in this district, with incumbent Democratic State Sen. Bob Andrzejczak losing to Republican challenger Mike Testa and the Democratic incumbents running for Assembly, Matthew Milam and Bruce Land, losing to Republican challengers Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan."
- ^ "Testa backs Van Drew". New Jersey Globe. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ Legislative Roster for District 1, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 21, 2024.
- ^ "Michael Testa's Biography | Senator Michael Testa | New Jersey's 1st Legislative District". SenateNJ.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate for GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 06/08/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "NJ State Senate 01 - Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
External links edit
- Legislative webpage