Shavonda E. Sumter (born January 19, 1974) is an American
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
politician who has represented the
35th Legislative District Military units
*35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force
*35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I
*35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...
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 ...
since taking office in January 2012.
Personal
Sumter was born in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Prospect Park, and
Haledon
Haledon ( ) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an in ...
. She graduated from
Kean University
Kean University () is a public university in Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education.
Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as the Newark Normal School. Initially establ ...
in 1996 with a B.A. degree in political science. She earned an M.B.A. degree in health care administration from
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
. Sumter has worked in health services and currently serves as director of behavioral health services at
Mountainside Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside, also known as Mountainside Hospital, is an acute-care hospital located in Montclair, New Jersey, United States. The hospital has 396 beds and serves Northeastern Essex County. A part of the Hackensack Un ...
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 th ...
. Accessed January 25, 2022. She was one of the members of the electoral college who cast a ballot for
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
and Joe Biden after the 2008 presidential election. In 2010, Sumter was the campaign manager for Jeffery Jones in his successful campaign for Mayor of Paterson.
As of September 2016, Sumter was considering a run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2017, and was also considered the leading candidate for selection as the party's candidate for lieutenant governor. However, the eventual Democratic nominee for governor,
Phil Murphy
Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to German ...
, chose Assemblywoman
Sheila Oliver
Sheila Y. Oliver (born July 14, 1952) is an American politician serving as the second lieutenant governor of New Jersey since 2018. She previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 to 2018, where she represented the 34th leg ...
as his running mate.
A resident of Paterson, she is married to Kenneth Sumter and has two children: Tyler (1998) and Kenneth Jr. (2000)
New Jersey General Assembly
In the 2011 legislative elections, there were two open Assembly seats in the 35th District, after Nellie Pou decided to run for the State Senate and Elease Evans retired. Sumter and her running mate, Benjie E. Wimberly, defeated the Republican candidates, William Connolly and Donna Puglisi. She was sworn in on January 10, 2012. She held the leadership positions in the Assembly of Majority Conference Leader from 2015 to 2019 and was Deputy Speaker from 2014 to 2015.
Committees
Committee assignments for the current session are:
*Community Development and Affairs, Chair
*Commerce and Economic Development
*Labor
District 35
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as 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, ...
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 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 th ...
. Accessed January 11, 2022.
* Senator Nellie Pou (D)
* Assemblywoman Shavonda E. Sumter (D)
* Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D)
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 th ...