Jennifer Marie Leeper (born April 27, 1984) is an American politician serving as an elected official in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

. She represents parts of

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

and Fairfield, comprising Connecticut's 132nd assembly district.

Early life and education

Leeper was born and raised in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, before attending

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

, where she double majored in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and

religious studies Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...

. She earned a master's degree in public policy from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, then worked in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

before moving to Fairfield, Connecticut.

Political career

Tenure and political positions

Leeper began her public service career as an elected member of the Fairfield Board of the Democratic Party (2017-2020). Leeper narrowly lost a

Special Election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in January 2020 by 79 votes for the Connecticut 132nd House district before winning the seat in the general election later that year. Leeper currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Human Services committee and on the Commerce, and Education committees.

Elections

References

External links

Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives 1984 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Connecticut Wellesley College alumni University of Chicago alumni School board members in Connecticut 21st-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly {{Connecticut-politician-stub