Loretta Weinberg (born February 6, 1935) is an American Democratic Party

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, who served as a member of 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 ...

from 2005-2022, where she represented the 37th Legislative District. She also served as Senate Majority Leader. Weinberg served in the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

before being selected to replace retiring Senator Byron Baer. Weinberg was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey in the 2009 election, having been selected by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006, and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran f ...

as his

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

on July 24. Corzine and Weinberg were defeated by the Republican ticket of

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

and

Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...

on November 3, 2009.

Biography

Weinberg serves on the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (as Vice-Chair) and on the State Government Committee (also as Vice-Chair).Senator Weinberg's legislative web page
,

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 March 24, 2008. She is a former member of the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Weinberg was chosen by Democratic committee members in March 1992 to fill the seat vacated in the Assembly by D. Bennett Mazur, who had resigned due to illness. She served in the

, the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

, until 2005. In the Assembly, Weinberg served as the Majority Conference Leader from 2002 to 2005, Deputy Minority Leader from 1996 to 2001 and Assistant Minority Leader from 1994 to 1995. Weinberg served as the Chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee and Vice Chairwoman of the Family, Women, and Children's Services Committee. Additionally, she also served on the New Jersey Historical Commission, Legislative Services Commission and the New Jersey Israel Commission. Some of her past Committee assignments include the Community Services Committee, the Veteran Affairs Committee and, most recently, the Consumer and Regulated Professions Committee. From 1975 to 1985, she was the Assistant Administrator of

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.Teaneck Township Council in 1990, completing her council term in 1994. Besides her service in the Legislature, Weinberg has also been active in community organizations including the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

, Shelter Our Sisters, the Bergen Family Center,

AARP AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 and older. The organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., said it had more than 38 ...

Teaneck Chapter, New Jersey Network of Women Elected Officials, National Organization of Women Legislators and the National Council of Jewish Women. Weinberg has been recognized as "Legislator Worker of the Year" by the

National Association of Social Workers The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a professional organization of social workers in the United States. NASW has about 120,000 members. The NASW provides guidance, research, up to date information, advocacy, and other resources ...

- New Jersey Chapter, The "Friend of New Jersey's Children Award" by the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. It is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The AAP has published hundreds of poli ...

- New Jersey Chapter and the "Legislator of the Year Award" by the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC). She has been selected by

Marquis Who's Who Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...

for inclusion in the "Who's Who of American Women List". Weinberg was born 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 ...

and graduated from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

with a B.A. in History. She has completed all course work for a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University () is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree prog ...

. On January 13, 2020, Weinberg announced her retirement from politics in January 2022 when her current term expires. Weinberg resigned on January 7, 2022, four days before the end of her term, to join a board of directors role at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. In April 2025, at age 90, Weinberg organized a Hands Off protest at a retirement home in Teaneck.

Run for State Senate

Weinberg ran for the

after fellow District 37 legislator Byron Baer resigned from the Senate on September 8, 2005. From the outset of his term, the resignation of the often-ailing Baer had been the subject of much speculation and maneuvering. In a January 7, 200
article
fo
PoliticsNJ.com
political reporter Steve Kornacki wrote, "Depending on whom you listen to, the 74-year-old Baer will step down sometime between the next few months and January 2008, when his term expires." Kornacki identified a number of "potential successors" to Baer, including Hackensack Police Chief and former Assemblyman Charles "Ken" Zisa, who had briefly mounted a challenge to Baer's 2003 re-nomination before withdrawing it in what some have said was a deal brokered by

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.Joe Ferriero; Bergen County Freeholder Valerie Huttle; Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes; and Weinberg. "But," wrote Kornacki, "whether Weinberg, who backed Zisa in his brief bid to topple Baer last year, does want it he Senate seatis an open question." Sixteen months later, that question appeared to have been answered. In a May 3, 2005 PoliticsNJ.co
article
Kornacki reported, "Weinberg essentially admitted to striking a deal with Ferriero. She said the chairman agreed to back her for ssemblymajority leader, while she pledged to support a candidate of his choosing to replace state Senator Byron Barer when the 75-year-old steps down...some say she also had pledged support to Valerie Vainieri Huttle, a freeholder, for the Senate spot." Following Baer's resignation, Ferriero backed Zisa to fill the vacancy, as expected. Huttle prepared to challenge Zisa for the nomination. Weinberg then let it be known she was interested, and on September 11, 2005,

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

, the Democratic candidate for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

, endorsed Weinberg for Baer's seat. Huttle bowed out of the race and endorsed Weinberg. The Bergen County Democratic Organization caucused on September 15, 2005, to select a candidate. In balloting to replace Baer on an interim basis, Weinberg lost by a 114-110 margin to Zisa. In a separate vote, by a 112-111 margin, Zisa was selected over Weinberg to be the party's candidate on the November ballot. Though she congratulated Zisa in remarks made after results were announced at the September 15 caucus, Weinberg stated that inclusion of several uncounted ballots might change the results in her favor. Weinberg filed a legal challenge to the caucus results to have the unopened ballots included, which she believed were cast for her. On September 20, 2005,

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 ...

Judge Peter Doyne refused to interfere in what he held was a party matter and upheld the decision of the election mediator, Rep. Steve Rothman, to exclude the five ballots. On September 23, 2005, an Appellate Court panel sent the case back to Judge Doyne, ruling that he did have the authority to address a party issue and that the five uncounted ballots cast by Tenafly Democratic Committee members could be counted irrespective of the failure to file their names within the specified 30-day window. Zisa announced on September 26, 2005, that he would appeal the Appellate panel's decision to the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

. Judge Doyne's hearing on September 28 to readdress the issues was underway when the Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding the Appellate Court's decision and affirming that the 30-day rule for submission of new County Committee members could not be enforced. Judge Doyne decided on October 3, 2005, in Weinberg's favor, ruling that ballots from the "Tenafly Five" should be counted. On October 5, 2005, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that it would not hear an appeal from Ken Zisa and the Bergen County Democratic Organization. The "Tenafly Five" ballots were opened by Judge Peter Doyne, and each ballot was cast for Loretta Weinberg, thus giving her the slim margin of victory. Weinberg defeated Zisa by one vote in balloting to fill Baer's vacated seat on an interim basis, 115–114, and won the contest for the Democratic ballot spot in November, by a total of 116–112. With Weinberg's victory, Bergen County Freeholder Valerie Huttle and Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes both announced their candidacy for Weinberg's Assembly seat. The choice was decided by yet another special convention of the Bergen County Democratic Committee on October 6, 2005, with Huttle outpolling Wildes 121–96. On Election Day, November 8, 2005, Huttle won the Assembly seat.

2007 primary challenge

In 2007, Ferriero endorsed a ticket of Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, and Cid Wilson and Ken Zisa for Assembly, to face off in a primary challenge against incumbents Weinberg, and her Assembly running mates Valerie Huttle and Gordon M. Johnson. In a deal brokered by

, Ferriero backed off the challenge and announced that he and the county party organization would endorse the three incumbents in the primary.

Fort Lee lane closure scandal

Weinberg played a major role in revealing the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. After reading about traffic jams in ''

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 ...

'', Weinberg began attending public meetings 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 ...

. Weinberg convinced fellow state legislator John Wisniewski to take an interest in the case. Wisniewski would subpoena Port Authority officials, which eventually led to the lane closures becoming a major controversy.

District 37

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the

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 ...

. The other representatives from the 37th district for the 2018-2019 Legislative Session are: *Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle *Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson

Legislation

Weinberg was a lead advocate of the 2002 New Jersey Childproof Handgun Law, which would restrict the sale of handguns in NJ to

smart gun A smart gun, also called a smart-gun, or smartgun, is a firearm that can detect its authorized user(s) or something that is normally only possessed by its authorized user(s). The term is also used in science fiction to refer to various types of se ...

s that "can only be fired by an authorized or recognized user" three years after the technology became generally available.

Bernard Madoff investment loss

Weinberg lost $1.3 million in a retirement fund that had been invested through a

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

financial planner with

Bernard Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American financial criminal and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest known Ponzi scheme in history, worth an estimated $65 billion. He was at one time ...

, without her knowledge. Other family members had also invested money with the same advisor. In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Weinberg stated that she did not expect to recoup her loss but she was "determined not to make this the centerpiece of my life", stating that she would "have to budget myself very carefully over the next several years".

2009 lieutenant governor campaign

Weinberg was selected as the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey in the 2009 election by

on July 24.via ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

''
"Top Democrat: Corzine Picks Weinberg As No. 2"
''

KYW-TV KYW-TV (channel 3), branded as CBS Philadelphia, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned and operated by the CBS television network through its CBS News and Stations division alongside WPSG (channel 57 ...

'', July 24, 2009. Accessed July 24, 2009. She was attempting to become the state's first Lieutenant Governor. In August during the campaign, following Republican gubernatorial candidate

's acknowledgment that he had loaned $46,000 to First Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Michele Brown two years prior, while serving as her superior as the state's U.S. attorney, and that he had failed to report the loan on either his income tax returns or his mandatory financial disclosure report to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, Weinberg called on Brown to recuse herself from the task of retrieving U.S. Attorney's Office records requested by the Corzine campaign under the Freedom of Information Act. Weinberg engaged in a debate between herself and the other two major candidates for lieutenant governor,

and Frank Esposito, at

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

on October 8. Corzine and Weinberg were defeated by Chris Christie on November 3, 2009.

Election history

References

External links

Senator Weinberg's legislative web page
,

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
20112010200920082007200620052004
* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinberg, Loretta 1935 births 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women politicians Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni Jewish state legislators in New Jersey Jewish American women in politics Living people Majority leaders of the New Jersey Senate Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Party New Jersey state senators People associated with the Madoff investment scandal Politicians from Teaneck, New Jersey Politicians from Bergen County, New Jersey UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Women state legislators in New Jersey 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature