Michelle Burwell
Michelle Burwell (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 19. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 10, 2025.
Biography
Michelle Burwell was born in Paterson, New Jersey. She earned a bachelor's degree from Montclair State University in 1998, a graduate degree from Montclair State University in 2011, and a graduate degree from Rutgers University in 2021. Her career experience includes working as a social worker.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 19 (2 seats)
Incumbent Craig J. Coughlin, incumbent Yvonne Lopez, Marilyn Colon, and Maria Garcia are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 19 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Craig J. Coughlin (D) | |
 | Yvonne Lopez (D) | |
| Marilyn Colon (R) | ||
| Maria Garcia (R) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 19 (2 seats)
Incumbent Yvonne Lopez and incumbent Craig J. Coughlin defeated Michelle Burwell in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 19 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Yvonne Lopez | 44.4 | 11,707 |
| ✔ | | Craig J. Coughlin | 41.8 | 11,016 |
 | Michelle Burwell | 13.8 | 3,652 | |
| Total votes: 26,375 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 19 (2 seats)
Marilyn Colon and Maria Garcia advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 19 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Marilyn Colon | 54.3 | 4,786 | |
| ✔ | Maria Garcia | 45.7 | 4,036 | |
| Total votes: 8,822 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sam Raval (R)
Endorsements
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2023
See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2023
General election
General election for New Jersey State Senate District 19
Incumbent Joseph Vitale defeated Maria Garcia in the general election for New Jersey State Senate District 19 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joseph Vitale (D) | 63.2 | 19,571 |
| Maria Garcia (R) | 36.8 | 11,392 | ||
| Total votes: 30,963 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 19
Incumbent Joseph Vitale defeated Michelle Burwell in the Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 19 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joseph Vitale | 85.9 | 7,801 |
| Michelle Burwell | 14.1 | 1,281 | |
| Total votes: 9,082 | |||
| = 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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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 19
Maria Garcia advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 19 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Maria Garcia | 100.0 | 2,450 | |
| Total votes: 2,450 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Burwell in this election.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michelle Burwell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2023
Michelle Burwell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Burwell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Michelle is a licensed NJ Realtor and sits on the Political Committee of National Realtors where she advocates for affordable housing. She is also an active member of the National Associate of Social Workers (NASW), National Association Of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the NJ Federation of Democratic Women. She has also served as a substitute teacher for the Perth Amboy public school systems. She is also a member of the Woman Political Caucus, committee member on the Human Service Advisory Council and the Commission on Child Abuse & Missing Children
- Michelle believes that lived experiences and representation are the changes needed to address public policy matters. The time for change is NOW! “Your thoughts, Your ideas, Your Voice” MUST be a part of the legislative process
- It is time for political leadership to be accountable to all constituents to begin the process needed to promote equitable and sustainable outcomes.
- NOW is the time for the voice and lived experiences of all residents to be incorporated into the laws and policies that will support all residents and build stronger communities
Community Investment-Creating sustainable and equitable solutions alongside the community to build community resilience and partnerships with community and police to ensure ongoing public safety The time for change is NOW! “Your thoughts, Your ideas, Your Voice” MUST be a part of the legislative process.
Gun Safety Laws-
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
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Candidate New Jersey General Assembly District 19 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 31, 2023
