Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succeeding

Stephen Sweeney Stephen M. Sweeney (born June 11, 1959) is an American politician and labor leader who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2022, representing the 3rd legislative district. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 114th President o ...

, and was succeeded by

Loretta Weinberg Loretta Weinberg (born February 6, 1935) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from 2005-2022, where she represented the 37th Legislative District. She also served as Senate Majority Leader. ...

. She is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and was the Democratic nominee for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

in the 2013 general election, which she lost to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...

. Before entering the Senate, Buono served in the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

, the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

, from 1994 to 2002, where she served as the Minority Parliamentarian from 1996 to 1998. In the Assembly, Buono became the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Budget Committee. She was Democratic Conference Chair from 2004 to 2007.

Biography

Buono was born in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

,Senator Barbara A. Buono

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

. Accessed January 29, 2013. grew up in Nutley, New Jersey and attended

Nutley Public Schools Nutley Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Nutley, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comp ...

, graduating from

Nutley High School Nutley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Township of Nutley, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Nutley Public Sch ...

in 1971. Buono received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1975 from

Montclair State College Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

in Political Science and earned a J.D. in 1979 from the

Rutgers School of Law–Camden Rutgers Law School is the law school of Rutgers University, with classrooms in Newark and Camden, New Jersey. It is the largest public law school and the 10th largest law school, overall, in the United States. Each class in the three-year J.D. p ...

. Before joining the

Metuchen Metuchen ( ) is a suburban Borough (New Jersey), borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan River, Raritan Valley reg ...

borough council, she was a member of the Middlesex County Democratic Committee. While serving on the borough council, she served on the Metuchen Planning Board for one year in 1994. Buono is married to Dr. Martin Gizzi and has four children with her first husband and two step-children with Dr. Gizzi. In 2015, Buono sold her home in Metuchen and moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Political career

She began her career as a criminal trial attorney for the

New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate The New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate was a department within the Executive branch of the government of New Jersey that acted as a voice on behalf of the people of the state. It was responsible to make government "more accountable and r ...

and later entered private practice. Buono first ran for local office on November 3, 1992, serving on the

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...

Borough Council from January 1, 1993 to December 1, 1994. Buono ran against and beat incumbent Republican State Assemblywoman

Joanna Gregory-Scocchi Joanna Gregory-Scocchi (born April 13, 1959) was a Republican politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from February 16, 1994 – December 1, 1994, representing the 18th Legislative District. After Christine Whitman took office i ...

in 1994, who had been chosen by a Republican special convention in February 1994 to fill the vacant seat of Republican Assemblywoman Harriet Derman (who was chosen by Governor Christine Whitman to head the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The department is headed by Commissioner Sheila Oliver, who is also serving as lieutenant governor of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA prov ...

). In the November 8, 1994, special election, early favorite Gregory-Scocchi was defeated by Buono, after disclosures that a temporary employment firm owned by Gregory-Scocchi had hired illegal immigrants, with Buono having received 27,229 votes (53.74%) and Gregory-Scocchi 23,436 votes (46.26%). Buono was sworn into office on December 1, 1994. After serving seven years in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

she was elected to the

on November 6, 2001. Buono served in the Senate on the Budget and Appropriations Committee (as Chair), the Intergovernmental Relations Commission and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee. She was the first woman to serve as Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. At the beginning of the 2010 session, Senator Buono became the first woman to be elected Majority Leader of the New Jersey State Senate. She held the position through the end of the 2011 session, when she was succeeded by

, after Buono declined to agree with Senate President

on the terms of a power-sharing deal. Buono was the author of the New Jersey "Anti-Bullying Law", which requires school districts to implement anti-harassment and bullying prevention policies to make schools safer for vulnerable children. She was also the prime sponsor of consumer protection measures restricting telemarketing by creating the most stringent "Do Not Call" database legislation in the nation. Senator Buono is also the prime sponsor of the law prohibiting the practice of

predatory lending Predatory lending refers to unethical practices conducted by lending organizations during a loan origination process that are unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent. While there are no internationally agreed legal definitions for predatory lending, a 2006 ...

, in which lenders issue loans with hidden costs and excessive fees to homeowners, eroding their financial security and putting their homes at risk. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee, and serves on the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, and the State Government, Wagering, Tourism, & Historic Preservation committee. Buono voted for the legalization of medical marijuana. Word bills related to the measure were signed into law by Democratic Governor

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

and six bills related to the measure were vetoed by Republican Governor

District 18

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the

and two members in the

. The other representatives from the 18th District for the 2012-2013 Legislative Session were: * Assemblyman

Peter J. Barnes III Peter J. Barnes III (April 26, 1956 – February 22, 2021) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate, where he represented the New Jersey's 18th legislative district, 18th ...

(D) * Assemblyman

Patrick J. Diegnan Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (born March 19, 1949) is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented the 18th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since 2016. Early life The youngest of seven children born to immigrants from ...

(D)

2013 campaign for Governor

On December 11, 2012, Buono announced her candidacy for Governor of New Jersey in the Democratic primary, with the winner to face Republican incumbent Chris Christie in the 2013 election.Renshaw, Jarrett
"N.J. Sen. Barbara Buono is first Democrat to challenge Christie for governor"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'', December 11, 2012. Accessed January 28, 2013. "State Sen. Barbara Buono today announced she's running for governor, becoming the first high-profile Democrat to launch a campaign aimed at toppling popular Republican incumbent Chris Christie next year." Buono gained considerable party support by late January. In the primary election on June 4, 2013, she was chosen over one opponent to be the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in the 2013 general election. Despite

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

being a historically Democratic state in presidential contests, her campaign struggled to gain traction against Christie. On July 29, Buono selected Milly Silva, executive vice president of 1199 SEIU, as her running mate for lieutenant governor. On November 5, Buono was defeated by incumbent Governor

by a 60.3% to 38.2% margin.

Post election

Buono moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in 2015 and became advisor to Mayor

Ted Wheeler Edward Tevis Wheeler (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Portland, Oregon since 2017. He was Oregon State Treasurer from 2010 to 2016. Wheeler was elected in the 2016 Portland mayoral election and re ...

. She returned to the East Coast in 2019.

Electoral history

References

External links

* Archive o
Barbara Buono for Governor
* Archive o
Barbara Buono (D)
official New Jersey Legislature site * * ''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms'' *
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* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Buono, Barbara 1953 births Living people 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2013 United States elections Majority leaders of the New Jersey Senate Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Montclair State University alumni New Jersey city council members Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Nutley High School alumni Oregon Democrats People from Metuchen, New Jersey People from Nutley, New Jersey Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Politicians from Portland, Oregon Rutgers School of Law–Camden alumni Women city councillors in New Jersey Women state legislators in New Jersey