John Amodeo
John F. Amodeo (b. August 1, 1950) is a former Republican member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 2 from 2008 to 2014. He previously served as Deputy Minority Leader and as Assistant Minority Whip.
Amodeo was defeated in his 2013 re-election bid. His seat was filled by Democrat Vincent Mazzeo.
Amodeo previously served as a member of the Linwood Planning Board from 2004 to 2005 and as a council-member on the Linwood City Council from 1998 to 2005.
Biography
Amodeo earned his B.A. in history and Political Science from Mount Saint Mary's College. His professional experience includes working as a Licensed Operating Engineer from 1973 to 2009 and as a Crane Operator for Operating Engineers Local #825 from 1973 to 1998.[1]
Committee assignments
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, New Jersey General Assembly
- Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee, New Jersey General Assembly
Issues
Sponsored legislation
- A2648 Limits State appointment or employment of members of Legislature for two years after completion of legislative service.
- A3604 Requires Attorney General to seize campaign funds of convicted candidates; prohibits convicted criminal offenders from making contributions to candidates and committees.
- A3446 "'Invest in New Jersey First' Act;" requires preference in awarding certain contracts for critical infrastructure projects.
- ACR223 Proposes amendment to State Constitution to limit General Assembly members to five successive terms and Senate members to three successive terms.[2]
Policies
In the New Jersey State Legislative Election 2007 National Political Awareness Test Amodeo outlined his top priorities:
- Address budget problems by cutting identified wasteful spending and use the savings for sustainable property tax relief
- Make it harder for our elected officials to raise and create taxes by requiring a two-thirds super-majority vote before any taxes can be raised
- Encourage economic development in District 2 Atlantic County and the preservation of our district's greatest resources; the beaches, tourism, and the casinos.[3]
2nd District debate
On September 15, the District 2 Assembly candidates took part in a debate sponsored by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy and The Press of Atlantic City.
Elections
2013
Amodeo ran for re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 2. Amodeo was bracketed with Chris Brown. He was unopposed in the June 4 Republican primary. He was defeated by incumbent Chris Brown (R) and Vincent Mazzeo (D) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[4][5][6][7]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 2 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Chris Brown Incumbent |
25.6% | 26,020 | |
| Democratic | Vincent Mazzeo |
24.8% | 25,164 | |
| Republican | John Amodeo Incumbent | 24.7% | 25,124 | |
| Democratic | Nick Russo | 23.5% | 23,900 | |
| Independent | Gary Stein | 1.4% | 1,388 | |
| Total Votes | 101,596 | |||
2011
Amodeo won re-election in 2011. He was bracketed with Chris Brown in the Democratic Primary on June 7. They were unopposed in the Republican primary. They then defeated Alisa Cooper (D) and Damon Tyner (D) in the November 8 general election.[8]
| New Jersey General Assembly District 2 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | John Amodeo Incumbent |
29.2% | 25,330 | |
| Republican | Chris Brown |
27.1% | 23,440 | |
| Democratic | Alisa Cooper | 20.7% | 17,933 | |
| Democratic | Damon Tyner | 23% | 19,919 | |
| Total Votes | 86,622 | |||
Speculation
Asbury Park Press
District 2 was one of only three districts that the Asbury Park Press identified as competitive in 2011. The other two were Districts 14 and 38. 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 2 was roughly 9,200 (down from 11,000).[9]
NJ Spotlight
When assembly incumbent Vincent Polistina (R) chose to run for the State Senate, NJ Spotlight identified District 2 as a potential place for the GOP to lose a seat in the Assembly. Following redistricting, District 2 gained Democratic communities, losing Republican Galloway Township and picking up Democratic Somers Point, Buena and Buena Vista.[10]
2009
Running for re-election in the November 3, 2009, general election, Amodeo defeated challengers Reginald Floyd (D) and Jimmy Martinez (D). He was bracketed with Vincent Polistina (R).[11][12]
| New Jersey General Assembly General Election, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | John F. Amodeo Incumbent |
30.3% | 33,787 | |
| Republican | Vincent J. Pollstina Incumbent |
29.6% | 32,981 | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Martinez | 20.1% | 22,430 | |
| Democratic | Reginald Floyd | 20% | 22,316 | |
| Total Votes | 111,514 | |||
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.
Endorsements
2013
In 2013, Amodeo’s endorsements included the following:[13]
- The New Jersey AFL-CIO
Presidential preference
2012
John Amodeo endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[14]
2011
State leaders pick sides in District 2
Several powerful state leaders have expressed support for their chosen candidates in District 2. Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D) and Chairman of the state Democratic Committee John Wisniewski (D) have personally endorsed the Democratic ticket in District 2, attending a rally in support of the candidates. The Republican candidates have garnered the support of Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R), who attended an event for GOP campaign staff in District 2. The visits further highlighted the importance of the district in November's election.[15]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Amadeo and his wife, Luann, have two children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "John + Amodeo + New Jersey + Assembly"
Additional reading
External links
- John Amodeo Facebook
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- State Surge - Legislative and voting track record
- Campaign Contributions: 2011, 2009, 2007
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography of John Amodeo," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey State Legislature, "Bills Sponsored by Senators and Representatives," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Amodeo - Issue Positions," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election candidates," September 9, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Asbury Park Press, "Race for Legislature is on," September 23, 2011
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of New Jersey Leaders," April 11, 2014(Archived)
- ↑ Press of Atlantic City, "Top New Jersey Democrats rally for 2nd District candidates," October 10, 2011
