Nellie Pou

Senator Nellie Pou is the NJ Senate Majority Caucus Chair, Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chair of the NJ Legislative Latino Caucus. Elected in 1997, she was the first woman and first Hispanic to represent the 35th Legislative District and the second Latina in NJ state government. Over 25 years in the Assembly and Senate, she has championed policies on social justice, criminal justice reform, and human rights, and worked to increase diversity in NJ courts. Pou has focused on economic independence, affordable education and healthcare, voter participation, and funding for vital programs. Recently, Pou served as President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (2021-2023), the first NJ legislator to do so. She led a delegation to meet Vice President Kamala Harris, discussing Hispanic legislative priorities. Pou has held various leadership roles within NHCSL and continues to advocate for the Latino community nationally. Pou has been a Delegate for Presidential nominees including Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. She represents NJ and the Democratic National Committee at national conventions, bringing their platform to voters.