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Jay Webber
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James K. "Jay" Webber[1] (born February 29, 1972) is an American lawyer and Republican politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since January 8, 2008, where he represents the 26th legislative district. Webber served in the Assembly as the Minority Appropriations Officer from 2018 to 2026.
Key Information
After the 2025 New Jersey General Assembly election, in which Republicans saw five incumbents lose and for the party to shrink to its smallest Assembly delegation since the post-Watergate era, Webber was not given a leadership position by the party caucus, which he claims was related to his efforts to question the nature of the election losses.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Webber was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. Raised in Clifton, he attended Saint Joseph Regional High School.[3] He received a B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, where he was Phi Beta Kappa and a Second Team All-American in baseball.[4][5] He served as Budget Staffer and District Director to William J. Martini during his term in Congress.[6] After leaving Congressman Martini's office, Webber was a staff member at the Manhattan Institute.[6] Webber earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School[5] and clerked for New Jersey Supreme Court justice Peter Verniero.[7][8]
New Jersey Senate campaign
[edit]At age 30 in 2003, Webber ran in the Republican primary against incumbent state senator Robert Martin by running to the right of the senator.[7] Martin defeated Webber by approximately 1,900 votes or 15 percent.[9]
New Jersey Assembly
[edit]In 2007, following Martin's retirement from the Senate and incumbent Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio deciding to run for Martin's seat, Webber ran in the Republican primary for Pennacchio's Assembly seat. Incumbent Alex DeCroce took the most votes in the June primary (9,833 votes or 41.1%) while Webber advanced to the November general election by coming in second (7,679 votes, 32.2%) defeating Kinnelon councilman Larry Casha (6,369 votes, 26.7%).[10][11] Webber was elected in the general election and has subsequently been re-elected every two years since then.
Committees
[edit]Committee assignments for the 2026—2027 Legislative Session are:[5]
- Appropriations
- Financial Institutions and Insurance
District 26
[edit]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.[12] The representatives from the 26th District for the 2026—2027 Legislative Session are:[13]
- Senator Joseph Pennacchio (R)
- Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R)
- Assemblyman Jay Webber (R)
New Jersey Republican Party chairmanship
[edit]On June 11, 2009, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie announced his selection of Webber to succeed Tom Wilson as chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee.[14] State Committee members unanimously supported the selection of Webber in a vote on June 17, 2009.[15] Webber announced that he would be leaving the Chairman's post in January 2011, and was succeeded by Sam Raia.[16]
2018 U.S. House campaign
[edit]On February 3, 2018, Webber announced he would officially run for the U.S. House seat representing New Jersey's 11th congressional district, after incumbent Rodney Frelinghuysen announced on January 29 that he would not seek reelection. Webber received the Republican Party nomination in the June 6 primary election, defeating Anthony Ghee and Peter DeNeufville.[17] He was defeated by Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill in the November general election. Sherrill won 56.2% of the vote to Webber's 42.7%, defeating him by 13.5%, a 33 percentage-point shift in the vote share towards the Democrat compared to the last election. It was the largest partisan swing of any district in the 2018 House Elections.[18]
Personal life
[edit]He is married to Johanna, with whom he has eight children. He is a resident of Morris Plains. He owns a law firm based in Whippany.
Electoral history
[edit]General Assembly
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jay Webber (incumbent) | 28,146 | 28.7 | |
| Republican | Brian Bergen (incumbent) | 27,831 | 28.3 | |
| Democratic | John Van Achen | 21,263 | 21.7 | |
| Democratic | Walter Mielarczyk | 20,962 | 21.4 | |
| Total votes | 98,202 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jay Webber (incumbent) | 46,239 | 29.98% | |
| Republican | Christian E. Barranco | 45,224 | 29.32% | |
| Democratic | Pamela Fadden | 31,434 | 20.38% | |
| Democratic | Melissa Brown Blaeuer | 31,355 | 20.33% | |
| Total votes | 154,252 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | BettyLou DeCroce (incumbent) | 24,706 | 28.5% | ||
| Republican | Jay Webber (incumbent) | 24,451 | 28.21% | ||
| Democratic | Christine Clarke | 18,813 | 21.7% | ||
| Democratic | Laura Fortgang | 18,711 | 21.59% | ||
| Total votes | 86,681 | 100% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jay Webber | 31,810 | 28.2 |  2.1
| |
| Republican | BettyLou DeCroce | 31,766 | 28.2 | 1.9
| |
| Democratic | Joseph R. Raich | 24,732 | 22.0 |  2.6
| |
| Democratic | E. William Edge | 24,362 | 21.6 | 2.8
| |
| Total votes | '112,670' | '100.0' | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jay Webber | 13,739 | 30.3 | 2.3
| |
| Republican | BettyLou DeCroce | 13,666 | 30.1 | 2.8
| |
| Democratic | Avery Hart | 8,805 | 19.4 | 2.0
| |
| Democratic | Wayne B. Marek | 8,525 | 18.8 | 1.7
| |
| Green | Jimmy D. Brash | 666 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Total votes | '45,401' | '100.0' | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | BettyLou DeCroce | 35,352 | 32.9 | 0.9
| |
| Republican | Jay Webber | 35,028 | 32.6 | 1.2
| |
| Democratic | Elliot Isibor | 18,720 | 17.4 | 0.6
| |
| Democratic | Joseph Raich | 18,379 | 17.1 | 0.5
| |
| Total votes | '107,479' | '100.0' | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alex DeCroce | 19,696 | 32.0 | |
| Republican | Jay Webber | 19,543 | 31.8 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Raich | 10,847 | 17.6 | |
| Democratic | Elliot Isibor | 10,319 | 16.8 | |
| Green | Michael Spector | 1,095 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 61,500 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alex DeCroce | 43,647 | 34.7 | 2.6
| |
| Republican | Jay Webber | 42,077 | 33.4 | 2.6
| |
| Democratic | Wayne B. Marek | 20,107 | 16.0 | 0.9
| |
| Democratic | Douglas Herbert | 20,015 | 15.9 | 1.2
| |
| Total votes | '125,846' | '100.0' | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alex DeCroce | 25,342 | 32.1 | 1.9
| |
| Republican | Jay Webber | 24,307 | 30.8 | 1.7
| |
| Democratic | David Modrak | 13,488 | 17.1 | 3.0
| |
| Democratic | Wayne Marek | 13,308 | 16.9 | 2.5
| |
| Green | Michael Spector | 971 | 1.2 | N/A | |
| Green | Matthew Norton | 935 | 1.2 | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Kenneth Kaplan | 577 | 0.7 | 0.1
| |
| Total votes | '78,928' | '100.0' | |||
United States House of Representatives
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mikie Sherrill | 183,684 | 56.8 | |
| Republican | Jay Webber | 136,322 | 42.1 | |
| Independent | Robert Crook | 2,182 | 0.7 | |
| Libertarian | Ryan Martinez | 1,386 | 0.4 | |
| Total votes | 323,574 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ James K. Webber, Webber McGill LLC. Accessed June 5, 2018.
- ^ Vannozzi, Briana. "After GOP losses, Webber says party silenced accountability calls", NJ Spotlight News, January 30, 2026. Accessed February 1, 2026. "Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris), a former state Republican Party chairman, says he was sidelined after urging his caucus to confront what he described as a troubling pattern of electoral defeats and a lack of accountability within party leadership. GOP leaders characterized the move as part of a routine post-election reorganization. Webber, who took office in 2008, disputes that explanation, saying his demotion followed his push for a broader discussion about the party’s direction after November’s elections, in which five Republican incumbents lost their seats."
- ^ Garber, Phil. "Republican voters to pick possible successor to Frelinghuysen in 11th District", Cedar Grove / Verona Observer, May 29, 2018. Accessed June 28, 2018. "Webber grew up in Clifton and attended St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale."
- ^ "James K. Webber – The Law Offices of Webber McGill, LLC". webbermcgill.com. September 21, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ a b c Assemblyman Jay Webber, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Assemblyman Jay Webber | Biography". Assemblyman Jay Webber. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Kornacki, Steve (April 13, 2003). "Martin makes right turn on road to a GOP primary". Politics NJ. Archived from the original on December 12, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Assemblyman Jay Webber". New Jersey Assembly Republicans. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For June 2003 Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. April 3, 2006. p. 26. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Heyboer, Kelly; Murphy, Dan (June 5, 2007). "26th District: DeCroce, Webber win GOP Assembly nods". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For June 2007 Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. July 20, 2007. p. 26. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
- ^ Legislative Roster for District 26, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ^ Rispoli, Michael. "N.J. gov candidate Chris Christie taps Assemblyman Jay Webber to head N.J. GOP", The Star-Ledger, June 11, 2009. Accessed September 26, 2015.
- ^ "Webber Elected NJGOP Chairman". New Jersey Republican State Committee. June 18, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ Dinges, Tomás. "N.J. Republican Party elects new state chairman", The Star-Ledger, January 11, 2011. Accessed September 26, 2015. "Raia was named the new head of the New Jersey Republican State Committee last Thursday. That news came shortly after former chair Assemblyman Jay Webber, of Morris Plains, announced he would step down."
- ^ Hetrick, Christian (June 5, 2018). "Jay Webber Wins GOP Primary in New Jersey's 11th District". Observer. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. House Election Results 2018". Politico. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For PRIMARY ELECTION 06/04/2019 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
External links
[edit]
- State legislative page
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Assemblyman Webber's legislative webpage, New Jersey Legislature
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
- 2017 Archived June 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine 2016 Archived June 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine 2015 Archived June 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine 2014 Archived September 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2013 Archived September 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2012 Archived September 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2011 Archived September 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2010 Archived September 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2009 Archived September 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2008 Archived September 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine 2007 Archived March 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine