Nellie Pou

Nellie Pou
Pou in 2012
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 9th district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingBill Pascrell
Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 35th district
Assumed office
January 10, 2012
Preceded byJohn Girgenti
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 35th district
In office
January 29, 1997 – January 10, 2012
Preceded byBill Pascrell
Succeeded byShavonda E. Sumter
Benjie E. Wimberly
Personal details
Born (1956-05-20) May 20, 1956 (age 68)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRichard Freid
Residence(s)North Haledon, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
EducationRutgers University
Kean College
WebsiteLegislative biography site

Nelida "Nellie" Avila Pou[2] (born May 20, 1956;[1][3] pronounced "Poe"[4]) 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.[5]

Pou serves in the senate as the Majority Caucus Chair.[3] Pou has chaired the bicameral New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus since 2006.[3] From 2022 to 2023, Pou was also president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.[6]

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 death eight days earlier.[7]

  1. ^ 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"
  2. ^ "Rep. Nellie Pou - D New Jersey, 9rd - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference NJLEG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 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.'"
  5. ^ "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."
  6. ^ Sen. Nellie Pou, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. Accessed April 17, 2024.
  7. ^ 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.