Nellie Pou | |
|---|---|
 Pou in 2012 | |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 35th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | John Girgenti |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 35th district | |
| In office January 29, 1997 – January 10, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Pascrell |
| Succeeded by | Shavonda E. Sumter Benjie E. Wimberly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 20, 1956 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Richard Freid |
| Residence(s) | North Haledon, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
| Education | Rutgers University Kean College |
| Website | Legislative biography site |
Nelida "Nellie" Pou (born May 20, 1956;[1][2] pronounced "Poe"[3]) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2012, representing the 35th Legislative District. She previously represented the 35th district in the General Assembly. When Pou was sworn into the Assembly on January 29, 1997, to succeed Bill Pascrell, she became the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th district.[4]
Pou serves in the senate as the Majority Caucus Chair.[2] Pou has chaired the bicameral New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus since 2006.[2] From 2022 to 2023, Pou was also president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.[5]
On August 29, 2024, Pou was selected to replace Rep. Bill Pascrell on the ballot as the Democratic candidate in New Jersey's 9th congressional district following his passing eight days earlier.[6] If elected, she will become New Jersey's first female Hispanic member of Congress and the sixth voting member of the U.S. House of Representatives with Puerto Rican heritage, joining Reps. Nydia Velázquez, Darren Soto, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ritchie Torres and Anthony D'Esposito.
- ^ a b Clunn, Nick. "GOP faults Dems on Paterson ties in 35th District", The Record, October 26, 2011. Accessed September 11, 2015. "Nellie Pou (D); Age: 55; Hometown: North Haledon"
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
NJLEGwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Baldwin, Tom. Dag Hammarskjold? Some ask 'Who's he?' Corzine makes reference to late U.N. secretary-general", Courier-Post, February 23, 2007. Accessed January 12, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Odd that a copy of the Corzine address had Hammarskjold's name spelled out phonetically, as was the name of Assemblywoman Nellie Pou, D-Passaic, whose name is pronounced like 'Poe.'"
- ^ "Pou to Take Assembly Oath as First Woman, First Hispanic to Represent the 35th District", The Italian Voice, February 13, 1997. Accessed April 7, 2008. "Nellie Pou took the oath of office Wednesday January 29th for the 35th District Assembly seat vacated by William J. Pascrell Jr., who was elected to Congress in November. Pou is the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th District in the Legislature."
- ^ Sen. Nellie Pou, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. Accessed April 17, 2024.
- ^ Houlis, Katie (August 30, 2024). "New Jersey Sen. Nellie Pou will replace late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. on November ballot - CBS New York". CBS News. Retrieved September 1, 2024.