Yvonne Lopez

Yvonne M. Lopez
Member of the New Jersey Assembly
from the 19th District
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2018
Serving with Craig Coughlin
Preceded byJohn Wisniewski
Personal details
Born (1957-07-28) July 28, 1957 (age 67)
Perth Amboy, New Jersey[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materRutgers University[2]
OccupationAdministrator
WebsiteLegislative Website

Yvonne M. Lopez (born July 28, 1957) is an American politician from New Jersey. A resident of Perth Amboy, she has represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly as a member of the Democratic Party since January 9, 2018.

Early life and education

Lopez was born on July 28, 1957 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey. She attended Rutgers University.[2]

Career

Prior to entering politics, Lopez worked in the private sector. She served in the Community Relations department of Wachovia Bank for a period of 20 years from 1987 to 2007, eventually becoming a vice-president.[3]

Lopez later became CEO and executive director of the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development (PRAHD).[4] Under her leadership, the PRAHD worked with the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters to create a training program for underemployed and unemployed individuals.[5]

In 2016, she was honored by the city of Perth Amboy for her work serving in the board of Perth Amboy's Business Improvement District (BID).[4] As of 2023, she was a member of the New Jersey Puerto Rico Commission.[6]

Member of the New Jersey Assembly (2018-present)

Yvonne Lopez with Cory Booker at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice in 2018.

Lopez first ran for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly in the 2017 election. She won the seat, which was relinquished by her predecessor John Wisniewski after he chose to run for Governor of New Jersey in the 2017 election.[2] Lopez was reelected in the 2019, 2021, and 2023 elections.

Each district in the New Jersey Legislature is represented by one state senator and two members of the General Assembly Alongside with Lopez, the 19th District is represented in the current session by Senator Joe F. Vitale (D) and fellow assemblymember Craig Coughlin (D).

Tenure

In 2020, Lopez was appointed to serve as vice chair of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators' Latino Voting and Elections Task Force.[7]

In 2024, Lopez began preparing legislation to prohibit landlords operating in New Jersey from using rent-setting algorithms that increase costs for renters.[3]

Committee memberships

In the 221st New Jersey Assembly session (2024-2024), she is chair of the Housing Committee, vice chair of the Community Development and Womens Affairs Committee, and a member of the Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee.[2]

Electoral history

New Jersey General Assembly

19th Legislative District General Election, 2023[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Craig J. Coughlin (incumbent) 18,808 31.4
Democratic Yvonne Lopez (incumbent) 18,254 30.5
Republican Marilyn Colon 11,496 19.2
Republican Sam Raval 10,740 17.9
Libertarian David Diez 619 1.0
Total votes 59,917 100.0
Democratic hold
Democratic hold
New Jersey general election, 2021[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Craig Coughlin (Incumbent) 26,529 29.15
Democratic Yvonne Lopez (Incumbent) 26,057 28.63
Republican Anthony "Tony" Gallo 19,337 21.24
Republican Bruce Banko 19,098 20.98
Total votes 91,021 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2017[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Craig Coughlin (Incumbent) 25,708 35.6 Steady 0.0
Democratic Yvonne Lopez 24,830 34.4 Decrease 1.9
Republican Deepak Malhotra 10,709 14.8 Steady 0.0
Republican Amarjit K. Riar 9,436 13.1 Decrease 0.2
Quality of Life William Cruz 1,488 2.1 N/A
Total votes 72,171 100.0

References

  1. ^ "Proud to be an American: Yvonne Lopez", Home News Tribune, July 4, 2007. Accessed January 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "I was born and raised in the city of Perth Amboy, but my parents came from Puerto Rico."
  2. ^ a b c d Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System".
  4. ^ a b "Perth Amboy BID Honors Yvonne Lopez, former BID Board Member | The Amboy Guardian". June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Lopez, Yvonne (July 23, 2015). "Training program offers path to success". Courier News. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Gets Rock Star Welcome in Atlantic City by NJ PR Commission - Front Runner New Jersey". Front Runner New Jersey. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Biryukov, Nikita (January 21, 2020). "Lopez appointed to national Latino legislators elections task force". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/02/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "2017-official-general-election-results-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by Member of the New Jersey General Assembly for the 19th District
January 9, 2018–present
With: Craig Coughlin 		Succeeded by
Incumbent


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