Ellen Park

Ellen J. Park (born March 6, 1972) is an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who was elected in the 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election as an assemblywoman for New Jersey's 37th legislative district, making her the first Korean American woman to be elected to the New Jersey Legislature.

Ellen Park
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 37th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 2022 Serving with Shama Haider
Preceded by	Valerie Huttle and Gordon M. Johnson
Personal details
Born	(1972-03-06) March 6, 1972 (age 52) South Korea
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Richard Ma
Website	Legislative webpage

Political career

Born in South Korea, Park moved to the United States as a child and was raised in the New York City neighborhoods of Sunnyside and Flushing. She attended Bronx High School of Science and New York University.^[1] She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law.^[2] She was elected in 2016 to serve on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Borough Council. In the November 2021 general election, she was elected together with her running mates, making her the first Korean woman to serve in the state legislature.^[1]

Since 2024, Park has served in the Assembly as Parliamentarian.^[2]

Committees

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[2]

• Judiciary (as chair)
• Budget
• Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture

District 37

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[3] The representatives from the 37th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[4]

• Senator Gordon M. Johnson (D)
• Assemblywoman Shama Haider (D)
• Assemblywoman Ellen Park (D)

Electoral history

37th Legislative District General Election, 2023^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ellen J. Park (incumbent)	26,942	36.4
	Democratic	Shama A. Haider (incumbent)	25,943	35.0
	Republican	Robert Bedoya	10,673	14.4
	Republican	Katherine Lebovics	10,526	14.2
Total votes			74,084	100.0
	Democratic hold
	Democratic hold

37th legislative district general election, 2021^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ellen J. Park	33,532	33.77%
	Democratic	Shama A. Haider	32,797	33.03%
	Republican	Edward P. Durfee Jr.	16,193	16.31%
	Republican	Perley V. Patrick	15,863	15.97%
	Children&Seniors First	Natacha M. Pannell	923	0.93%
Total votes			99,308	100.0
	Democratic hold

References

1. Chao, Mary. "Meet Ellen Park: The first Korean woman elected to NJ Legislature", The Record, November 6, 2021. Accessed November 9, 2021. "It's been a whirlwind week for Ellen Park. The Englewood Cliffs attorney made history Tuesday as the first Korean woman to be elected to the New Jersey Legislature, representing the 37th District Assembly of Bergen County."
2. Assemblywoman Ellen J. Park (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 29, 2024.
3. New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
4. Legislative Roster for District 37, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 29, 2024.
5. "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
6. "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/02/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

External links

• Legislative webpage