Brian_Bergen
Brian Bergen
American Republican politician (born 1979)
Brian Bergen (born July 8, 1979) is an American Republican Party politician who has represented the 26th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2024. He had represented the 25th district when he took office in January 14, 2020.[1]
Brian Bergen | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 26th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Christian Barranco |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 25th district | |
| In office January 14, 2020 – January 9, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Patrick Carroll |
| Succeeded by | Christian Barranco |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1979-07-08) July 8, 1979 (age 44) |
| Residence(s) | Denville Township, U.S. |
| Website | Legislative webpage |
Bergen is from Denville Township, New Jersey,[2] where he served on the township council.[3]
Bergen was a member of the cross country running team at James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell, which led to interest to join the team at the United States Military Academy.[4] After attending West Point, Bergen served from 1997 to 2008 in the United States Army as a Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot and earned graduate degrees from the University of Phoenix and Rutgers University.[1]
Bergen entered the race for Assembly after incumbent Republican Michael Patrick Carroll announced that he would run for Morris County Surrogate. In the June 2019 Republican primary, Bergen and Anthony M. Bucco won the nomination for the two Assembly seats in the 25th district.[5] After the death of state senator Anthony R. Bucco in September 2019, his son was appointed to fill the senate seat and Aura K. Dunn was appointed to fill the vacant Assembly seat.
In the November 2021 general election, Bergen and his Republican running mate Aura K. Dunn defeated Democratic Party challengers Lauren Barnett and Patricia Veres.[6]
In the 2021 reapportionment, many municipalities in Morris County were shuffled between districts. As a result, Bergen relocated from the 25th legislative district to the 26th district, while Christian Barranco shifted from the 26th District into the 25th.[7]
Committees
Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[1]
- Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture
- Labor
District 26
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.[8] The representatives from the 26th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[9]
- Senator Joseph Pennacchio (R)
- Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R)
- Assemblyman Jay Webber (R)
| 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 | Aura K. Dunn (incumbent) | 42,183 | 28.25% | |
| Republican | Brian Bergen (incumbent) | 41,584 | 27.85% | |
| Democratic | Lauren Barnett | 33,322 | 22.31% | |
| Democratic | Patricia L. Veres | 32,243 | 21.59% | |
| Total votes | 149,332 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anthony Bucco, Jr. (incumbent) | 26,848 | 27.19% | ||
| Republican | Brian Bergen | 25,552 | 25.87% | ||
| Democratic | Lisa Bhimani | 23,505 | 23.8% | ||
| Democratic | Darcy Draeger | 22,850 | 23.14% | ||
| Total votes | 98,755 | 100% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
- Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 24, 2024.
- "Duty, Honor, Country, Still Prevalent for West Point Grad Turned Denville Councilman", My Life Publications, May 7, 2019. Accessed January 14, 2021. "New Jersey native Brian Bergen was a standout on the cross-country team at James Caldwell High School when he attracted the interest of a recruiter at the United States Military Academy at West Point."
- Biryukov, Nikita. "Bergen, Bucco win in LD25; Denville Councilman defeats former Frelinghuysen aide", New Jersey Globe, June 4, 2019. Accessed May 9, 2022. "Assemblyman Tony Bucco and Denville Councilman [Brian Bergen] have won the Republican nod in the 25th legislative district, defeating Aura Dunn, an aide to former Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, and attorney John Barbarula."
- Fox, Joey. "Bucco, Bergen, Dunn win in the 25th district", New Jersey Globe, November 2, 2021. Accessed May 9, 2022.
- Election 2023: Legislative District 25, NJ Spotlight News, May 5, 2023. Accessed January 24, 2024. "The current Assembly members, both Republicans, are Brian Bergen and Aura Dunn, the assistant Republican whip who before assuming office had a longtime career in government and public affairs. Dunn is running for reelection with Assemblyman Christian Barranco, who currently represents the neighboring 26th District, but whose hometown of West Milford was moved into 25th. Bergen’s hometown was moved into the 26th and he is running there."
- Legislative Roster for District 26, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 24, 2024.
- "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 11/05/2019 Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 2, 2019. Accessed February 12, 2024.