Crystal Fonseca
Crystal Fonseca was an at-large member of the Newark Public Schools Board of Education in New Jersey. She assumed office in 2015.
Fonseca (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 32. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 10, 2025.
Fonseca was an at-large member on the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board in New Jersey. First elected in 2015, she did not seek re-election in 2018.
Biography
Fonseca is a resident of Newark, N.J. She is the daughter of Pablo Fonseca, chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D) when Booker was still the mayor of Newark.[1] Fonseca earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in sociology from Saint Peters College. She is pursing a master's degree in urban affairs at Rutgers University. She is employed in the community relations and outreach department of the Jersey City Incinerator Authority.[2][3]
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 32 (2 seats)
Ravinder Bhalla, Katie Brennan, Stephen Bishop, and Kaushal Patel are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 32 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Ravinder Bhalla (D) | |
 | Katie Brennan (D)  | |
| Stephen Bishop (R) | ||
| Kaushal Patel (R) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 32 (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 32 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Brennan | 19.6 | 7,545 |
| ✔ | | Ravinder Bhalla | 18.8 | 7,243 |
 | Jessica Ramirez | 18.2 | 7,010 | |
 | Jennie Pu | 14.7 | 5,653 | |
 | Yousef Saleh | 14.6 | 5,612 | |
 | Crystal Fonseca | 14.1 | 5,410 | |
| Total votes: 38,473 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Allen (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 32 (2 seats)
Stephen Bishop and Kaushal Patel advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 32 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Stephen Bishop | 58.5 | 1,882 | |
| ✔ | Kaushal Patel | 41.5 | 1,334 | |
| Total votes: 3,216 | |||
| = 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
Fonseca received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2018
General runoff election
General runoff election for Newark City Council East Ward
Incumbent Augusto Amador defeated Anthony Campos in the general runoff election for Newark City Council East Ward on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Augusto Amador (Nonpartisan) | 51.0 | 1,824 |
 | Anthony Campos (Nonpartisan) | 48.7 | 1,741 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 9 | ||
| Total votes: 3,574 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
General election
General election for Newark City Council East Ward
Incumbent Augusto Amador and Anthony Campos advanced to a runoff. They defeated Jonathan Seabra, Crystal Fonseca, and Tanisha Garner in the general election for Newark City Council East Ward on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Augusto Amador (Nonpartisan) | 43.0 | 1,524 |
| ✔ | | Anthony Campos (Nonpartisan) | 35.4 | 1,255 |
| Jonathan Seabra (Nonpartisan) | 9.3 | 329 | ||
| Crystal Fonseca (Nonpartisan) | 8.4 | 297 | |
| Tanisha Garner (Nonpartisan) | 3.7 | 130 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 12 | ||
| Total votes: 3,547 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2015
- See also: Newark Public Schools elections (2015)
Three of the nine seats on the Newark Advisory Board were up for election on April 21, 2015. Only one incumbent, Marques-Aquil Lewis, filed to run for re-election. He faced the following seven challengers on the general election ballot: Natasha Alvarado, Veronica Branch, Dashay Carter, Crystal Fonseca, Ronnie Kellam, Charles Love III, and Sheila Montague. Lewis, Carter, and Fonseca were chosen for Mayor Ras J. Barak's "Children First Team" slate.[4]
Michael Diaz and Ivan Holmes also filed to run in this election but did not appear on the ballot. Holmes withdrew from the race and Diaz was disqualified.[5]
The Baraka-backed candidates Lewis, Carter, and Fonseca, won the three seat up for election.
Results
| Newark Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Crystal Fonseca |
21.9% | 3,745 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marques-Aquil Lewis Incumbent |
21.8% | 3,729 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dashay Carter |
19.4% | 3,311 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles Love III | 11.4% | 1,955 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sheila Montague | 10.1% | 1,729 | |
| Nonpartisan | Veronica Branch | 9.6% | 1,637 | |
| Nonpartisan | Natasha Alvarado | 3.4% | 584 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronnie Kellam | 2% | 347 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 63 | |
| Total Votes | 17,100 | |||
| Source: Essex County Clerk, "2015 School Board Election," April 27, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Fonseca began the race with an existing account balance of $29,523.90 from her previous campaign. She reported $46,875.00 in contributions and but nothing in expenditures to New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, which left her campaign with $76,398.9 on hand as of April 10, 2015. Fonseca also ran as part of the Children First Team, which reported a $4,000.00 transfer from the slate's prior campaign, plus $16,050.00 in contributions and $3,111.20 in expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission as of April 7, 2015.[6]
Endorsements
Fonseca was endorsed by Mayor Ras J. Baraka. Baraka endorsed a slate of candidates called the "Children First Team," which includes Fonseca, Marques-Aquil Lewis and Dashay Carter.[4]
2014
- See also: Newark Public Schools elections (2014)
Crystal Fonseca lost to incumbents Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson and Philip C. Seelinger Jr. and fellow newcomer Donald G. Jackson Jr. for the three at-large seats in the general election on April 23, 2014. Baskerville-Richardson, Seelinger and Reginald Bledsoe campaigned as the "Children First" slate endorsed by Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka for the three at-large seats. Bledsoe was the only member of the slate not to win a seat.[7]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Philip C. Seelinger Jr. Incumbent |
20.1% | 2,894 | |
| Nonpartisan | Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson Incumbent |
19% | 2,734 | |
| Nonpartisan | Donald G. Jackson Jr. |
16.8% | 2,421 | |
| Nonpartisan | Reginald Bledsoe | 16.4% | 2,352 | |
| Nonpartisan | Crystal Fonseca | 12.1% | 1,743 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rachelle Moss | 8.3% | 1,198 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shakima K. Thomas | 4% | 575 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronnie Kellam | 2.8% | 405 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 48 | |
| Total Votes | 14,370 | |||
| Source: Essex County, New Jersey, "2014 School Board Election," accessed June 11, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Fonseca reported $17,400.00 in contributions but no expenditures as of the second campaign finance filing deadline on April 14, 2014, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[8]
Endorsements
Fonseca did not receive any official endorsements for her campaign. Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka initially considered including her in his "Children First" team, but ultimately decided to endorse Reginald Bledsoe instead. When announcing his preferred slate of candidates, Baraka stated, "Miss Fonseca is greatly respected in the community. She is a distinguished candidate with a bright future in Newark politics. We look forward to supporting her in the future."[7] During a separate interview, Baraka indicated that he would consider including Fonseca in his 2015 slate.[1]
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Crystal Fonseca did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
The following statement was provided on the Children First Team's slate Facebook campaign page:
| “ | The Children First Team (CFT) is for the uplifting of our people through cooperative gain, not selfish, self-serving agendas; CFT is for the restoration of our community through hard-work and perserverance, not short-cuts and scapegoats; CFT is for EQUALITY & JUSTICE as evidenced by an equitable distribution of resources not seemingly arbitrary and inconsistent policies and practices; CFT is for building capacity amongst stakeholders, sharing best practices, eliminating "pockets of success" and supporting a common instructional practice that breeds EXCELLENCE for ALL; CFT is for making ALL schools incubators of excellence by focusing on the most critical mechanics of academic achievement--Teaching & Learning. CFT is ready, willing and able to stand with anyone who shares in this mission for Justice and Salvation.[9] | ” |
| —Children First Team Facebook campaign page (2015)[10] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 PolitickerNJ, "Baraka and Fonseca display unity at fundraiser in Newark's East Ward," March 12, 2014
- ↑ PolitickerNJ, "Fonseca running for School Board seat in Newark," March 4, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Children First Team: Timeline Photo," March 19, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NJ.com, "Ten candidates sign up for Newark school board race," March 4, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Martha A. Jones, Newark Public Schools," April 14, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Politicker NJ, "Baraka's School Board Slate Set," March 6, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Children First Team: About," accessed April 2, 2015
| 2015 Newark Public Schools Elections | |
| Essex County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | April 21, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Marques-Aquil Lewis • Natasha Alvarado • Veronica Branch • Dashay Carter • Michael Diaz • Crystal Fonsica • Ivan Holmes • Ronnie Kellam • Charles Love III • Sheila Montague |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
| 2014 Newark Public Schools Elections | |
| Newark, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | April 23, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson • Incumbent, Philip C. Seelinger Jr. • Reginald Bledsoe • Crystal Fonseca • Donald G. Jackson Jr. • Rachelle Moss • Shakima K. Thomas • Ronnie Kellam |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
