Chris A. Brown
Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 2nd district
In office
January 9, 2018 – July 21, 2021
Preceded byColin Bell
Succeeded byVincent J. Polistina
Deputy Minority Conference Chair of the New Jersey Senate
In office
January 9, 2018 – July 19, 2021
LeaderTom Kean
Preceded byJennifer Beck
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 2nd district
In office
January 10, 2012 – January 9, 2018
Preceded byVincent J. Polistina
Succeeded byJohn Armato
Personal details
Born (1964-08-03) August 3, 1964
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Political partyRepublican
SpouseChristine Brown
ChildrenThree
ResidenceVentnor City
WebsiteLegislative website
Senate GOP Website
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1987-2009
RankMajor
Battles/warsGulf War

Christopher A. Brown (born August 3, 1964) is an American Republican Party politician who represented the 2nd Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate from January 9, 2018, to July 19, 2021, when he left office to accept a position with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.[1] He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from January 10, 2012, to January 9, 2018. He is a veteran of the Gulf War.

Early life

Brown was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1964. He earned a B.A. degree from Rutgers University in 1987, and after graduation was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He served in the Army during the Gulf War, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge for his service in the ground offensive in Iraq.[2] He received a J.D. degree from Widener University School of Law in 1991. In 1991–1992, Brown interned with L. Anthony Gibson, Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division of the New Jersey Superior Court for Atlantic and Cape May Counties. In 1992–1993, he clerked for Superior Court Judge Charles R. Previti. He is board certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a civil trial attorney and has been admitted to the bar in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.[2] He has served as the Prosecutor of Egg Harbor Township, Solicitor for the Atlantic City Council, Solicitor for the Atlantic City Board of Education and Assistant Solicitor for Egg Harbor Township.[2] In 2008, Brown was called up for service in the Iraq War and spent three months preparing to deploy to Iraq. However, the Army determined that it had made a mistake in activating him, and he was sent home, receiving an honorable discharge.[3] Brown is a resident of Ventnor City, New Jersey with his wife Christine, married 1993, and their three children.[4][5]

New Jersey Assembly

In 2011, Brown ran as a Republican for the General Assembly representing the 2nd District, filling the seat of Vincent J. Polistina, who left the Assembly in an unsuccessful bid for the New Jersey Senate, running against incumbent Jim Whelan. Brown and his running mate John F. Amodeo defeated the Democratic candidates, Alisa Cooper and Damon Tyner.[6] He was sworn in on January 10, 2012.[7] In the Assembly he served as Assistant Republican Leader from January 12, 2016, to January 9, 2018.[8]

Committees

  • Consumer Affairs [9]
  • Tourism and the Arts
  • Regulatory Oversight [9]
  • Tourism and Gaming

New Jersey Senate

After incumbent senator Jim Whelen's death on August 22, 2017, Democrat Colin Bell was unanimously selected to fill the remainder of Whelan's senate term and took office, making him the incumbent senator going into the November 2017 general election.[10] In one of the most expensive of the 120 legislative races in the 2017 election, in which $4.6 million was spent, Brown defeated Bell by a 54%-46% margin, taking a Senate seat that had been held by Democrats since 2008 and giving the Republicans their only Senate seat that changed parties, in an election that had many major victories for the Democratic Party across the state.[11][12] In the Senate, Brown has served as Deputy Conference Leader since January 9, 2018.

Committees

  • Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Payment [13]
  • Higher Education
  • State Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation

Electoral history

New Jersey Senate

2017 New Jersey Senate election in the 2nd Legislative District
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Chris Brown 26,950 53.5 Increase 8.5
Democratic Colin Bell (Incumbent) 23,406 46.5 Decrease 8.5
Total votes '50,356' '100.0'

Assembly

Brown was elected to the Assembly in 2011 [14] Brown was re-elected in 2013,[15] then again in 2015.[16]

2015 New Jersey General Assembly election for the 2nd District
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Chris Brown 18,959 26.5 Increase 0.9
Democratic Vincent Mazzeo 18,279 25.5 Increase 0.7
Democratic Colin Bell 17,433 24.4 Increase 0.9
Republican Will Pauls 16,907 23.6 Decrease 1.1
Total votes '71,578' '100.0'
2013 New Jersey General Assembly election for the 2nd District
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Chris Brown 26,022 25.6 Decrease 1.5
Democratic Vincent Mazzeo 25,182 24.77 Increase 1.8
Republican John F. Amodeo 25,131 24.72 Decrease 4.5
Democratic Nick Russo 23,921 23.5 Increase 2.8
Brownie Plus Me Gary Stein 1,394 1.4 N/A
Total votes '101,650' '100.0'
2013 New Jersey General Assembly election for the 2nd District
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John F. Amodeo 25,330 29.2
Republican Chris Brown 23,440 27.1
Democratic Damon Tyner 19,919 23.0
Democratic Alisa Cooper 17,933 20.7
Total votes 86,622 100.0

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Brent. "Republican state senator joins Gov. Murphy’s administration to help Atlantic City", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 20, 2021. Accessed October 6, 2021. "Republican state Sen. Chris A. Brown has left the New Jersey Legislature a little earlier than expected to join Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration and help its efforts to bolster Atlantic City. The veteran lawmaker has been hired as a senior adviser for issues related to Atlantic City under the state Department of Community Affairs, which is overseeing the ongoing state takeover of the oft-struggling seaside gambling resort, the administration announced Monday."
  2. 1 2 3 "Attorney Profile". Christopher A. Brown, Counselors at Law. Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  3. ↑ "Analysis: N.J. Legislature's racial, ethnic makeup out of step with state's demographics". The Star-Ledger. 2012-01-09. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  4. ↑ Smith, Shaun. "Amodeo, Brown retain District 2 Assembly seats" Archived 2016-11-24 at the Wayback Machine, Shore News Today, November 6, 2013. Accessed November 23, 2016. "Brown, 49, of Ventnor said, 'I am honored and humbled the voters have once again placed their faith in me. I look forward to working with the governor and my colleagues to provide New Jersey's families with property tax relief and continue our efforts to attract businesses and create local jobs.'"
  5. ↑ "Assemblyman Chris A. Brown - New Jersey Assembly Republicans". New Jersey Assembly Republicans. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Republicans Amodeo and Brown win 2nd District Assembly seats by several thousand votes each". Press of Atlantic City. 2011-11-09. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  7. ↑ "Turnover in N.J. Legislature is slight". Asbury Park Press. 2012-01-10. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  8. ↑ "Senator Chris A. Brown". brown.senatenj.com. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Assemblyman Chris A. Brown (R)". njleg.state.nj. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  10. ↑ DeRosier, John. "Colin Bell sworn in as senator, hoping to lead Democrats in November election", The Press of Atlantic City, October 5, 2017. Accessed November 13, 2017. "Democrat Colin Bell was officially sworn in as a state senator Thursday during a ceremony at the Statehouse in Trenton. Bell, 36, of Margate, was unanimously selected by the Atlantic County Democratic Committee to fill the seat of the late Jim Whelan, who died in August. He is also running in this November’s election for a full four-year term in the Senate against Republican Assemblyman Chris Brown."
  11. ↑ Hetrick, Christian. "Brown Beats Bell, Snatching a Senate Seat from Democrats", The New York Observer, November 7, 2017. Accessed November 13, 2017. "Democrats swept nearly every competitive legislative race Tuesday, but they could not stop Chris Brown in the 2nd district. Brown, a Republican state assemblyman, won the Senate seat in the 2nd legislative district by beating Sen. Colin Bell (D-Atlantic) in one of the state’s most hotly contested races this year. Brown had 54 percent of the vote while Bell received 46 percent, according to the Associated Press."
  12. ↑ Unofficial List Candidates for State Senate For General Election 11/07/2017 Election, New Jersey Department of State, November 8, 2016. Accessed November 13, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Senator Chris A. Brown (R)". njleg.state.nj. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  14. ↑ "2011-official-gen-elect-gen-assembly-results-121411.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  15. ↑ "General Election Results-Amended (3rd).xlsx" (PDF). Atlantic County Clerk. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  16. ↑ "2015-official-ge-results-nj-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
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