New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
since 2018. He replaced David C. Russo, who decided against running for re-election after 28 years in office. DePhillips had previously served as mayor of Wyckoff.
Personal and early life
DePhillips graduated in 1983 from
Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade.
Bergen Catholic operates under the supervision of the Roman ...
, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in government from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in 1987 and a
juris doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree from
Seton Hall University School of Law
Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey. The school confers three law degrees: Juris Doctor, Ma ...
in 1992. From 1987 to 1989 he worked in Washington, D.C., as an aide to Congresswoman Marge Roukema. A practicing attorney, DePhillips is vice president and general counsel of Porzio Life Sciences."Porzio Life Sciences VP Christopher DePhillips Elected to NJ State Assembly" Porzio Life Sciences, press release dated November 8, 2017. Accessed January 22, 2018. A member of the Wyckoff Township Committee from 2010 to 2013, DePhillips was unanimously chosen by his peers to serve as the township's mayor in 2012. Appointed in June 2012, he served until 2017 as a Commissioner of the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority, which provides sewage treatment services to 75,000 residents in
Bergen County
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey Schools Development Authority, but it never came to a vote in Committee.
In June 2021, DePhillips was appointed to GOP caucus leadership, being named deputy Republican leader by NJ Assembly Republican leader
Jon Bramnick
Jon M. Bramnick (born February 24, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2022, representing the 21st legislative district. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly, repre ...
.
In December 2021, DePhillips introduced a bill that would allow vote-by-mail ballots to be counted as they are received, which would change the current policy that requires waiting until election day. In an NJ Assembly GOP press release promoting the bill, Dephillips stated that, "It is incumbent upon officials to fix the problems that lead to conspiracy theories. Earlier counting of mail-in votes will help address some of this year's hang-ups," referencing how, in 2021, New Jersey's gubernatorial race and some legislative races were too close to call on election night.
In March 2022, DePhillips introduced proposed
articles
Article often refers to:
* Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness
* Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication
Article(s) may also refer to:
...
of
impeachment
Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In Eur ...
against New Jersey Secretary of Labor
Robert Asaro-Angelo
Robert Asaro-Angelo is an American labor leader and commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Biography
Asaro-Angelo was raised in a union family and is a son of a longtime Atlantic City labor organizer. From ...
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...
. Accessed January 30, 2024.
*Science, Innovation and Technology
*Transportation and Independent Authorities
District 40
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
and two members in the
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
, DePhillips and his Republican running mate, newcomer Al Barlas, defeated Democrats Giovanna Irizarry and Jennifer Marrinan in the
2023 New Jersey General Assembly election
The 2023 New Jersey General Assembly elections were held on November 7, 2023. New Jersey voters elected two Assembly members in all of the state's legislative districts for a two-year term to the New Jersey General Assembly. This was the first ...
.
2021
In the 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election, DePhillips (with 45,246), together with Rooney, defeated their Democratic opponents, a team of Waldwick councilwoman Nicole McNamara (who earned 31,066 votes) and former assistant Bergen County prosecutor Genny Allard (who earned 30,606), to win re-election to his third two-year term in the General Assembly. In Bergen County, DePhillips won with 28.09% of the 60,790 votes cast (versus Allard's 21.73% and McNamara's 21.71%), in Passaic County with 30.48% of the 66,366 votes cast (versus 18.94% and 19.50%), in Essex County with 29.14% of the 10,059 votes cast (versus 20.28% and 20.71%); and in Morris County with 31.83% of the 15,730 votes cast (versus 17.69% and 18.07%).
Leading up to the election, the New Jersey State FMBA (a union representing career firefighters, EMTs, and dispatchers) backed DePhillips in a slate of mixed Republican and Democrat endorsements. The New Jersey
Fraternal Order of Police
The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodge ...
, also in a politically heterogenous round of endorsements, chose to support DePhillips as well.
2019
In the November 2019 election, DePhillips (with 21,955 votes) was re-elected to his second two-year term as an assemblyman, defeating the Democratic slate of former Bergen County Freeholder Julie O'Brien (who earned 17,557 votes) and Little Falls councilwoman Maria Martini Cordonnier (who earned 17,332). In Bergen County, DePhillips won with 27.84% of the 17,046 cast (versus O'Brien's 22.17% and Cordonnier's 21.63%); In Passaic County with 26.97% of the 36,050 votes cast (versus 22.58% and 22.45%), in Essex County with 26.71% of the 3,254 votes cast (versus 22.74% and 23.11%); and in Morris County with 30.26% of the 7,666 votes cast (versus 19.25% and 19.05%).
In late October 2019, DePhillips and his running mate, Kevin Rooney, skipped a debate hosted by the
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...
, claiming that the question-selection process was "broken" and "unfair" because an earlier debate sponsored by the Wayne League of Women Voters had allowed, "...a local Democratic candidate to be part of a group that was screening questions and determining what questions would be asked".
2017
In the 2013 general election, the last time all three legislative seats in the 40th District were up for vote simultaneously, the winners were Kevin J. O'Toole in the Senate and Scott Rumana and David C. Russo in the Assembly. By the 2017 primaries all would be gone, with O'Toole resigning in 2017 to become a Commissioner of the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...
(being replaced by Kristin Corrado), Rumana leaving in 2016 to become a judge in
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts: under Article Six of the State Consti ...
(and be replaced By Kevin J. Rooney) and Russo's announcement that he would not run for another term of office, leaving a vacuum that led to a series of primary challenges. In the June 2017 Republican primary for the two Assembly seats, Rooney and DePhillips withstood a challenge from Joseph Bubba Jr. and the comeback attempt of former State Senator Norman M. Robertson by margins of 2–1; Kristin Corrado won the Senate nomination against former Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano. Since 1973, the 40th District has always leaned Republican, never electing a Democrat through the 2017 general election. However, a poll conducted by Democrats shortly before the election showed the two slates tied at 39%, with 21% of voters undecided. In the November 2017 general election, DePhillips (with 30,610 votes; 26.3% of all ballots cast) and his running mate, incumbent Kevin J. Rooney (with 31,170; 26.8%), defeated Democratic challengers Christine Ordway (27,092; 23.3%) and Paul Vagianos (26,737; 23.0%) to win both Assembly seats from the district for the Republicans.Cowen, Richard "Democratic turnout, money factors in Republican losses in Bergen and Passaic counties" ''
The Record
The Record may refer to:
Music
* The Record (Fear album), ''The Record'' (Fear album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear
* The Record (Boygenius album), ''The Record'' (Boygenius album), a 2023 studio album by the indie rock supe ...
'', November 9, 2017. Accessed January 22, 2018. "The split in the ranks of the Passaic Republicans is in part the result of the political dogfight in District 40. Former Passaic County Clerk Kristin Corrado captured the state Senate seat in District 40, beating Tom Duch. Her two Republican running mates for Assembly, Kevin Rooney and Chris DePhillips, both of Wyckoff, also beat back a challenge from Democrats Christine Ordway and Paul Vagianos."