# Yvonne Lopez

Yvonne M. Lopez (born July 28, 1957) is an American politician from New Jersey. A resident of Perth Amboy, she has represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly as a member of the Democratic Party since January 9, 2018.

## Early life and education

Lopez was born on July 28, 1957 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey. She attended Rutgers University.

## Career

Prior to entering politics, Lopez worked in the private sector. She served in the Community Relations department of Wachovia Bank for a period of 20 years from 1987 to 2007, eventually becoming a vice-president.
Lopez later became CEO and executive director of the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development (PRAHD). Under her leadership, the PRAHD worked with the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters to create a training program for underemployed and unemployed individuals.
In 2016, she was honored by the city of Perth Amboy for her work serving in the board of Perth Amboy's Business Improvement District (BID). As of 2023, she was a member of the New Jersey Puerto Rico Commission.

## Member of the New Jersey Assembly (2018-present)

Lopez first ran for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly in the 2017 election. She won the seat, which was relinquished by her predecessor John Wisniewski after he chose to run for Governor of New Jersey in the 2017 election. Lopez was reelected in the 2019, 2021, and 2023 elections.
Each district in the New Jersey Legislature is represented by one state senator and two members of the General Assembly Alongside with Lopez, the 19th District is represented in the current session by Senator Joe F. Vitale (D) and fellow assemblymember Craig Coughlin (D).

### Tenure

In 2020, Lopez was appointed to serve as vice chair of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators' Latino Voting and Elections Task Force.
In 2024, Lopez began preparing legislation to prohibit landlords operating in New Jersey from using rent-setting algorithms that increase costs for renters.

#### Committee memberships

In the 221st New Jersey Assembly session (2024-2024), she is chair of the Housing Committee, vice chair of the Community Development and Womens Affairs Committee, and a member of the Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee.

## Electoral history
### New Jersey General Assembly

19th Legislative District General Election, 2023 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Craig J. Coughlin (incumbent) | 18,808 | 31.4 |
| | Democratic | Yvonne Lopez (incumbent) | 18,254 | 30.5 |
| | Republican | Marilyn Colon | 11,496 | 19.2 |
| | Republican | Sam Raval | 10,740 | 17.9 |
| | Libertarian | David Diez | 619 | 1.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 59,917 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |
New Jersey general election, 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Craig Coughlin (Incumbent) | 26,529 | 29.15 |
| | Democratic | Yvonne Lopez (Incumbent) | 26,057 | 28.63 |
| | Republican | Anthony "Tony" Gallo | 19,337 | 21.24 |
| | Republican | Bruce Banko | 19,098 | 20.98 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 91,021 | 100.0 |
New Jersey general election, 2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Craig Coughlin (Incumbent) | 25,708 | 35.6 | 0.0 |
| | Democratic | Yvonne Lopez | 24,830 | 34.4 | 1.9 |
| | Republican | Deepak Malhotra | 10,709 | 14.8 | 0.0 |
| | Republican | Amarjit K. Riar | 9,436 | 13.1 | 0.2 |
| | Quality of Life | William Cruz | 1,488 | 2.1 | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 72,171 | 100.0 | |