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Ralph Caputo
Ralph Caputo (Democratic Party) was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 28. He assumed office in 2008. He left office on March 21, 2023.
Caputo (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 34. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 10, 2025.
Caputo resigned in March 2023 after he was appointed to the board of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.[1]
Caputo has served as deputy majority whip.
Biography
Caputo earned his B.A. in history/education from Bloomfield College, his graduate certification (supervisor) in education from Kean University (then Newark State College), and his M.A. in educational administration from Seton Hall University. His professional experience includes working as associate superintendent of schools for the Orange Board of Education from 1981 to 1983, as assistant superintendent of the Essex County Vocation Schools in 1977, and as assistant Essex County superintendent of schools in 1975.[2] He served on the Essex County Board of Freeholders from 2003 to 2011.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020-2021
Caputo was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Caputo was assigned to the following committees:
2016 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Caputo served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Tourism, Gaming and the Arts, Chair |
| • Education |
2015 legislative session
In the 2015 legislative session, Caputo served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Tourism, Gaming and the Arts, Chair |
| • Education |
| • Public Schools |
2014 legislative session
In the 2014 legislative session, Caputo served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2014 |
|---|
| • Tourism and Gaming, Chair |
| • Education |
2010-2012
In the 2010-2012 legislative session, Caputo served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2010 |
|---|
| • Public Schools |
| • Education |
| • Judiciary |
| • Regulatory Oversight and Gaming |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2025
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Carmen Morales, incumbent Michael Venezia, Demetrius Eley, and Lorenzo Marchese Jr. are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Carmen Morales (D) | |
| Michael Venezia (D) | ||
| Demetrius Eley (R) | ||
 | Lorenzo Marchese Jr. (R) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Carmen Morales and incumbent Michael Venezia defeated Brittany Claybrooks and Frank Velez III in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carmen Morales | 33.6 | 13,108 |
| ✔ | Michael Venezia | 26.5 | 10,362 | |
 | Brittany Claybrooks | 24.3 | 9,499 | |
| Frank Velez III | 15.6 | 6,091 | ||
| Total votes: 39,060 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ralph Caputo (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 (2 seats)
Lorenzo Marchese Jr. and Demetrius Eley advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lorenzo Marchese Jr. | 60.7 | 2,821 |
| ✔ | Demetrius Eley | 39.3 | 1,827 | |
| Total votes: 4,648 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2021
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2021
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 (2 seats)
Incumbent Ralph Caputo and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker defeated Monique Headen and Anthony D'Angelo in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ralph Caputo (D) | 39.2 | 32,797 |
| ✔ |  | Cleopatra Tucker (D) | 39.1 | 32,719 |
| Monique Headen (R) | 10.8 | 9,063 | ||
| Anthony D'Angelo (R) | 10.8 | 9,005 | ||
| Total votes: 83,584 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 (2 seats)
Incumbent Cleopatra Tucker and incumbent Ralph Caputo advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cleopatra Tucker | 51.0 | 8,840 |
| ✔ | | Ralph Caputo | 49.0 | 8,490 |
| Total votes: 17,330 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 (2 seats)
Anthony D'Angelo and Monique Headen advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Anthony D'Angelo | 51.2 | 1,386 | |
| ✔ | Monique Headen | 48.8 | 1,320 | |
| Total votes: 2,706 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2019
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 (2 seats)
Incumbent Ralph Caputo and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker defeated Joy Bembry-Freeman, Antonio Pires, and Derrick Ross in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ralph Caputo (D) | 41.4 | 16,234 |
| ✔ | | Cleopatra Tucker (D) | 40.8 | 15,998 |
| Joy Bembry-Freeman (R) | 8.4 | 3,282 | ||
| Antonio Pires (R) | 7.7 | 3,025 | ||
| Derrick Ross (Independent) | 1.6 | 627 | ||
| Total votes: 39,166 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 (2 seats)
Incumbent Cleopatra Tucker and incumbent Ralph Caputo defeated Stephen Burd in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cleopatra Tucker | 48.0 | 4,553 |
| ✔ | | Ralph Caputo | 45.5 | 4,319 |
 | Stephen Burd | 6.6 | 622 | |
| Total votes: 9,494 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 (2 seats)
Joy Bembry-Freeman and Antonio Pires advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 28 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joy Bembry-Freeman | 51.8 | 515 | |
| ✔ | Antonio Pires | 48.2 | 479 | |
| Total votes: 994 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
General election
Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2017. All 80 seats were up for election. State assembly members are elected to two-year terms. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for the primary election was April 3, 2017.[3] Legislative districts in the New Jersey General Assembly are multi-member districts, with two representatives in each district. In Democratic and Republican primary elections, the top two candidates move forward to the general election, and the top two candidates in the general election are declared the winners.[4] The following candidates ran in the New Jersey General Assembly District 28 general election.[5][6]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 28 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ralph Caputo Incumbent |
42.70% | 30,084 | |
| Democratic | Cleopatra Tucker Incumbent |
42.08% | 29,643 | |
| Republican | Veronica Branch | 6.87% | 4,839 | |
| Republican | James Boydston | 6.63% | 4,672 | |
| Time for change | Joanne Miller | 1.11% | 782 | |
| A New Hope | Scott Thomas Nicastro Jr. | 0.61% | 430 | |
| Total Votes | 70,450 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Cleopatra Tucker and incumbent Ralph Caputo were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 28 Democratic primary election.[7][8]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 28 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Cleopatra Tucker Incumbent |
51.84% | 11,229 |
| Ralph Caputo Incumbent |
48.16% | 10,433 |
| Total Votes | 21,662 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
Republican primary election
James Boydston and Veronica Branch were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 28 Republican primary election.[9][8]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 28 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| James Boydston |
50.14% | 865 |
| Veronica Branch |
49.86% | 860 |
| Total Votes | 1,725 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
2015
Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 2, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2015.[10] Since the general assembly uses multi-member districts, the top two candidates from each party in the primaries advanced to the general election. Incumbent Ralph Caputo and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Democratic primary. Darnel Henry and David Pinckney were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. Caputo and Tucker defeated Henry and Pinckney in the general election.[11][12][13][14][15]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 28 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ralph Caputo Incumbent |
43.2% | 9,512 | |
| Democratic | Cleopatra Tucker Incumbent |
41.7% | 9,186 | |
| Republican | David Pinckney | 7.5% | 1,661 | |
| Republican | Darnel Henry | 7.5% | 1,646 | |
| Total Votes | 22,005 | |||
2013
Caputo won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 28. Caputo was bracketed with Cleopatra G. Tucker. He was unopposed in the June 4 Democratic primary. He and incumbent Cleopatra G. Tucker (D) defeated James Boydston (R) and Peter S. Manning (R) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[16][17][18][19]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 28 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ralph Caputo Incumbent |
38.9% | 26,221 | |
| Democratic | Cleopatra G. Tucker Incumbent |
38.4% | 25,869 | |
| Republican | Peter S. Manning | 11.7% | 7,875 | |
| Republican | James Boydston | 11.1% | 7,452 | |
| Total Votes | 67,417 | |||
2011
Caputo won re-election in 2011. He and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker were bracketed together and defeated Michael Frazzano in the Democratic primary on June 7. They then defeated Carol Humphreys (R) and David Pinckney (R) in the November 8 general election.[20]
Following redistricting, Caputo moved his residence from Belleville to Nutley in order to be able to run again in the 28th District.[21]
| New Jersey General Assembly District 28 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Cleopatra Tucker Incumbent |
38.2% | 14,002 | |
| Democratic | Ralph Caputo Incumbent |
37.6% | 13,786 | |
| Republican | Carol Humphreys | 12.6% | 4,607 | |
| Republican | David Pinckney | 11.6% | 4,258 | |
| Total Votes | 36,653 | |||
2009
Running for re-election in the November 3, 2009, general election, Caputo received 25,480 votes (40%), defeating Republican challengers Herbert Glenn and Andrew Bloschak.[22] He was bracketed with Cleopatra Tucker (D).[23]
| New Jersey Assembly General Election, Twenty-Eighth Legislative District (2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Cleopatra G. Tucker (D)
|
25,975 | |||
| Ralph R. Caputo (D)
|
25,172 | |||
| Herbert Glenn (R) | 6,477 | |||
| Andrew Bloschak (R) | 6,053 | |||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ralph Caputo did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Ralph Caputo did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ralph Caputo did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New Jersey scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
In 2023, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 10 to January 8.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 11 to December 31. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 4 to January 11.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 14 to December 17.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9, 2018, through January 14, 2020.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2019.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 through January 9, 2018.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 12 through January 10, 2017.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 13 through December 31.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 14 through January 12, 2015.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 13, 2014.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 9, 2013.
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Endorsements
2013
In 2013, Caputo’s endorsements included the following:[24] [25]
- The New Jersey AFL-CIO
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey
2011
In 2011, Caputo’s endorsements included the following:[26]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Caputo and his wife, Celeste, have two adult sons: Gregory and Gerard.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Jersey, "Ralph Caputo, Essex assemblyman, resigns to take Horizon board seat," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Candidates for General Assembly for General Election 11/07/2017 Election," accessed September 14, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2017 official general election results," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “2017 official primary election results for general assembly,” accessed July 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidate list for June 2 primary," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 3, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official list for candidate for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official primary results for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election results for General Assembly," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2013 General Assembly general election candidates," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ NJ Spotlight, "Election 2011: Where the Republicans Can Pick Up Assembly Seats," April 12, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "General Election Results, November 4, 2009," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2009 New Jersey Assembly General Election Results," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ PolitickerNJ.com, "AFL-CIO endorses candidates for elections," accessed September 4, 2013
- ↑ Planned Parenthood NJ "Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Announces Endorsements in State Elections," accessed September 5, 2013
- ↑ Politicker NJ, "2011 AFL-CIO endorsed candidates," accessed August 5, 2011
