Robert Gordon
| Robert Gordon | ||
 | ||
| New Jersey State Senate District 38 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2008-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 10, 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 5 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Leadership | ||
| Speaker, General Assembly | ||
| 2006 | ||
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $49,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 8, 2011 | |
| First elected | November 6, 2007 | |
| Next election | November 5, 2013 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| New Jersey State Assembly | ||
| 2004-2007 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Williams College | |
| Master's | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | July 3, 1950 | |
| Profession | Management Consultant | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Gordon served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 to 2007. He served as Speaker of the General Assembly in 2006. [2]
Biography
Gordon graduated with a B.A. in Political Economy from Williams College. He later graduated with a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. Gordon also obtained an M.B.A in Finance and Health Care Management from the University of Pennsylvania.[3] He is a Management Consultant at Emergency Management Advisors, Limited Liability Corporation.
Issues
Campaign Themes
2011
In a questionnaire for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey Education Fund, Gordon discussed the following issues:[4]
- Property Taxes
"I believe we should increase funding for the Homestead Rebate program, specifically for low and middle-income households. However, I think other measures must be taken to reduce property taxes. I am a leading advocate of shared services and consolidation. I have sponsored several bills that would help facilitate shared services and make it easier for towns to consolidate."
- Unemployment
"For small companies that have difficulty obtaining financing, we need to enact the Democratic jobs package that provides financial incentives for hiring and capital investment. For larger companies that are now flush with cash, but reluctant to invest in jobs because of uncertain demand, we need to promote consumer spending. I would increase disposable income and consumption by investing in construction projects that would enhance or repair our physical infrastructure."
- Opportunity Scholarship Act
"Over the past two years, public school funding has been drastically cut. Therefore, I would find it very problematic to divert scarce public funds to private schools. I am also troubled by the fact that the public sector would be subsidizing religious schools."
- State Aid to Municipalities
"I supported the millionaire’s tax which would have generated roughly $600 million for the State and helped offset cuts in school and municipal aid. Longer-term, we need to achieve significant economies in local government. With 566 municipalities, 616 school districts, and hundreds of utility authorities, we have tremendous redundancy in government, particularly at the administrative level."
- Family Planning Services
" I am a strong supporter of protecting family women’s health services. Thousands of low-income New Jersey residents rely on family planning agencies for vital health care services."
Committee assignments
2010-2011
In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Gordon served on these committees:
- Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation, Vice-Chair
- Legislative Services Commission
- Environment
- Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens
Elections
2013
- See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013
Gordon is running in the 2013 election for New Jersey State Senate District 38. Gordon was unopposed in the June 4 Democratic primary and is challenged by Fernando A. Alonso (R) in the general election which takes place on November 5, 2013.[5][6]
2011
- See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011
Gordon won re-election to the District 38 State Senate seat in 2011. He faced no opposition for the June 7 Democratic primary election. Gordon defeated John Driscoll, Jr. (R) in the general election which took place on November 8, 2011. [7]
| New Jersey State Senate District 38 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Robert Gordon Incumbent |
53% | 22,299 | |
| Republican | John Driscoll, Jr. | 47% | 19,745 | |
| Total Votes | 42,044 | |||
Speculation
Asbury Park Press
District 38 is one of only three districts that the Asbury Park Press identified as competitive in 2011. The other two are Districts 2 and 14. Districts 2 and 38 may lean more Republican after 2011 redistricting, and District 14 may still favor Democrats. As evidence, they cite a drop in registered Democrats in Districts 2 and 38, and only a small decrease in registered Democrats in District 14. History has shown, argues APP, that districts where Democrats hold less than a 10,000 registered voter advantage typically favor the GOP. The Democratic registration advantage in District 38 is roughly 12,000, (down from 22,000).[8]
2007
In 2007, Gordon was elected to the New Jersey State Senate District 38. Gordon (D) finished with 22,341 votes and was followed by Robert Colletti (R) with 14,949 votes. Gordon raised $372,441 for his campaign fund. [9]
| New Jersey Senate 2007 General Election, District 38 (2007) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Robert Gordon (D)
|
22,351 | |||
| Robert Colletti (R) | 14,949 | |||
Campaign donors
2011
In 2011, Gordon received $978,319 in campaign donations. The top contributors are listed below.[10]
| New Jersey State Senate 2011 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top contributors to Robert Gordon's campaign in 2011 | |
| Communications Workers New Jersey | $16,400 |
| New Jersey Regional Council Of Carpenters | $14,900 |
| New Jersey Education Association | $13,200 |
| Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 274 | $11,200 |
| Scutari For Senate | $9,000 |
| Total Raised in 2011 | $978,319 |
| Total Votes received in 2011 | 22,299 |
| Cost of each vote received | $43.87 |
District 38 ranked second in fundraising
As of October 25, candidates for District 38 raised $3,394,798--according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. This made District 38 number two in fundraising for the 2011 election season.[11]
2007
In 2007, Gordon collected $372,441 in donations.[12]
Listed below are the five largest contributors to his campaign.
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Senate Democratic Majority of New Jersey | $35,000 |
| Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 14 | $16,400 |
| Electrical Workers Local 164 | $11,700 |
| Medical Society of New Jersey | $9,400 |
| New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters | $8,800 |
District 38
Gordon represents New Jersey Senate District 38, which includes the borough of Cliffside Park, New Jersey.[13]
Endorsements
2011
Gordon was endorsed by:
Personal
Gordon and his wife, Gail, currently reside in Paterson, New Jersey.
Recent news
 |
Know more information about this profile? Submit a bio |
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Robert + Gordon + New Jersey + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Additional reading
- NorthJersey.com, "Harrison: One election that will matter this year," October 16, 2011
- NJSpotlight, "Legislative District 38," October 4, 2011
External links
- Official website of Robert Gordon
- Robert Gordon legislative profile on Project Vote Smart
- Robert Gordon biography on Project Vote Smart
- New Jersey Democratic Party biography of Robert Gordon
- Bob Gordon on Facebook
- LinkedIn page
References
- ↑ Bills Sponsored by Senators and Representatives
- ↑ Robert Gordon at Project Vote Smart
- ↑ Official website of Robert Gordon
- ↑ League of Women Voters of New Jersey Education Fund, Accessed May 16, 2013
- ↑ Bergen County Unofficial Primary Results, June 4, 2013
- ↑ Pasaic County Unofficial Primary Results, June 4, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, 2011 Official State Senate Primary Candidate List
- ↑ Asbury Park Press, "Race for Legislature is on," September 23, 2011
- ↑ New Jersey State Senate election results
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2011 contributions
- ↑ New Jersey ELEC, "News Release," November 3, 2011
- ↑ http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=95770
- ↑ New Jersey Senate Districts By Number
- ↑ Politicker NJ, 2011 AFL-CIO endorsed candidates, accessed Aug. 5, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
New Jersey State Senate District 38 2008–present |
Succeeded by NA |
| |||||||||||||||||
