New Jersey's 29th legislative district is one of 40 districts that make up the map for the New Jersey Legislature. It covers a portion of Essex County, specifically most of the city of Newark; and the Hudson County municipalities of East Newark and Harrison.

Demographic information As of the 2020 United States census, the district had a population of 249,255, of whom 192,742 (77.3%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 46,930 (18.8%) White, 82,416 (33.1%) African American, 2,008 (0.8%) Native American, 7,733 (3.1%) Asian, 172 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 72,824 (29.2%) from some other race, and 37,172 (14.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 113,095 (45.4%) of the population.

The district had 130,950 registered voters , of whom 52,189 (39.9%) were registered as unaffiliated, 67,880 (51.8%) were registered as Democrats, 9,137 (7.0%) were registered as Republicans, and 1,744 (1.3%) were registered to other parties.Statewide Voter Registration Summary, New Jersey Department of State, December 1, 2021. Accessed December 26, 2021.

Political representation

The legislative district overlaps with New Jersey's 8th and 10th congressional districts.

Apportionment history Since the creation of the 40-district legislative map in 1973, the 29th district has always been based in and around Newark. In the 1973 map, the 29th district consisted of most of the South and East Wards (excluding Ironbound) and a portion of the Central Ward. For the 1981 redistricting, the 29th became all of the South and East Wards and a larger part of the Central Ward. In the 1991 redistricting, the 29th continued encompassing the South and East Wards and part of the Central Ward; the district now crept into a part of the North Ward and entered a new municipality, Hillside in Union County. In the 2001 redistricting, Hillside remained in the district but now most of the area of Newark was contained in the 29th district. After the 2011 redistricting, Hillside was removed and Belleville was moved into the district; again, most of the area of the city remained in the 29th.

Because of its heavily urban nature, the district tends to favor Democrats strongly. The 29th district is one of the few districts in the state to have ever elected only one party to all Senate and Assembly seats in every election since 1973.

Election history Session Senate General Assembly 1974–1975 Wynona Lipman (D)Ronald Owens (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1976–1977 Ronald Owens (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1978–1979 Wynona Lipman (D)Eugene H. Thompson (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1980–1981 Eugene H. Thompson (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1982–1983 Wynona Lipman (D)Eugene H. Thompson (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1984–1985 Wynona Lipman (D)Eugene H. Thompson (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1986–1987 Eugene H. Thompson (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1988–1989 Wynona Lipman (D)Jackie Mattison (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1990–1991 Jackie Mattison (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1992–1993 Wynona Lipman (D)Jackie Mattison (D)Willie B. Brown (D) 1994–1995 Wynona Lipman (D)Jackie Mattison (D)Willie B. Brown (D)1996–1997 Jackie Mattison (D)Willie B. Brown (D)Alberto Coutinho (D)Appointed May 22, 1997 1998–1999 Wynona Lipman (D)Died May 9, 1999William D. Payne (D) Donald Kofi Tucker (D) Sharpe James (D)Appointed to the Senate on June 21, 1999, won a November 1999 special election to complete unexpired term  2000–2001 William D. Payne (D)Donald Kofi Tucker (D) 2002–2003 Sharpe James (D)William D. Payne (D)Wilfredo Caraballo (D) 2004–2005 Sharpe James (D)William D. Payne (D)Wilfredo Caraballo (D) 2006–2007 William D. Payne (D)Wilfredo Caraballo (D) 2008–2009 Teresa Ruiz (D)L. Grace Spencer (D)Alberto Coutinho (D) 2010–2011 L. Grace Spencer (D)Alberto Coutinho (D)2012–2013 Teresa Ruiz (D)L. Grace Spencer (D)Alberto Coutinho (D)Resigned September 11, 2013Eliana Pintor Marin (D)Appointed to the Assembly on November 18, 2013 2014–2015 Teresa Ruiz (D)L. Grace Spencer (D)Eliana Pintor Marin (D)2016–2017 L. Grace Spencer (D)Resigned June 30, 2016 to become a Superior Court judgeEliana Pintor Marin (D)Blonnie R. Watson (D)Appointed to the Assembly on July 21, 2016, won a November 8, 2016 special election to complete unexpired term 2018–2019 Teresa Ruiz (D)Shanique Speight (D)Eliana Pintor Marin (D) 2020–2021 Shanique Speight (D)Eliana Pintor Marin (D) 2022–2023 Teresa Ruiz (D)Shanique Speight (D)Eliana Pintor Marin (D) 2024–2025 Teresa Ruiz (D)Shanique Speight (D)Eliana Pintor Marin (D) 2026–2027 Shanique Speight (D)Eliana Pintor Marin (D)

Election results Senate

General Assembly

References