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Nellie Pou

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Nellie Pou
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 9th district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingBill Pascrell
Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 35th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2012
Preceded byJohn Girgenti
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 35th district
In office
January 29, 1997 – January 10, 2012
Preceded byBill Pascrell
Succeeded byShavonda E. Sumter
Benjie E. Wimberly
Personal details
Born (1956-05-20) May 20, 1956 (age 68)
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRichard Freid
EducationKean University
Rutgers University
University of Virginia
WebsiteState Senate website

Nelida "Nellie" Avila Pou[1] (/poʊ/ POH;[2] born May 20, 1956;[3][4]) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2012, representing the 35th Legislative District. She previously represented the 35th district in the General Assembly. When Pou was sworn into the Assembly on January 29, 1997, to succeed Bill Pascrell, she became the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th district.[5]

Pou serves in the senate as the Majority Caucus Chair.[4] Pou has chaired the bicameral New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus since 2006.[4] From 2022 to 2023, Pou was also president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.[6]

On August 29, 2024, Pou was selected to replace Rep. Bill Pascrell on the ballot as the Democratic candidate in New Jersey's 9th congressional district following his death eight days earlier.[7]

Education

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Pou attended Kean College, Rutgers University, and the University of Virginia.[8]

Career

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Pou has spent most of her career working for the City of Paterson, where she has served as business administrator (2014–18), assistant business administrator (2003–2014, 1997–1998), director of human services (1986–1997), and CETA training and education coordinator (1975–1983).[4]

As of 2019 she was a project coordinator for the Paterson Parking Authority.[9]

She also served on the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (1997–2016) and on the Passaic-Bergen County HIV Health Services Advisory Council (1993–1997).[4] She was the coordinator of the Passaic County Youth Program from 1983 to 1985.[4]

New Jersey General Assembly

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Pou was appointed to a vacant seat previously held since 1988 by Bill Pascrell in the New Jersey General Assembly on January 29, 1997. Pascrell resigned from his position after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and sworn in on January 3, 1997.[10] She was the Assembly's Deputy Speaker from 2002 to 2005 and the Assistant Minority Leader from 2000 to 2001.[4]

In the Assembly, Pou served on the Appropriations Committee (as Chair from 2006 to 2011), the Budget Committee, the Education Committee and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.[4] Previously, Pou served on the Senior Issues Committee (as Chair), the Appropriations Committee (as Vice Chair) and the Education Committee.

New Jersey Senate

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Instead of running for re-election to her Assembly seat in 2011, Pou ran for the State Senate seat from the district that long-time incumbent John Girgenti was vacating. She easily defeated former Haledon Mayor Ken Pengitore in the 2011 New Jersey Senate election, as expected, and was sworn in as Senator in January 2012.[11] She was re-elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2023.[12]

Committees

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Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[4]

  • Commerce (as chair)
  • Judiciary (as vice-chair)

District 35

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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.[13] The representatives from the 35th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[14]

U.S. House of Representatives

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On August 29, 2024, Passaic County Democratic committee members nominated Pou to run to represent New Jersey's 9th congressional district, facing Republican Billy Prempeh in the 2024 election. Democratic leaders rapidly agreed to choose her to replace Representative Bill Pascrell, who died on August 21; the deadline for replacing Pascrell on the ballot was midnight that evening.[15]

Election history

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35th Legislative District General Election, 2023[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nelida Pou (incumbent) 11,950 69.0
Republican Christopher Faustino 5,365 31.0
Total votes 17,315 100.0
Democratic hold
35th Legislative District general election, 2021[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nelida Pou (incumbent) 20,464 68.59
Republican Kenneth Pengitore 9,372 31.41
Total votes 29,836 100.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2017[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nellie Pou (incumbent) 21,425 79.0
Republican Marwan Sholakh 5,698 21.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nellie Pou (incumbent) 22,154 74.1
Republican Lynda Gallashaw 7,737 25.9
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nellie Pou 14,386 74.7
Republican Ken Pengitore 4,867 25.3
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ "Rep. Nellie Pou - D New Jersey, 9rd - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Baldwin, Tom. Dag Hammarskjold? Some ask 'Who's he?' Corzine makes reference to late U.N. secretary-general", Courier-Post, February 23, 2007. Accessed January 12, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Odd that a copy of the Corzine address had Hammarskjold's name spelled out phonetically, as was the name of Assemblywoman Nellie Pou, D-Passaic, whose name is pronounced like 'Poe.'"
  3. ^ Clunn, Nick. "GOP faults Dems on Paterson ties in 35th District", The Record, October 26, 2011. Accessed September 11, 2015. "Nellie Pou (D); Age: 55; Hometown: North Haledon"
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Senator Nellie Pou, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "Pou to Take Assembly Oath as First Woman, First Hispanic to Represent the 35th District", The Italian Voice, February 13, 1997. Accessed April 7, 2008. "Nellie Pou took the oath of office Wednesday January 29th for the 35th District Assembly seat vacated by William J. Pascrell Jr., who was elected to Congress in November. Pou is the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th District in the Legislature."
  6. ^ Sen. Nellie Pou, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. Accessed April 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Houlis, Katie (August 30, 2024). "New Jersey Sen. Nellie Pou will replace late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. on November ballot - CBS New York". CBS News. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "District 35: Nellie Pou". New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "Nellie Pou nets Paterson parking agency job". North Jersey. January 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey - Two Hundred and Eleventh Legislature (First Session) (PDF). Skinder-Strauss Associates. 2004. pp. 289–290. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed January 22, 2012.
  12. ^ "Nellie Pou". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  13. ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Legislative Roster for District 35, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Blackburn, Zach (August 29, 2024). "Democrats officially nominate Nellie Pou to succeed Pascrell". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  19. ^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/05/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 4, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 9th congressional district
Taking office 2025 		Elect
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