STATEMENT FROM ASSEMBLYWOMAN ANNETTE CHAPARRO

As an elected member of the New Jersey General Assembly, I love the job I have representing my hometown and county, where I was born and raised, and take my duty to the public very seriously. I’m even prouder to be an elected Latina, especially during a time when only 1.5% of elected officials nationwide are Hispanic, compared to 18% of the American population, according to a recent study.

After re-districting, it became clear that politicians would be jockeying for position, as expected. Despite discussions swirling around the political rumor mill, my plans are to continue in this position and let the voters decide on any political future.

I’m not naïve to the games that are played in Trenton – I’m in my fourth term as a representative from Hudson County – I know how it works. However, I believe it’s extremely premature to begin playing these power games when we barely started this legislative session. I don’t think it’s fair to the residents who just elected us to look beyond this term right away.

Even if I’m not the pick of the Mayor or my colleagues in the Assembly, I’m committed to serving the residents of this District until at least January 2024. I owe it to all residents to focus on this legislative session, especially the 33,400+ people who showed up on Election Day last November to send me back to Trenton.

If for some reason I do not run, I am committed to ensuring that Latina representation remains in Trenton coming from our District. Hispanics and Latinos make up 40% of Hudson County’s population (according to 2020 Census Data) – I intend to ensure that representation of this community remains in Trenton – whether it’s me or someone else.

We need female elected leaders. We need Latina elected leaders. We need diverse voices representing a diverse community.

I didn’t wish to address this topic at this time, as I believe it’s way too early to have these discussions, but given conversations out of my control that are occurring in the political arena, I wanted people to hear directly from me instead of the rumor mill.