Sadaf Jaffer

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Sadaf Jaffer
File:Sadaf Jaffer (cropped).jpg
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 16th district
In office
January 11, 2022 – January 9, 2024
Serving with Roy Freiman
Preceded byAndrew Zwicker
Succeeded byMitchelle Drulis
Mayor of Montgomery Township
In office
January 3, 2019 – December 31, 2020
Preceded byMark Conforti
Succeeded byDevra Keenan
Personal details
Born (1983-02-19) February 19, 1983 (age 43)[1]
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
SpouseDaniel Sheffield
Children1
ResidenceMontgomery Township, New Jersey
EducationGeorgetown University (BS)
Harvard University (PhD)
WebsiteLegislative webpage

Sadaf F. Jaffer (born February 19, 1983) is an American academic and politician who represented the 16th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2022 to 2024. She is a postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.

Jaffer previously served two one-year terms as mayor of Montgomery Township, having taken office on January 3, 2019, and completing her term on December 31, 2020. She is the first woman of South Asian descent to serve as mayor of a town in New Jersey, and the first Muslim woman to serve as a mayor in the United States. Jaffer was first elected to Montgomery's Township Committee in 2017. She did not seek re-election in the 2023 New Jersey General Assembly election for personal reasons.[2]

Early life, family and education

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Jaffer was born in Chicago to South Asian Muslim immigrants. Her mother was born in Pakistan and her father was born in Yemen to Indian parents.[3] Her ancestors are originally from the Kutch region of western India.[4] She attended the Latin School of Chicago, earned a bachelor's degree in foreign service from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and a PhD in near-eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University.[5][6]

In 2011, Jaffer married Daniel Sheffield,[7] an assistant professor in the Near-Eastern Studies Department at Princeton University. They had met at Harvard and have one child.[8][9]

Mayor of Montgomery Township

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In 2016, Jaffer launched an unsuccessful write-in campaign for Montgomery Township Committee. The following year she won a seat on the Township Committee on the Democratic ticket. In 2019, she was appointed to the position as mayor by her fellow committee members. She was sworn in on January 3, 2019, becoming the first woman of South Asian descent to serve as mayor of a town in New Jersey, and the first Muslim woman to serve as a mayor in the United States.

New Jersey General Assembly

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See also: 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election § District 16

Jaffer ran for New Jersey General Assembly in the 16th district after incumbent Andrew Zwicker decided to run for New Jersey State Senate. She was endorsed by several progressive groups, including #VOTEPROCHOICE.[10] After trailing behind Republican Vinny Panico for the second Assembly seat by nearly 300 votes in data published the night of the election[11] she won alongside Roy Freiman in the final results, more than 2,500 votes ahead of Panico.[12]

Committees

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Committee assignments for the current session are:[13]

  • Education
  • Health
  • State and Local Government

District 16

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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.[14] The representatives from the 16th District for the 2022—23 Legislative Session are:[15]

Electoral history

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16th Legislative District Democratic Primary, 2021[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sadaf F. Jaffer 9,383 44.2%
Democratic Roy Freiman (incumbent) 8,889 41.8%
Democratic Faris Zwirahn 2,979 14.0%
Total votes 21,251 100.0%
16th Legislative District General Election, 2021[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roy Freiman (incumbent) 40,992 26.67%
Democratic Sadaf F. Jaffer 39,512 25.71%
Republican Vincent T. Panico 36,924 24.03%
Republican Joseph A. Lukac III 36,251 23.59%
Total votes 153,679 100.0
Democratic hold

References

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  11. ^ Wildstein, David. "Freiman re-elected, Jaffer likely winner of 16th district Assembly seat", New Jersey Globe, November 5, 2021. Accessed January 23, 2022. "Jaffer, who trailed on election night and was ahead by less than 300 votes on Thursday, has now opened up an 801-vote lead against Republican Vinny Panico, a former president of the Central Hunterdon Regional Board of Education."
  12. ^ New Jersey Elections Results: State Assembly - District 16 - General, Associated Press. Accessed January 23, 2022.
  13. ^ Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  14. ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  15. ^ Legislative Roster for District 16, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022.
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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