Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 15, 2018
Serving with Anthony Verrelli
Preceded byElizabeth Maher Muoio
Personal details
Born (1971-07-26) July 26, 1971
PartyDemocratic
SpouseLorenzo Jackson
Education
WebsiteCampaign website
State Assembly website

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (born July 26, 1971) is an American social worker and Democratic Party politician who has represented the 15th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018, and is now in her fourth term. She served in the Assembly as the Deputy Majority Leader from 2020 to 2021, and has been the Constituent Outreach Chair, Chair of the Education Committee, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Schools, and Vice Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Previously, she was a member of the Trenton City Council from 2010 to 2018, during which time she ultimately served as Council President.

Reynolds-Jackson entered the 2026 Democratic primary for New Jersey's 12th congressional district, coming in fifth and losing to crisis doctor Adam Hamawy.

Early life

Reynolds-Jackson is a lifelong Trenton, New Jersey, resident, the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran father and a mother who was a typist in the Attorney General's office.[1] She attended Trenton Central High School. She graduated from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) with a bachelor's degree in Sociology, and from Central Michigan University with a Master of Science in administration.

Reynolds-Jackson has worked for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in its Division of Housing, and for the Mercer County Board of Social Services as a social worker.[2]

Trenton City Council (2010–18)

First elected to the Trenton City Council in 2010, as the first Black woman to represent Trenton's East Ward Council, Reynolds-Jackson was re-elected to a second term in office to represent the ward for a four-year term running from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2018, after she received 42% of the votes cast in the ward while she was one of three candidates running for the seat.[3][4][5][6] As a Democratic county committee member, she was involved in political campaigns across Mercer County in 2016 and 2017.[6] She was elected by her peers in October 2014 to serve as the City Council's vice president, though two councilmembers voted against the appointment, claiming that the position of vice president had been created improperly.[7][8] She ultimately became Council President.[9]

New Jersey Assembly (2018–present)

Reynolds-Jackson is serving in her fourth term as Assemblywoman for NJ-15.[9]

In January 2018, New Jersey Assemblywoman Elizabeth Maher Muoio, representing the 15th Legislative District, was nominated by Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy to serve as the Treasurer of New Jersey. She resigned from the Assembly effective January 15, 2018, to begin work in the executive branch; her resignation came less than a week after she was sworn into office.[10]

Reynolds-Jackson was chosen at a February 10, 2018, Democratic county convention from Mercer County and Hunterdon County to succeed Muoioas as New Jersey Assemblywoman until a November 2018 special election. In the second round of voting in the general election for the New Jersey Assembly, Reynolds-Jackson received a majority of the votes cast by committee members, defeating Mercer County Freeholder Anthony Verrelli.[11][6] She served in the Assembly as the Deputy Majority Leader from 2020 to 2021, and has been the Constituent Outreach Chair since 2022.[11]

As an Assemblywoman, she was the main sponsor of a bill requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to not wear the masks, which Governor Mikie Sherrill signed.[1] She pushed a voting rights bill, and education bills.[1]

In 2020, she was one of the primary sponsors of New Jersey Assembly Bill 4454 (now N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.36a) which requires a curriculum on diversity and inclusion to be a component of the school curriculum for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.[12]

In January 2024, during a debate on a bill to increase legislators' salaries, Assemblyman Brian Bergen asserted that legislators were "doing quite well" based on the cars with Assembly member license plates he saw in the New Jersey State House parking lot, to which Reynolds-Jackson responded that she drives a 2007 Toyota Camry.[13]

Committee assignments

As of 2026, she served as Assembly Chair of the Education Committee, Constituent Outreach Chair, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Schools, and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee.[9]

District 15

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 15th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session were:[15]

2026 U.S. House of Representatives New Jersey Democratic primary

Reynolds-Jackson entered the 2026 Democratic primary for New Jersey's 12th congressional district to succeed Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, after Watson Coleman announced her retirement.[16]

Reynolds-Jackson has focused on her desire to improve healthcare access, affordability, public education, and criminal justice reform, and spotlighted her legislative experience.[16]

She has received endorsements from state legislators Wayne DeAngelo, state assemblymember from the 14th district (2008–present), Shirley Turner, president pro tempore of the New Jersey Senate (2002–2010, 2024–present) from the 15th district (1998–present), and Anthony Verrelli, state assemblymember from the 15th district (2018–present).[17] She has also been endorsed by local officials Dan Benson, Mercer County Executive (2024–present) and Reed Gusciora, mayor of Trenton (2018–present).[18][17]

Labor unions that have endorsed her include the Communications Workers of America District 1, and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.[19][20] In addition, she has been endorsed by the Mercer County Democratic Committee.[21][22]

Reynolds-Jackson came fifth in the final results with 8.9% of the vote, with the primary's winner being crisis actor Adam Hamawy with 28.1%.[23]

Electoral history

15th Legislative District General Election, 2023[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony S. Verrelli (incumbent) 27,669 42.3
Democratic Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (incumbent) 27,322 41.8
Republican Michel F. Hurtado 10,371 15.9
Total votes 65,362 100.0
Democratic hold
Democratic hold
15th legislative district general election, 2021[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony S. Verrelli (incumbent) 37,507 40.66%
Democratic Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (incumbent) 37,214 40.34%
Republican Patricia "Pat" A. Johnson 15,492 16.79%
Vote For Pedro Pedro M. Reyes 2,042 2.21%
Total votes 92,255 100.0
Democratic hold
15th Legislative District General Election, 2019
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (incumbent) 22,742 39.01%
Democratic Anthony Verrelli (incumbent) 22,141 37.98%
Republican Jennifer Williams 9,426 16.17%
Legalize Marijuana Party Edward Forchion 2,447 4.2%
Legalize Marijuana Party Dioh Williams 1,541 2.64%
Total votes 58,297 100%
Democratic hold
15th Legislative District special Election, 2018[26][27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (incumbent) 36.0%
Democratic Anthony Verrelli (incumbent) 35.75%
Republican Tracy Sinatra 13.2%
Republican Justin Tibbetts 12.75%
Integrity, Transparency, Accountability Alex Bethea 1.5%
Legalize Marijuana Party Edward Forchion 0.8%
Total votes 100%
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 3 "VRJ Makes Her Case for Government by and for the People," Insider NJ, May 14, 2026.
  2. ↑ Councilwoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson Biography Archived February 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, City of Trenton. Accessed February 11, 2018.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Brent. "Meet N.J.'s newest Assembly member", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 15, 2018. Accessed February 15, 2018. "Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, a Democrat, was sworn in Thursday to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Elizabeth Muoio, whom new Gov. Phil Murphy has nominated to become the next state treasurer.... She had to resign from the Trenton council to serve in the Assembly because state law bans dual office-holding."
  4. ↑ Verlina Reynolds-Jackson Archived January 17, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, City of Trenton. Accessed February 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ Staff. "Trenton election results 2014 for mayor, council races", The Times, May 13, 2014. Accessed February 11, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Abdur-Rahman, Suleiman. "Trenton Councilwoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson wins Assembly seat, succeeds Liz Muoio", The Trentonian, February 10, 2018. Accessed February 11, 2018. "Instead of running for a third term, Reynolds-Jackson will soon resign from Trenton City Council and get sworn in at the New Jersey Statehouse as the next General Assembly member who represents the capital city and surrounding suburbs of the 15th Legislative District. That is because Reynolds-Jackson received the blessing of the Democratic Party’s committee members on Saturday to fill the vacancy left by former Assemblywoman Liz Muoio (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), who resigned from office last month to work in Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration as state treasurer."
  7. ↑ Meet the Council Archived February 9, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, City of Trenton. Accessed February 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ Pizi, Jenna. "Trenton councilwoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson voted in as council vice president", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 2, 2014. Accessed February 11, 2018. "In a close vote Trenton City Council elected Councilwoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson to the post of board vice president Thursday night. ... Councilmembers Marge Caldwell-Wilson and George Muschal voted against Reynolds-Jackson’s election to the post saying the process used to create the position was done incorrectly and therefore anyone holding the position is inappropriate. Both argued that because council through an ordinance, which requires the signature of the mayor, created the position it is not valid because council business should be separate from the mayor’s authority."
  9. 1 2 3 "Take Time to Know Your National Candidates to Cast an Educated Vote," Princeton Perspectives, May 18, 2026.
  10. ↑ Curran, Phillip Sean. "Assemblywoman Muoio resigns, creating vacancy in legislature" Archived September 23, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, CentralJersey.com, January 17, 2018. "State Assemblywoman Liz Muoio, a Democrat who represented parts of Mercer and Hunterdon counties since 2015, resigned her seat to join the Murphy administration, thus creating a vacancy that many Democrats want to fill.... But she submitted her resignation to the Assembly clerk on Friday to become acting state Treasurer until she gets confirmed by the Democrat-controlled state Senate. Her resignation took effect at the end of business Monday, according to an aide. She also left her job as the Mercer County director of economic development."
  11. 1 2 Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ Bill A4454 AcaSca (2R) Session 2020 - 2021, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 27, 2022.
  13. ↑ Friedman, Matt. "Legislative pay raises and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson’s 2007 Toyota", Politico New Jersey Playbook, January 5, 2024. "'For the record, I drive a 2007 Camry.' — Assemblymember Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer)."
  14. ↑ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ Legislative Roster for District 15, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed September 28, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "NJ-12 Primaries: Meet The Candidates Running For Congress,", Patch, May 27, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Fox, Joey (February 2, 2026). "Reynolds-Jackson puts out dominant show of support from Mercer County Democrats". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ Fox, Joey (January 28, 2026). "Verlina Reynolds-Jackson endorsed by Mercer County Executive for NJ-12". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  19. ↑ Fox, Joey (April 9, 2026). "CWA District 1 backs Bennett, Reynolds-Jackson in tight Democratic primaries". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  20. ↑ Fox, Joey (April 22, 2026). "Carpenters go for Reynolds-Jackson in NJ-12". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  21. ↑ Blackburn, Zach (February 26, 2026). "Reynolds-Jackson clears field to win Mercer endorsement on first ballot". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Hottest congressional races on Kean’s and Watson Coleman’s turfs," NJ Spotlight News, May 28, 2026.
  23. ↑ "New Jersey U.S. House primary results - District 12". Associated Press. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  25. ↑ "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.
  26. ↑ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/06/2018 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/06/2018 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
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