Robert D. Clifton
Member of theNew Jersey General Assembly from the12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2012 Serving with Alex Sauickie
Preceded by	Caroline Casagrande Declan O'Scanlon
Member of theMonmouth CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders
In office January 1, 2005 – January 10, 2012
Preceded by	Edward J. Stominski
Succeeded by	Serena DiMaso
Mayor ofMatawan, New Jersey
In office October 1, 1996 – January 18, 2005
Preceded by	Robert Shuey
Succeeded by	Beatrice Duffy
Personal details
Born	(1968-12-31)December 31, 1968 (age 56) Matawan, New Jersey
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Tracy Clifton
Children	2
Residence(s)	Matawan, New Jersey
Education	B.A.Rider College (poli sci) M.A.University of Richmond (poli sci)
Occupation	Director of Local Government Affairs, Comcast Cable
Website	www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster/342/assemblyman-clifton

Robert D. Clifton (born December 31, 1968) is an AmericanRepublican Party politician who has represented the12th Legislative District in theNew Jersey General Assembly since January 10, 2012. He previously served on theMonmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2005 until he took office in the Assembly.

Clifton was born and raised inMatawan, where he attended local elementary schools andSt. John Vianney High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Rider College (nowRider University) and a master's degree in political science at theUniversity of Richmond.^[1] He has been employed by Comcast Cable as Director of Government and Community Affairs since 2001.^[1] Prior to that, Clifton was Director of Industry Relations for the New Jersey Pavement and Asphalt Association, where he acted as liaison between the trade association and municipalities throughout the state regarding road improvement issues. He also served as an assistant to the Deputy Commissioner of theNew Jersey Department of Labor and a legislative aide to former AssemblymanMichael Arnone.

Clifton was theMayor ofMatawan from 1996 until 2005. He was appointed mayor in October 1996 upon the resignation of Robert Shuey.^[2][3] In addition, he served on the borough's unified Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Board of Health, and the Monmouth County Board of Drug & Alcohol Abuse Services. He also served as chairman of the Bayshore Conference of Mayors. In order to focus on his position as a newly elected Freeholder, he resigned from his mayoral post on January 18, 2005.^[3] As Freeholder, Clifton oversaw Finance and Information Technology which includes Department of Finance, the Monmouth County Improvement Authority, Information Technology Services, Department of Purchasing, Records Management and the County Treasurer. Clifton served three terms on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected in 2004, 2007, and 2010. In 2008, he served as deputy director of the Board; Clifton was succeeded in that post byJohn D'Amico, Jr. in 2009. At the January 7, 2010 annual reorganization, he was again chosen as deputy director and at the January 6, 2011 annual reorganization, he was chosen asDirector of the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders.^[4]

In 2011, after legislative redistricting, Clifton ran for the Assembly seat in the 12th District that was opened whenSamuel D. Thompson ran forNew Jersey Senate.^[5] He and his running mateRonald S. Dancer defeated the Democratic candidates, William Spedding and Catherine Tinney Rome, in the general election.^[6] He was sworn in on January 10, 2012.

• Budget
• Housing and Community Development
• Transportation and Independent Authorities

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.^[7] The representatives from the 12th District for the2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[8]

• SenatorOwen Henry(R)
• Assemblyman Robert D. Clifton(R)
• AssemblymanAlex Sauickie(R)

Clifton lives in Matawan with his wife Tracy and his two sons.^[9]

New Jersey general election, 2017^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ronald S. Dancer	30,348	29.3	0.2
	Republican	Robert D. Clifton	29,610	28.5	0.5
	Democratic	Gene Davis	21,441	20.7	0.3
	Democratic	Nirav Patel	20,397	19.7	0.6
	Libertarian	Anthony J. Storrow	1,016	1.0	N/A
	Libertarian	Daniel A. Krause	938	0.9	N/A
Total votes			'103,750'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2015^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ronald S. Dancer	15,164	29.5	3.3
	Republican	Robert D. Clifton	14,433	28.0	3.7
	Democratic	David W. Merwin	10,496	20.4	2.9
	Democratic	Robert P. Kurzydlowski	10,449	20.3	3.7
	Green	Stephen N. Zielinski Sr.	945	1.8	N/A
Total votes			'51,487'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2013^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ronald S. Dancer	32,188	32.8	2.5
	Republican	Robert D. Clifton	31,059	31.7	2.6
	Democratic	Lawrence J. Furman	17,119	17.5	2.9
	Democratic	Nicholas Nellegar	16,312	16.6	3.7
	For the People	Diane Bindler	1,354	1.4	N/A
Total votes			'98,032'	'100.0'

• List of Monmouth County Board of County Commissioner Directors

• Assemblyman Clifton's legislative web page,New Jersey Legislature
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms -201620152014201320122011

• 1968 births
• Living people
• Mayors of places in New Jersey
• County commissioners in New Jersey
• Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
• People from Matawan, New Jersey
• Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey
• Rider University alumni
• St. John Vianney High School (New Jersey) alumni
• University of Richmond alumni
• 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey
• 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature

• Articles with short description
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