Holly T. Schepisi | |
---|---|
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 39th district | |
Assumed office March 25, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Gerald Cardinale |
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 39th district | |
In office January 10,2012 –March 24,2021 | |
Preceded by | Charlotte Vandervalk |
Succeeded by | DeAnne DeFuccio |
Deputy Minority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly | |
In office January 14,2020 –March 24,2021 | |
Leader | Jon Bramnick |
Preceded by | David Wolfe |
Succeeded by | Vacant |
Assistant Minority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly | |
In office January 9,2018 –January 14,2020 | |
Leader | Jon Bramnick |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | vacant |
Personal details | |
Born | December 20,1971 |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Paul Garfinkel |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | River Vale,New Jersey,U.S. |
Alma mater | Catholic University of America (BA) Fordham University (JD) |
Occupation | Attorney |
Website | Legislative web page |
Holly T. Schepisi (born December 20,1971) is an American lawyer,businesswoman,and Republican Party politician who is the New Jersey State Senator,representing the 39th legislative district. She previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly,from January 10,2012,until March 24,2021. She has served as Deputy Minority Leader since January 14,2020,and served as Assistant Minority Leader for two years before then. She resides in River Vale with her husband Paul Garfinkel and their two children. [1] In March 2015,she suffered a brain aneurysm but fully recovered after surgery in the summer of 2015. [2] On March 9,2021,she was chosen to succeed long-serving Senator Gerald Cardinale in the State Senate,who died in office. [3] She was sworn in on March 25,2021. [4]
Schepisi is the daughter of John A. Schepisi,a lawyer and former chairman of the Bergen County Republican Organization. [5] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Catholic University of America in politics and psychology in 1993,and a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1997. While in college,she worked at the 1992 Republican National Convention,interned for Organization of American States,Congresswoman Marge Roukema,and a member of the British Parliament. [1] In 2007,she began serving as the Township Attorney for River Vale,a position she held until 2011. In addition,she was also a public defender for Oakland (2012–2014) and an alternate prosecutor for Old Tappan (2010–2011) and Westwood (2002–2011). [6]
In August 2011,Charlotte Vandervalk announced her retirement from the General Assembly seat in the 39th district. [5] A resident of River Vale,Schepisi was selected by the Bergen County Republican Organization to take Vandervalk's place on the ballot,and in the general election she and her running mate Bob Schroeder defeated the Democratic candidates,Anthony Iannarelli Jr. and Michael McCarthy. [7] [8] She was sworn in on January 10,2012. [9]
In 2014,Schepisi introduced a bill that would have weakened vaccination requirements for school children. The bill would have allowed certain children under the age of six to attend school without receiving a Hepatitis B vaccine. Schepisi stated that the debunked link between vaccines and autism was not her "primary rationale" for introducing the bill. The bill did not become law. [10] In the summer of 2017,Schepisi held the first of several planned public hearing in Paramus with various civic leaders on mandated affordable housing under the Mount Laurel Doctrine with local mayors and other state assembly members. [11] In October 2018 Schepisi joined then-Republican State Senator Dawn Addiego and Republicans Kristin Corrado,Amy Handlin,DiAnne Gove,Serena DiMaso,BettyLou DeCroce,and Nancy Munoz in calling for an investigation into Governor Phil Murphy's hiring practices. [12]
Committee assignments for the current session are: [6]
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. [13] The representatives from the 39th District for the 2024—25 Legislative Session are: [14]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Holly Schepisi (incumbent) | 34,448 | 54.9 | |
Democratic | Jodi A. Murphy | 28,264 | 45.1 | |
Total votes | 62,712 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Holly Schepisi (Incumbent) | 45,985 | 57.2 | ||
Democratic | Ruth Dugan | 34,065 | 42.3 | ||
Libertarian | James Tosone | 403 | 0.01 | ||
Total votes | 80,453 | 100.0 |
In what was one of the most competitive races in 2019 Schepisi and her running mate Robert Auth won re-election by 6,000 and 4,000 votes respectively. During the campaign, controversy surrounding Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick's law website drew their Democratic opponents, Gerald Falotico and John Birkner, to call on them to condemn the website. [17]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Holly Schepisi (Incumbent) | 30,705 | 28.2% | 1.1 | |
Republican | Robert Auth (Incumbent) | 28,786 | 26.4% | 0.2 | |
Democratic | John Brinker Jr. | 17,557 | 22.9% | 1.1 | |
Democratic | Gerald Falotico | 17,332 | 22.3% | 0.2 | |
Total votes | '108,691' | '100.0' |
In the tightest election of Schepisi's career in the Assembly she won re-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Holly Schepisi (Incumbent) | 34,158 | 27.4 | 3.9 | |
Republican | Robert Auth (Incumbent) | 32,739 | 26.2 | 2.6 | |
Democratic | Jannie Chung | 29,126 | 23.3 | 3.0 | |
Democratic | Annie Hausmann | 28,862 | 23.1 | 3.4 | |
Total votes | '124,885' | '100.0' |
In a generally bad year for Republicans in New Jersey,[ citation needed ] Schepisi and Auth cruised to re-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Holly Schepisi (Incumbent) | 22,016 | 31.3 | 1.1 | |
Republican | Robert Auth (Incumbent) | 20,227 | 28.8 | 0.8 | |
Democratic | John DeRienzo | 14,258 | 20.3 | 0.6 | |
Democratic | Jeffrey Goldsmith | 13,840 | 19.7 | 1.4 | |
Total votes | '70,341' | '100.0' |
In 2013 Governor Chris Christie easily beat Democrat Barbara Buono and Schepisi and her new running mate Robert Auth easily beat their Democratic opponents.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Holly Schepisi (Incumbent) | 36,873 | 32.4 | 2.1 | |
Republican | Robert Auth | 33,680 | 29.6 | 1.3 | |
Democratic | Donna C. Abene | 22,450 | 19.7 | 0.9 | |
Democratic | Anthony N. Iannarelli Jr. | 20,785 | 18.3 | 0.0 | |
Total votes | '113,788' | '100.0' |
After the 2011 re-districting the 39th District was still widely considered "safe republican". Schepisi ran for the Assembly for the first time and easily placed second.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Robert Schroeder (Incumbent) | 26,572 | 30.9 | |
Republican | Holly Schepisi | 26,111 | 30.3 | |
Democratic | Michael J. McCarthy | 16,200 | 18.8 | |
Democratic | Anthony N. Iannarelli Jr. | 15,784 | 18.3 | |
Independent | Clinton Bosca | 1,425 | 1.7 | |
Total votes | 86,092 | 100.0 |
Jon M. Bramnick is an American Republican Party politician and comedian, who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2022, representing the 21st legislative district. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing the 21st Legislative District from 2003 to 2022, where he was the Assembly Republican Leader from January 2012 to January 2022. He was appointed to the Assembly in 2003 to fill the unexpired term of the vacancy created upon the selection of Thomas Kean Jr. to fill an unexpired New Jersey Senate term. He was elected to a full two-year term later that year and was re-elected in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. He was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2021 and was re-elected in 2023. In January 2024, Bramnick announced he was running for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.
Gerald Cardinale was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1982 until his death in 2021, representing the 39th Legislative District. He also served one term in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1980 until 1982. At the time of his death, he was the second-most senior senator in the state, behind Richard Codey, who also came to office in January 1982, but had served in the General Assembly since 1974. Cardinale was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1984, 1988 and 1992 and served as a Delegate to the New Jersey Republican State Platform Committee in 1983.
Charlotte Vandervalk is an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1991 until 2012, representing the 39th legislative district. She served in the Assembly as Deputy Republican Leader from 2002 to 2003 and Assistant Majority Leader from 1992 to 1995.
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