Linda R. Greenstein
Linda Greenstein | |
---|---|
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 14th district | |
Assumed office December 6, 2010 | |
Preceded by | Tom Goodwin |
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 14th district | |
In office January 11, 2000 – December 6, 2010 | |
Preceded by | Paul Kramer Barbara Wright |
Succeeded by | Daniel R. Benson |
Personal details | |
Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | June 7, 1950
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Michael Greenstein (d. 2017) |
Children | 1 |
Residence | Plainsboro Township, New Jersey |
Alma mater | Vassar College (AB) Johns Hopkins University (MA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Website | Legislative Website |
Linda R. Greenstein (born June 7, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who has served since 2010 as a member of the New Jersey Senate representing the 14th legislative district.[1] She previously served in the General Assembly from 2000 to 2010.
Early life and education
[edit]Greenstein was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Queens. She received an A.B. from Vassar College in Psychology in 1971, an M.A. in 1974 from Johns Hopkins University and was awarded a J.D. in 1984 from the Georgetown University Law Center.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]She was a Clinical Associate Professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law, where she supervised the Disability Law Clinic. She has served as a Deputy Attorney General in Trenton and as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia.
Greenstein served on the Plainsboro Township Committee from 1995 to 2000 and on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District's Board of Education from 1992 to 1994.[3] Prior to her election to the General Assembly, she was a Senior Staff Attorney at the Community Health Law Project and supervised the Public Interest Legal Clinic at Montclair State University.[citation needed]
New Jersey Assembly
[edit]In the 1999 Assembly election, Republican incumbents Paul Kramer and Barbara Wright were narrowly defeated by Democrats Greenstein and Gary Guear, with the incumbents losing votes in Hamilton Township, where Democrat Glen Gilmore won the race for mayor. The two gains were among the three Republicans seats Democrats picked up in the Assembly in the 1999 elections, though the Republicans retained their majority.[4] She served in the Assembly for five terms from 2000 through 2010. She was the Assembly's Assistant Majority Leader from 2002, and the Deputy Speaker from 2006 to 2010. Greenstein served in the Assembly on the Judiciary Committee (as Chair) and the Health and Senior Services Committee.[citation needed] Greenstein was reelected in 2007 while participating in the New Jersey Clean Elections public funding program.[citation needed] During this campaign, Greenstein faced radio attack ads from a national third-party conservative group with ties to President George W. Bush.[5]
2008 presidential campaign
[edit]In 2008, Greenstein initially attempted to serve as a delegate for the Hillary Clinton campaign, but the Clinton campaign declined to nominate her.[6] Greenstein endorsed Barack Obama's presidential campaign prior to the 2008 Iowa caucus.[7] Greenstein worked as a campaign surrogate prior to the June primary and served as an Obama delegate to 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.[6][8]
New Jersey Senate
[edit]In the 2010 special Senate election to fill the remainder of Bill Baroni's term, Greenstein ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She defeated appointed incumbent Senator Tom Goodwin, one of her opponents from the 2009 Assembly race.[9]
In 2011, Greenstein was re-elected over challenger Richard Kanka, father of murder victim Megan Kanka and driver behind Megan's Law.[10]
In 2013, Greenstein faced former State Senator Peter Inverso, who represented the district from 1992 to 2008. Greenstein was re-elected to a second full term by 1,484 votes, the closest Senate margin in New Jersey that year.[11]
In 2017, her opponent was Hamilton Township Councilwoman Ileana Schirmer.[12] Greenstein defeated Schirmer 56.3% to 43.7%.[13]
Committees
[edit]Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[3]
- Law and Public Safety (as chair)
- Budget and Appropriations (as vice-chair)
- Environment and Energy (as vice-chair)
District 14
[edit]Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.[14] The representatives from the 14th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[15]
- Senator Linda R. Greenstein (D)
- Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D)
- Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D)
2014 congressional election
[edit]In 2014, 12th congressional district Representative Rush D. Holt, Jr. announced his retirement from Congress. Greenstein announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination for the seat the same day of Holt's announcement.[16]
Of the four counties in the district, she only received the county committee endorsement from her home county of Middlesex.[17] After Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman received the Mercer County endorsement on March 22, Greenstein was recorded telling local county Democratic leaders, "I hate everybody in here. Everybody in here is my enemy – except for the people from Hamilton. The rest of you are my enemies." Her campaign responded to the leak with a statement saying, "This thinly veiled attempt at intimidation from unnamed party bosses unfortunately reeks of the kind of sexism successful women have had to contend with throughout history." Mercer County Democratic Party chairwoman Elizabeth Maher Muoio refuted this claim, saying "Clearly, the results were not what she had hoped for, but to blame them on sexism or on a closed process is deceptive, untrue and insulting."[18]
In the Democratic primary held on June 3, Watson Coleman defeated Greenstein, Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula and scientist Andrew Zwicker.[19]
Personal life
[edit]She is a resident of Plainsboro Township, and had one son Evan, with her husband Michael Greenstein.[20][21] Michael Greenstein died on November 1, 2017.[22]
Electoral history
[edit]United States House of Representatives
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bonnie Watson Coleman | 15,603 | 43.0 | |
Democratic | Linda Greenstein | 10,089 | 27.8 | |
Democratic | Upendra J. Chivukula | 7,890 | 21.8 | |
Democratic | Andrew Zwicker | 2,668 | 7.4 |
New Jersey Senate
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein (incumbent) | 33,020 | 59.8 | |
Republican | Patricia "Pat" Johnson | 22,225 | 40.2 | |
Total votes | 55,245 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein (incumbent) | 40,735 | 55.16 | |
Republican | Adam J. Elias | 33,116 | 44.84 | |
Total votes | 73,851 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 34,474 | 56.5 | 6.1 | |
Republican | Ileana Schirmer | 26,548 | 43.5 | 4.5 | |
Total votes | '61,022' | '100.0' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein (incumbent) | 31,387 | 50.4% | 4.9 | |
Republican | Peter A. Inverso | 29,903 | 48.0% | 3.3 | |
Libertarian | Don Dezarn | 1,014 | 1.6% | N/A | |
Democratic hold | Swing | {{{swing}}} |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein (incumbent) | 26,206 | 55.3 | |
Republican | Richard J. Kanka | 21,176 | 44.7 | |
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 36,411 | 53.8 | |||
Republican | Tom Goodwin (incumbent) | 31,311 | 46.2 | |||
Democratic gain from Republican |
New Jersey Assembly
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 37,958 | 28.2 | 1.1 | |
Democratic | Wayne DeAngelo | 35,791 | 26.6 | 2.6 | |
Republican | Rob Calabro | 30,479 | 22.6 | 0.7 | |
Republican | William T. Harvey, Jr. | 29,530 | 21.9 | 0.8 | |
Modern Whig | Gene L. Baldassari | 859 | 0.6 | N/A | |
Total votes | '134,617' | '100.0' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 28,266 | 27.1 | 0.4 | |
Democratic | Wayne P. DeAngelo | 25,119 | 24.0 | 1.7 | |
Republican | Thomas Goodwin | 24,298 | 23.3 | 4.4 | |
Republican | Adam Bushman | 23,711 | 22.7 | 0.4 | |
Libertarian | Jason M. Scheurer | 1,775 | 1.7 | 1.2 | |
Libertarian | Ray F. Cragle | 1,308 | 1.3 | 0.8 | |
Total votes | '104,477' | '100.0' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bill Baroni | 37,241 | 27.7 | 0.2 | |
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 35,816 | 26.7 | 1.2 | |
Democratic | Daniel R. Benson | 29,914 | 22.3 | 0.2 | |
Republican | Michael D. Paquette | 29,899 | 22.3 | 2.2 | |
Libertarian | William Hunsicker | 725 | 0.5 | N/A | |
Libertarian | Jason M. Scheurer | 714 | 0.5 | N/A | |
Total votes | '134,309' | '100.0' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bill Baroni | 27,181 | 27.9 | 4.7 | |
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 24,752 | 25.5 | 2.0 | |
Republican | Sidna B. Mitchell | 23,872 | 24.5 | 1.5 | |
Democratic | Gary Guear | 21,448 | 22.1 | 4.2 | |
Total votes | '97,253' | '100.0' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 32,878 | 27.5 | |
Democratic | Gary Guear | 31,469 | 26.3 | |
Republican | Barbara Wright | 27,803 | 23.2 | |
Republican | Paul Kramer | 27,563 | 23.0 | |
Total votes | 119,713 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda R. Greenstein | 25,219 | 25.4 | 2.3 | |
Democratic | Gary Guear | 25,214 | 25.4 | 2.6 | |
Republican | Paul R. Kramer | 24,769 | 25.0 | 1.2 | |
Republican | Barbara W. Wright | 23,981 | 24.2 | 1.8 | |
Total votes | '99,183' | '100.0' |
References
[edit]- ^ "Linda Greenstein tops Tom Goodwin; 1st woman to hold NJ's Mercer-Middlesex 14th Legislative District seat". The Trentonian. November 3, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 265. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC., 2004. ISBN 9781577411871. Accessed September 25, 2019. "Assemblywoman Greenstein was born June 7, 1950, in Brooklyn, N.Y. She attended public elementary school in Brooklyn and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Queens, N.Y."
- ^ a b c Senator Linda R. Greenstein (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 22, 2024.
- ^ Peterson, Iver. "On Politics; Making Headway, Democrats Look Toward Two Big Ones", The New York Times, November 7, 1999. Accessed June 8, 2010.
- ^ Our View. "Scrapped for now". (September 11, 2008). The Press of Atlantic City, p. 36
- ^ a b Wildstein, David (February 24, 2020). "A guide to how N.J. Democrats pick their national convention delegates". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Malwitz, Rich. "Local Politicians embraced Obama early on". (January 30, 2008). Asbury Park Press, p. 20
- ^ Pizarro, Max (January 27, 2008). "As Clinton's machine kicks in, Obama team dispatches "Truth Squad"". Observer. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Duffy, Erin (December 7, 2010). "Leaving Assembly, Plainsboro's Greenstein is sworn into state Senate". The Times of Trenton. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ DeMarco, Megan (November 8, 2011). "Greenstein fends off challenge from Kanka in N.J. District 14 election". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ Davis, Mike (November 14, 2013). "Former Sen. Peter Inverso won't seek recount in 14th District election loss to Sen. Linda Greenstein". The Times. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ "In Swing NJ 14th, Linda Greenstein Faces Top GOP Recruit Ileana Schirmer". Observer.com. March 9, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "Unofficial List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 8, 2017. p. 14. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
- ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
- ^ Legislative Roster for District 14, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed September 28, 2022.
- ^ Isherwood, Darryl (February 18, 2014). "State Sen. Linda Greenstein will seek Congressional seat". NJ.com. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ Nurin, Tara (May 30, 2014). "Four Jostle for Position in NJ's Most-Watched Congressional Primary". NJ Spotlight. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (May 15, 2014). "New Jersey Democrat's Epic Freakout". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Brent (June 3, 2014). "12th congressional district: Watson Coleman beats Greenstein for Democratic nod". NJ Advance Media. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ Assembly Member Linda R. Greenstein, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 10, 2007.
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey - Two Hundred and Eleventh Legislature (First Session) (PDF). Skinder-Strauss Associates. 2004. pp. 264–265. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ Alfaro, Alyana (November 1, 2017). "Michael Greenstein, Husband of State Senator, Passes Away". Observer. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
- ^ "Official List Candidates for House of Representatives For PRIMARY ELECTION 06/03/2014 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. August 6, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate for GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 06/08/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "2017-official-general-election-results-state-senate.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For General Election 11/05/2013 Election Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of State, December 4, 2013. Accessed December 31, 2014.
- ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed June 22, 2012.
- ^ "New Jersey Department of State - Division of Elections". Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2011. "New Jersey Senate, (retrieved on 12/12/11).
- ^ "2009-official-gen-elect-gen-assembly-tallies-120109.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "2007-official-general-election-tallies(ga)-12.12.07.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "05831236.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "2003g_a_candidate_tally.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "2001-general-elect-gen-assembly-tallies.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "1999-general-elect-gen-assembly-candidate-tallies.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Senator Greenstein's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms - 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
- Linda R. Greenstein, Project Vote Smart
- 1950 births
- Living people
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- Johns Hopkins University alumni
- Democratic Party New Jersey state senators
- New Jersey city council members
- Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
- New Jersey lawyers
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- Politicians from Mercer County, New Jersey
- Seton Hall University faculty
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