Benjie Wimberly
2012 - Present
2026
12
Benjie Wimberly (Democratic Party) is a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 35. He assumed office in 2012. His current term ends on January 13, 2026.
Wimberly (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 35. He declared candidacy for the 2025 election.[source]
Wimberly has served as deputy speaker of the Assembly.
Biography
Wimberly earned his B.A. in sociology from Virginia State University. His professional experience includes serving as a Paterson Councilman from 2010 to 2012, as a coordinator for joint recreational services for the Paterson public schools, as a teacher at Eastside High School, and as a director for the Paterson division of recreation.[1]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Wimberly was assigned to the following committees:
- Budget Committee, Vice Chair
- Housing Committee
- Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee
- Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opp Committee
- Public Schools Committee
2020-2021
Wimberly was assigned to the following committees:
- Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opp Committee, Co-chair
- Public Schools Committee
- Budget Committee
- Housing Committee, Chair
- Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee
2019-2020
Wimberly was assigned to the following committees:
2016 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Wimberly served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Regulatory Oversight and Reform and Federal Relations, Vice-Chair |
| • Telecommunications and Utilities, Vice-Chair |
| • Budget |
2015 legislative session
In the 2015 legislative session, Wimberly served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opp, Co-Chair |
| • Telecommunications and Utilities, Vice-Chair |
| • Budget |
| • Judiciary |
| • Public Schools |
2014 legislative session
In the 2014 legislative session, Wimberly served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2014 |
|---|
| • Budget |
| • Judiciary |
| • Telecommunications and Utilities |
Sponsored legislation
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
2025
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Shavonda Sumter (D) | ||
| Benjie Wimberly (D) | ||
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Endorsements
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2023
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter won election in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Benjie Wimberly (D) | 50.2 | 12,320 | |
| ✔ | Shavonda Sumter (D) | 49.7 | 12,214 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 19 | ||
| Total votes: 24,553 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Shavonda Sumter | 50.0 | 3,632 | |
| ✔ | Benjie Wimberly | 50.0 | 3,632 | |
| Total votes: 7,264 | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wimberly in this election.
2021
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2021
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter defeated Ramzy Yamisha and Iman Majagah in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Benjie Wimberly (D) | 34.6 | 20,276 | |
| ✔ | Shavonda Sumter (D) | 34.5 | 20,235 | |
 | Ramzy Yamisha (R) | 15.6 | 9,166 | |
| Iman Majagah (R) | 15.3 | 8,990 | |
| Total votes: 58,667 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Shavonda Sumter | 50.2 | 4,454 | |
| ✔ | Benjie Wimberly | 49.8 | 4,417 | |
| Total votes: 8,871 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Ramzy Yamisha and Iman Majagah advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ramzy Yamisha | 50.8 | 1,433 |
| ✔ | | Iman Majagah | 49.2 | 1,389 |
| Total votes: 2,822 | ||||
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2019
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2019
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter defeated Tamer Mamkej in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Benjie Wimberly (D) | 43.5 | 14,089 | |
| ✔ | Shavonda Sumter (D) | 43.4 | 14,033 | |
| Tamer Mamkej (R) | 13.1 | 4,241 | |
| Total votes: 32,363 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Cartalemi (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Shavonda Sumter | 50.4 | 3,579 | |
| ✔ | Benjie Wimberly | 49.6 | 3,522 | |
| Total votes: 7,101 | ||||
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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 35 (2 seats)
Robert Cartalemi and Tamer Mamkej advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Cartalemi | 52.0 | 965 |
| ✔ | | Tamer Mamkej | 48.0 | 892 |
| Total votes: 1,857 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Elizabeth Pla (R)
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.[2] 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.[3] Incumbent Benjie Wimberly (D) and incumbent Shavonda Sumter (D) defeated Ibrahim Mahmoud (R) and Nihad Younes (R) in the New Jersey General Assembly District 35 general election.[4][5]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
40.02% | 21,406 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
39.78% | 21,275 | |
| Republican | Ibrahim Mahmoud | 10.16% | 5,435 | |
| Republican | Nihad Younes | 10.03% | 5,366 | |
| Total Votes | 53,482 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 35 Democratic primary election.[6][7]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
50.29% | 7,510 |
| Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
49.71% | 7,422 |
| Total Votes | 14,932 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
Republican primary election
Ibrahim Mahmoud and Nihad Younes were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 35 Republican primary election.[8][7]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ibrahim Mahmoud |
50.10% | 985 |
| Nihad Younes |
49.90% | 981 |
| Total Votes | 1,966 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
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.[9] Since the general assembly uses multi-member districts, the top two candidates from each party in the primaries advanced to the general election. Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Democratic primary. David Jimenez and Ilia Villanueva were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. Sumter and Wimberly defeated Jimenez and Villanueva in the general election.[10][11][12][13][14]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
36.4% | 11,905 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
36.4% | 11,904 | |
| Republican | David Jimenez | 13.8% | 4,522 | |
| Republican | Ilia Villanueva | 13.3% | 4,333 | |
| Total Votes | 32,664 | |||
2013
Wimberly won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35. Wimberly was bracketed with Shavonda Sumter. He was unopposed in the June 4 Democratic primary. He and incumbent Shavonda Sumter (D) defeated Rhina Tavarez (R) and Maria del Pilar Rivas (R) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[15][16][17][18]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
36.7% | 21,195 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
36% | 20,791 | |
| Republican | Rhina Tavarez | 13.8% | 7,968 | |
| Republican | Maria del Pilar Rivas | 13.5% | 7,828 | |
| Total Votes | 57,782 | |||
2011
On November 8, 2011, Benjie Wimberly won election to District 35 of the New Jersey General Assembly. He and Shavonda Sumter were bracketed together and defeated Samuel Torres in the June 7 Democratic primary. They then defeated Donna Puglisi (R) and William Connolly (R) in the November 8 general election.[19]
| New Jersey General Assembly District 35 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly |
36.8% | 13,551 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter |
35.7% | 13,143 | |
| Republican | Donna Puglisi | 13.9% | 5,114 | |
| Republican | William Connolly | 13.6% | 5,020 | |
| Total Votes | 36,828 | |||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2023
Benjie Wimberly did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Benjie Wimberly did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Benjie Wimberly did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Scorecards
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.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 10 to January 8.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 11 to December 31. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 4 to January 11.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 14 to December 17.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9, 2018, through January 14, 2020.
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2018
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In 2018, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2019.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 through January 9, 2018.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 12 through January 10, 2017.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 13 through December 31.
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2014
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In 2014, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 14 through January 12, 2015.
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2013
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In 2013, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 13, 2014.
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2012
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In 2012, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 9, 2013.
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Endorsements
2013
In 2013, Wimberly’s endorsements included the following:[20] [21]
- The New Jersey AFL-CIO
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey
2011
In 2011, Wimberly’s endorsements included the following:[22]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Wimberly and his wife, Kimbrelynn, have four children.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate New Jersey General Assembly District 35 |
Officeholder New Jersey General Assembly District 35 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Paterson, "Councilman Benjie Wimberly," accessed May 4, 2011
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Candidates for General Assembly for General Election 11/07/2017 Election," accessed September 14, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2017 official general election results," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “2017 official primary election results for general assembly,” accessed July 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidate list for June 2 primary," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 3, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official list for candidate for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official primary results for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election results for General Assembly," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2013 General Assembly general election candidates," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ PolitickerNJ.com, "AFL-CIO endorses candidates for elections," accessed September 4, 2013
- ↑ Planned Parenthood NJ "Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Announces Endorsements in State Elections," accessed September 5, 2013
- ↑ Politicker NJ, "2011 AFL-CIO endorsed candidates," accessed August 5, 2011
