Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr. (born April 12, 1960) is an American
Republican Party politician and businessman from
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 ...
. Kyrillos served in the New Jersey
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
from 1992 to 2018, where he represented the
13th Legislative District, and in 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 1988 to 1992.
[
Kyrillos started the consulting firm SK partners and is employed with Newport Capital Group, Red Bank, a financial services firm. He is affiliated with Woodmont Properties, a regional real estate development company and is senior managing director of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, a commercial real estate services firm.]
From 2001 to 2004, Kyrillos served as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee
The New Jersey Republican State Committee (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin.
Current leadership
* Bob Hugin, Chairman
* Lynda A. Pagliughli, V ...
and a member of the Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...
. In that role, he facilitated the logistics and implementation of the 2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings at which the Republican candidates fo ...
in New York City and read the delegate count for President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
’s nomination for re-election on the convention floor. He was the New Jersey Chairman of Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2008, and in 2009, he served as the Chairman of Governor Christie's successful campaign and as a member of the transition team. He served as a close advisor to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...
in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries
Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were se ...
.
Early life and education
Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr. was born April 12, 1960, in Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,[Rumson Country Day School
Founded in 1926, the Rumson Country Day School is a coeducational, nonsectarian independent day school located on a campus in Rumson, New Jersey, specializing in educating boys and girls from nursery (age three) through eighth grade. The Rumson C ...]
and the Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...
. He 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 ...
degree from Hobart College in Political Science and was awarded an M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
from Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
in Communications.[Senator Kyrillos' legislative web page](_blank)
New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 21, 2008.
After graduating from college, Kyrillos worked for Vice President George Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; p ...
during the 1984 Reagan-Bush campaign. Following the campaign, he served as Special Assistant to Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel from 1985 to 1987.
Kyrillos has served on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States.
Background ...
and as a trustee of the American Council of Young Political Leaders.
New Jersey Assembly (1988–1992)
Elections
Kyrillos was first elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1987, together with his incumbent running mate Joann H. Smith, with both candidates receiving more than $25,000 each in campaign funding from the $1.1 million spent by the New Jersey Republican State Committee
The New Jersey Republican State Committee (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin.
Current leadership
* Bob Hugin, Chairman
* Lynda A. Pagliughli, V ...
to support candidates statewide. In 1989, he won re-election to a second term. After spending two terms in the Assembly, he retired to run for the seat in the New Jersey Senate in 1991.
Tenure
Kyrillos strongly opposed Democratic Governor Jim Florio
James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from ...
's tax increases, citing his opposition to "the Florio tax plan" repeatedly in his campaign advertising. He also opposed the Abbott district
''Abbott'' districts are school districts in New Jersey that are provided remedies to ensure that their students receive public education in accordance with the state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a result of the first ruling of ''Abb ...
s.
Committee assignments
*Assembly Education Committee
New Jersey Senate (1992–2018)
Elections
In 1991, Kyrillos decided to run for the 13th District seat in the New Jersey Senate. He defeated incumbent appointed Senator James T. Phillips 68%-32%. In 1993, after redistricting, he won re-election to a second term with 64% of the vote. In 1997, he won re-election to a third term with 63% of the vote.
After redistricting, the 13th district became more competitive. In 2001, he won re-election to a fourth term (two-year term) with 64% of the vote. He won re-election to a fifth term in 2003 against former State Assemblyman Bill Flynn
William Flynn (13 December 1948 – 11 July 2007) was a South African actor and comedian, perhaps best known for playing Tjokkie.
Early life
Flynn was born William Frederick Flynn in Cape Town and matriculated from Plumstead High School. He ...
54%-41%. In 2007, he won re-election to a sixth term with 61% of the vote. In 2011, he won re-election to a seventh term, defeating Hazlet Mayor Chris Cullen, 60%-37%.[
]
Tenure
When Republicans held the legislative majority in the Statehouse, Kyrillos served as Majority Conference Leader and chaired standing committees on economic development and coastal resources.
Kyrillos was ranking member of the Economic Growth, Judiciary and Legislative Oversight committees.
On October 25, 2016, Kyrillos told Observer.com that he would not seek a re-election for the 2017 State Senate elections. He was succeeded by Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon
Declan Joseph O'Scanlon Jr. (born June 9, 1963) is an American politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2018, representing the 13th Legislative District. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the New Jersey ...
in 2018.
Committee assignments
*Senate Natural Resources and Tourism Committee (Chairman)
*Senate Economic Growth Committee
*Senate Judiciary Committee
*Senate Oversight Committee[
;Other positions
*Senate Majority Conference Leader
*]New Jersey Republican State Committee
The New Jersey Republican State Committee (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin.
Current leadership
* Bob Hugin, Chairman
* Lynda A. Pagliughli, V ...
(Chairman)[
]
District 13
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members 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 f ...
. The Assembly representatives from the 13th District for the 2014–2015 Legislative Session were:
*Assemblywoman Amy Handlin
Amy H. Handlin (born January 28, 1956) is an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where she represented the 13th Legislative District from 2006 to 2020.
Education and career
Handlin earned a B. ...
, and
*Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon
Declan Joseph O'Scanlon Jr. (born June 9, 1963) is an American politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2018, representing the 13th Legislative District. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the New Jersey ...
Other political activities
1992 congressional election
In 1992, Kyrillos ran for the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
but was defeated by incumbent Democrat Frank Pallone
Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. (; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to ...
in a competitive race, falling short by about 10 points.
2001–2004: Chairman, New Jersey Republican State Committee
From 2001 to 2004, Kyrillos served as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and a member of the Republican National Committee, where he worked to elect Republicans who shared his vision. In that role, he facilitated the logistics and implementation of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City and read the delegate count for President George W. Bush's nomination for re-election on the convention floor.
2008 Romney presidential campaign
Kyrillos was the New Jersey Chairman of Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign.
2009 Christie gubernatorial campaign
In 2009, Kyrillos served as chairman of 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 N ...
's successful gubernatorial campaign and was a member of the Governor's Transition Committee, serving as the liaison to all transition sub-committees.
2012 U.S. Senate election
In June 2011, Kyrillos filed an exploratory committee for a potential race in either 2012 or 2014.
On January 19, 2012, Kyrillos officially decided to run for the U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, citing unemployment, housing prices and the national debt as issues he would tackle in the Senate. Kyrillos won the Republican nomination on June 5, 2012. He opposed Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez in the November 6th general election, in which he was defeated 58.4% to 40%.
Memberships
Kyrillos has served on the boards of the American Council of Young Political Leaders, National Conference of State Legislatures Foundation, Bayshore Senior Day Center, Count Basie Theatre
The Count Basie Center for the Arts is a landmarked performing arts center in Red Bank, New Jersey, United States.
In 1926, the building opened as the "Carlton Theater" became the "Monmouth Arts Center" in 1973, and was renamed "Count Basie The ...
, Garden State Arts Center Foundation, Monmouth County Historical Association, New Jersey Historical Society
The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition spac ...
, Prevention First, Rainbow Foundation, and the Two River Theatre Company.
Personal life
Kyrillos is married to Susan Doctorian Kyrillos and has two children, Max and Georgia.
Election history
References
External links
Senator Kyrillos's Official Site
Joe Kyrillos for Senate
*
*
Senator Kyrillos' legislative web page
New Jersey Legislature
* ''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
*
2011201020092008
2007200620052004
Senator Joseph M. 'Joe' Kyrillos Jr.
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 s ...
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyrillos, Joseph M.
1960 births
21st-century American politicians
American people of Greek descent
Boston University College of Communication alumni
Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee
Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni
Lawrenceville School alumni
Living people
Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
Republican Party New Jersey state senators
People from Kearny, New Jersey
People from Middletown Township, New Jersey
Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey
Candidates in the 2012 United States elections