Shavonda Sumter | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theNew Jersey General Assembly from the35th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2012 Serving with Al Abdelaziz | |
| Preceded by | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1974-01-19)January 19, 1974 (age 51) Paterson,New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kenneth Sumter |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Kean University(BA) Fairleigh Dickinson University (MBA) |
| Website | State Assembly website |
Shavonda E. Sumter (born January 19, 1974) is an AmericanDemocratic Party politician who has represented the35th Legislative District in theNew Jersey General Assembly since taking office in January 2012.
In February 2025, Sumter announced that she would not be running in the2025 New Jersey General Assembly election.[1]
Sumter was born inPaterson, New Jersey, the daughter of Charles and Bonnie Williams. She attended public and private schools in Paterson,Prospect Park, andHaledon. She graduated fromKean University in 1996 with aB.A. degree in political science. She earned anM.B.A. degree in health care administration fromFairleigh Dickinson University. Sumter has worked in health services and currently serves as director of behavioral health services atMountainside Medical Center inGlen Ridge.[2]
Sumter has served on theNew Jersey Democratic State Committee since 2008.[3] She was one of the members of theelectoral college who cast a ballot forBarack Obama andJoe Biden after the2008 presidential election.[4] In 2010, Sumter was the campaign manager for Jeffery Jones in his successful campaign forMayor of Paterson.[2]
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.[5] However, the eventual Democratic nominee for governor,Phil Murphy, chose AssemblywomanSheila Oliver as his running mate.
In 2024, following the death of CongressmanBill Pascrell, Sumter briefly campaigned to be the replacement Democratic candidate for theU.S. House of Representatives election forNew Jersey's 9th congressional district, but eventually withdrew.[6]
A resident ofNorth Haledon, she is married to Kenneth Sumter and has two children: Tyler (1998) and Kenneth Jr. (2000)[2]
In the2011 New Jersey General Assembly election, there were two open Assembly seats in the 35th District, afterNellie Pou decided to run for theState Senate andElease 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.[7] She held the leadership positions in the Assembly of Majority Conference Leader from 2015 to 2019 and was Deputy Speaker from 2014 to 2015.[3]
Committee assignments for the2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[3]
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in theNew Jersey Senate and two members in theNew Jersey General Assembly.[8] The representatives from the 35th District for the2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly (incumbent) | 12,320 | 50.2 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter (incumbent) | 12,214 | 49.8 | |
| Total votes | 24,534 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly (incumbent) | 20,276 | 34.56% | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter (incumbent) | 20,235 | 34.49% | |
| Republican | Ramzy Yamisha | 9,166 | 15.62% | |
| Republican | Iman Majagah | 8,990 | 15.32% | |
| Total votes | 58,667 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly (incumbent) | 13,213 | 43.61% | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter (incumbent) | 13,173 | 43.48% | |
| Republican | Tamer Mamkej | 3,909 | 12.9% | |
| Total votes | 30,295 | 100% | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew Jersey General Assembly from the35th district 2012–present Served alongside:Benjie E. Wimberly,Al Abdelaziz | Incumbent |