Chigozie Onyema
Chigozie Onyema | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 28th district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2026 Serving with Cleopatra Tucker | |
| Preceded by | Garnet Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Essex County College (AA) Howard University (BA) New York University School of Law (JD) |
| Website | Legislative webpage |
Chigozie U. Onyema is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented the 28th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office in January 2026.[1] He previously served as assistant commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.[2]
Early life and education
Onyema was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in the Hilton neighborhood of Maplewood. His parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria. After graduating from Columbia High School, he unsuccessfully ran for school board of the South Orange-Maplewood School District in 2005.[3]
Onyema earned his Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law, Bachelor of Arts in Afro-American Studies from Howard University, and Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Essex County College.[4]
Career
Onyema served as the Senior Director for the Sustainable Cities program at PolicyLink. Previously, he served as general counsel for the Newark Parking Authority and as an assistant commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs under lieutenant governor Sheila Oliver.[3] He was a member of Ras Baraka’s mayoral transition team in 2014 and on Phil Murphy’s gubernatorial transition team in 2017.[5]
2022 Newark Council campaign
In 2022, Onyema ran for the Municipal Council of Newark in the West Ward. His campaign proposed developing a community land trust for affordable housing and improving quality of life.[5] He advanced to the general election against Dupré Kelly, former Lords of the Underground member and an ally of mayor Ras Baraka.[3][4]
New Jersey General Assembly
In 2024, Onyema announced he would run for the New Jersey General Assembly in the 28th district in 2025. He and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker won the co-endorsements of the Essex County and Union County Democratic Committees; incumbent Garnet Hall initially earned the Union County endorsement but lost it for supporting Steve Fulop in the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election.[6][7] He was the first candidate to be endorsed by the New Jersey Working Families Party leading up to the statewide primary election.[8] He placed second in the Democratic primary election, advancing to the general election alongside Tucker and defeating Hall for re-nomination.[9]
Electoral history
2025
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cleopatra Tucker (incumbent) | 14,109 | 38.65% | |
| Democratic | Chigozie Onyema | 13,456 | 36.86% | |
| Democratic | Garnet Hall (incumbent) | 8,937 | 24.48% | |
| Total votes | 36,502 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cleopatra Tucker (incumbent) | 47,998 | 50.39% | |
| Democratic | Chigozie Onyema | 47,263 | 49.61% | |
| Total votes | 95,261 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2022
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Dupre L. Kelly | 1,489 | 37.99% | ||
| Chigozie U. Onyema | 1,137 | 29.01% | ||
| Oscar S. James II | 510 | 13.01% | ||
| Lavita E. Johnson | 380 | 9.70% | ||
| Lyndon Brown | 313 | 7.99% | ||
| Michelle Lyn Middleton | 90 | 2.30% | ||
| Total votes | 3,919 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Dupre L. Kelly | 1,973 | 58.65% | ||
| Chigozie U. Onyema | 1,391 | 41.35% | ||
| Total votes | 3,364 | 100% | ||
References
- ^ "Tucker, Onyema win unopposed in LD28". New Jersey Globe. November 4, 2025.
- ^ "Assembly incumbents face challenges at Essex Dem convention". New Jersey Globe. March 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c Pizarro, Max (November 25, 2025). "Into the West: Collisions of Times Past, Present and Future in Kelly v. Onyema". Insider NJ. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Strunsky, Steve (June 12, 2022). "Newark runoff Tuesday pits platinum rapper vs. activist lawyer for West Ward council seat". NJ.com. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Strunsky, Steve (May 6, 2022). "Hip-hop artist seeks career change in fight for Newark city council seat". NJ.com. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ Blackburn, Zach (April 17, 2025). "The Assembly boom and every other competitive primary this year". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ Wildstein, David (March 22, 2025). "Onyema, Tucker win Essex Assembly endorsement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Blackburn, Zach (April 17, 2025). "N.J. Working Families Party endorses 13 Assembly candidates". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ Blackburn, Zach (June 10, 2025). "Tucker, Onyema win in LD-28; Hall loses seat". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- ^ "NEWARK COUNCIL MEMBER-WEST WARD". May 18, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ^ "Election Night Reporting".