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Daniel Benson

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Daniel Benson
Image of Daniel Benson
Prior offices
New Jersey General Assembly District 14

Education

Bachelor's

Georgetown University

Graduate

Rutgers University, 1999

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Profession
Consultant
Contact


Daniel Benson (Democratic Party) was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 14. He assumed office in 2011. He left office on January 1, 2024.

Benson (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 14. He won in the general election on November 2, 2021.

Benson served as deputy speaker pro tempore from 2018 to 2023.

Benson announced he would not be running for re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2023[1] and resigned eight days before the end of his term to become the Mercer County Executive.[2]

Biography

Benson earned his B.S. in government and B.S. in physics from Georgetown University in 1997, and his M.P.P. in science and technology policy from the Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University in 1999. His professional experience includes working as a consultant for Tekmark Global Solutions from 2008 to 2011, as a manager of government affairs for the NJ Utilities Association from 2007 to 2008, and as a research project manager at Rutgers University from 2003 to 2006.[3]

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.

2023-2024

Benson was assigned to the following committees:

2020-2021

Benson was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Benson was assigned to the following committees:

2016 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Benson served on the following committees:

New Jersey committee assignments, 2016
Law and Public Safety, Chair
Health and Senior Services
Transportation and Independent Authorities

2015 legislative session

In the 2015 legislative session, Benson served on the following committees:

2014 legislative session

In the 2014 legislative session, Benson served on the following committees:

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

2023

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023

Daniel Benson did not file to run for re-election.

2021

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2021

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 (2 seats)

Incumbent Wayne P. DeAngelo and incumbent Daniel Benson defeated Andrew Pachuta, Bina Shah, and Michael Bollentin in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wayne P. DeAngelo
Wayne P. DeAngelo (D)
 
28.3
 
40,836
Image of Daniel Benson
Daniel Benson (D)
 
27.8
 
40,241
Image of Andrew Pachuta
Andrew Pachuta (R)
 
21.7
 
31,366
Image of Bina Shah
Bina Shah (R)
 
21.1
 
30,531
Image of Michael Bollentin
Michael Bollentin (For the People Party) Candidate Connection
 
1.1
 
1,535

Total votes: 144,509
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 (2 seats)

Incumbent Wayne P. DeAngelo and incumbent Daniel Benson advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 on June 8, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wayne P. DeAngelo
Wayne P. DeAngelo
 
50.6
 
10,406
Image of Daniel Benson
Daniel Benson
 
49.4
 
10,179

Total votes: 20,585
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 (2 seats)

Andrew Pachuta and Bina Shah advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 on June 8, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Andrew Pachuta
Andrew Pachuta
 
51.8
 
6,697
Image of Bina Shah
Bina Shah
 
48.2
 
6,227

Total votes: 12,924
Candidate Connection = 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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2019

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2019

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 (2 seats)

Incumbent Wayne P. DeAngelo and incumbent Daniel Benson defeated Thomas Calabrese, Bina Shah, and Michael Bollentin in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wayne P. DeAngelo
Wayne P. DeAngelo (D)
 
30.4
 
30,546
Image of Daniel Benson
Daniel Benson (D)
 
29.6
 
29,810
Thomas Calabrese (R)
 
20.1
 
20,252
Image of Bina Shah
Bina Shah (R)
 
18.3
 
18,452
Image of Michael Bollentin
Michael Bollentin (Integrity And Accountability Party) Candidate Connection
 
1.5
 
1,530

Total votes: 100,590
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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 14 (2 seats)

Incumbent Wayne P. DeAngelo and incumbent Daniel Benson advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 on June 4, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wayne P. DeAngelo
Wayne P. DeAngelo
 
50.7
 
7,168
Image of Daniel Benson
Daniel Benson
 
49.3
 
6,960

Total votes: 14,128
Candidate Connection = 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 14 (2 seats)

Thomas Calabrese and Bina Shah advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 14 on June 4, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Thomas Calabrese
 
53.8
 
5,409
Image of Bina Shah
Bina Shah
 
46.2
 
4,636

Total votes: 10,045
Candidate Connection = 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

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 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.[4] 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.[5] Incumbent Wayne DeAngelo (D) and incumbent Daniel Benson (D) defeated Kristian Stout (R) and Steven Uccio (R) in the New Jersey General Assembly District 14 general election.[6][7]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 14 General Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Wayne DeAngelo Incumbent 30.04% 35,596
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Daniel Benson Incumbent 29.61% 35,088
     Republican Kristian Stout 20.86% 24,725
     Republican Steven Uccio 19.50% 23,106
Total Votes 118,515
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Democratic primary election

Incumbent Wayne DeAngelo and incumbent Daniel Benson were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 14 Democratic primary election.[8][9]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 14 Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Wayne DeAngelo Incumbent 50.75% 10,474
Green check mark transparent.png Daniel Benson Incumbent 49.25% 10,165
Total Votes 20,639
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Republican primary election

Kristian Stout and Steven Uccio were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 14 Republican primary election.[10][9]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 14 Republican Primary, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kristian Stout 50.79% 3,996
Green check mark transparent.png Steven Uccio 49.21% 3,872
Total Votes 7,868
Source: New Jersey Department of State

2015

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 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.[11] Since the general assembly uses multi-member districts, the top two candidates from each party in the primaries advanced to the general election. Incumbent Wayne DeAngelo and incumbent Daniel Benson were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Democratic primary. David Jones and Philip Kaufman were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. DeAngelo and Benson defeated Jones, Kaufman, Steven Welzer (G) and Joann Cousin (G) in the general election.[12][13][14][15][16]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 14 General Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngWayne DeAngelo Incumbent 30.2% 22,319
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Benson Incumbent 28.7% 21,187
     Republican David Jones 19.6% 14,474
     Republican Philip Kaufman 18.9% 13,937
     Green Joann Cousin 1.4% 1,028
     Green Steven Welzer 1.3% 957
Total Votes 73,902

2013

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2013

Benson won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 14. Benson was bracketed with Wayne DeAngelo. He was unopposed in the June 4 Democratic primary. He and incumbent Wayne DeAngelo (D) defeated Ronald Haas (R), Steve Cook (R), Steven Uccio (L), and Sean O'Connor (L) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[17][18][19][20]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 14 General Election, 2013
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngWayne DeAngelo Incumbent 26.9% 32,048
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Benson Incumbent 26% 30,992
     Republican Steve Cook 23.6% 28,135
     Republican Ronald Haas 22% 26,233
     Libertarian Sean O'Connor 0.8% 898
     Libertarian Steven Uccio 0.7% 779
Total Votes 119,085

2011

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2011

Benson won re-election in 2011. He and incumbent Wayne DeAngelo ran unopposed in the June 7 Democratic primary. They then defeated and Wayne Wittman (R), Sheree McGowan (R), and Steven Welzer (G) in the November 8 general election.[21]

New Jersey General Assembly District 14 General Election, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngWayne DeAngelo Incumbent 29% 26,626
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Benson Incumbent 28% 25,662
     Republican Sheree McGowan 20.9% 19,135
     Republican Wayne Wittman 20.8% 19,100
     Green Steven Welzer 1.3% 1,189
Total Votes 91,712

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Daniel Benson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Daniel Benson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

Benson's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Independence

  • Dan has always been on the people's side. He is not afraid to take on the special interests and is always ready to reach across the aisle to do what's right for the residents of Mercer & Middlesex counties. His support for the bipartisan 2% property tax cap is just one example of his putting our communities and families first.

Creating Jobs

  • Creating more good-paying jobs for New Jersey residents is a top priority. That's why Dan supported the largest small business tax cut in state history and advocated for targeted tax credits for clean energy and high-tech companies to create good-paying quality jobs. He has also helped veterans by authoring laws that remove barriers to employment and expanded opportunities with vital job-training programs - like "Helmets to Hardhats," which puts returning veterans back to work in our community.

Making New Jersey More Affordable

  • Everybody knows that making New Jersey more affordable for middle-class families and seniors should be Trenton's top priority. That's why Dan is working to pass a bipartisan property tax cut to ease the burden on taxpayers. He is also fighting to eliminate a special tax break for millionaires. He also has protected our seniors' quality of life by funding low cost prescription drug programs like PAAD and Senior Gold and preserving the senior property tax freeze.

Ensuring Strong Ethics Laws and Supporting Open Government

  • Dan knows government should always work for the people it serves. That's why he has always supported efforts to keep government open and transparent, and why he has stood up to political corruption by ensuring that New Jersey has strong ethics laws.[22]
—Daniel Benson[23]

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.


Daniel Benson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2021New Jersey General Assembly District 14Won general$412,595 $0
2013New Jersey General Assembly, District 14Won $320,847 N/A**
2011New Jersey General Assembly, District 14Won $293,200 N/A**
2005New Jersey General Assembly, District 14Lost $101,718 N/A**
Grand total$1,128,360 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in New Jersey

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.


2024

In 2024, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9 to December 19.


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012

Endorsements

2013

In 2013, Benson’s endorsements included the following:[24] [25]

  • The New Jersey AFL-CIO
  • Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey

2011

In 2011, Benson’s endorsements included the following:[26]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Benson is married to the former Hande Yurttan

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. New Jersey Globe, "With 2023 legislative elections fast approaching, who isn’t running for re-election?" January 5, 2023
  2. https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/bensons-assembly-seat-will-be-vacant-for-eight-days/ New Jersey Globe, "Benson’s Assembly seat will be vacant for eight days" November 27, 2023]
  3. Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 10, 2014
  4. New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
  5. New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
  6. New Jersey Department of State, "Candidates for General Assembly for General Election 11/07/2017 Election," accessed September 14, 2017
  7. New Jersey Department of State, "2017 official general election results," accessed November 30, 2017
  8. New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
  9. 9.0 9.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “2017 official primary election results for general assembly,” accessed July 13, 2017
  10. New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
  11. New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
  12. New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidate list for June 2 primary," accessed May 22, 2015
  13. New Jersey Department of State, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 3, 2015
  14. New Jersey Department of State, "Official list for candidate for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
  15. New Jersey Department of State, "Official primary results for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
  16. New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election results for General Assembly," accessed December 7, 2015
  17. New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
  18. New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2013 General Assembly general election candidates," accessed April 10, 2014
  19. Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
  20. New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 9, 2013
  21. New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
  22. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  23. Daniel Benson 2017 campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 21, 2017
  24. PolitickerNJ.com, "AFL-CIO endorses candidates for elections," accessed September 4, 2013
  25. Planned Parenthood NJ "Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Announces Endorsements in State Elections," accessed September 5, 2013
  26. Politicker NJ, "2011 AFL-CIO endorsed candidates," accessed August 5, 2011


Current members of the New Jersey General Assembly
Leadership
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 14
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Aura Dunn (R)
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
Sean Kean (R)
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Al Barlas (R)
Democratic Party (52)
Republican Party (28)







Political offices
Preceded by
-
New Jersey General Assembly District 14
2011-2024
Succeeded by
Tennille R. McCoy (D)