Linda R. Greenstein

Linda Greenstein
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 6, 2010
Preceded by	Tom Goodwin
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 14th district
In office January 11, 2000 – December 6, 2010
Preceded by	Paul Kramer Barbara Wright
Succeeded by	Daniel R. Benson
Personal details
Born	(1950-06-07) June 7, 1950 (age 74) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Michael Greenstein (d. 2017)
Children	1
Residence	Plainsboro Township, New Jersey
Alma mater	Vassar College (AB) Johns Hopkins University (MA) Georgetown University (JD)
Website	Legislative Website

Linda R. Greenstein (born June 7, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who has served since 2010 as a member of the New Jersey Senate representing the 14th legislative district.^[1] She previously served in the General Assembly from 2000 to 2010.

Greenstein was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Queens. She received an A.B. from Vassar College in Psychology in 1971, an M.A. in 1974 from Johns Hopkins University and was awarded a J.D. in 1984 from the Georgetown University Law Center.^[2][3]

She was a Clinical Associate Professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law, where she supervised the Disability Law Clinic. She has served as a Deputy Attorney General in Trenton and as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia.

Greenstein served on the Plainsboro Township Committee from 1995 to 2000 and on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District's Board of Education from 1992 to 1994.^[3] Prior to her election to the General Assembly, she was a Senior Staff Attorney at the Community Health Law Project and supervised the Public Interest Legal Clinic at Montclair State University.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1999 Assembly election, Republican incumbents Paul Kramer and Barbara Wright were narrowly defeated by Democrats Greenstein and Gary Guear, with the incumbents losing votes in Hamilton Township, where Democrat Glen Gilmore won the race for mayor. The two gains were among the three Republicans seats Democrats picked up in the Assembly in the 1999 elections, though the Republicans retained their majority.^[4] She served in the Assembly for five terms from 2000 through 2010. She was the Assembly's Assistant Majority Leader from 2002, and the Deputy Speaker from 2006 to 2010. Greenstein served in the Assembly on the Judiciary Committee (as Chair) and the Health and Senior Services Committee.^{[citation needed]} Greenstein was reelected in 2007 while participating in the New Jersey Clean Elections public funding program.^{[citation needed]} During this campaign, Greenstein faced radio attack ads from a national third-party conservative group with ties to President George W. Bush.^[5]

In 2008, Greenstein initially attempted to serve as a delegate for the Hillary Clinton campaign, but the Clinton campaign declined to nominate her.^[6] Greenstein endorsed Barack Obama's presidential campaign prior to the 2008 Iowa caucus.^[7] Greenstein worked as a campaign surrogate prior to the June primary and served as an Obama delegate to 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.^[6][8]

In the 2010 special Senate election to fill the remainder of Bill Baroni's term, Greenstein ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She defeated appointed incumbent Senator Tom Goodwin, one of her opponents from the 2009 Assembly race.^[9]

In 2011, Greenstein was re-elected over challenger Richard Kanka, father of murder victim Megan Kanka and driver behind Megan's Law.^[10]

In 2013, Greenstein faced former State Senator Peter Inverso, who represented the district from 1992 to 2008. Greenstein was re-elected to a second full term by 1,484 votes, the closest Senate margin in New Jersey that year.^[11]

In 2017, her opponent was Hamilton Township Councilwoman Ileana Schirmer.^[12] Greenstein defeated Schirmer 56.3% to 43.7%.^[13]

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[3]

• Law and Public Safety (as chair)
• Budget and Appropriations (as vice-chair)
• Environment and Energy (as vice-chair)

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 14th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[15]

• Senator Linda R. Greenstein (D)
• Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D)
• Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D)

In 2014, 12th congressional district Representative Rush D. Holt, Jr. announced his retirement from Congress. Greenstein announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination for the seat the same day of Holt's announcement.^[16]

Of the four counties in the district, she only received the county committee endorsement from her home county of Middlesex.^[17] After Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman received the Mercer County endorsement on March 22, Greenstein was recorded telling local county Democratic leaders, "I hate everybody in here. Everybody in here is my enemy – except for the people from Hamilton. The rest of you are my enemies." Her campaign responded to the leak with a statement saying, "This thinly veiled attempt at intimidation from unnamed party bosses unfortunately reeks of the kind of sexism successful women have had to contend with throughout history." Mercer County Democratic Party chairwoman Elizabeth Maher Muoio refuted this claim, saying "Clearly, the results were not what she had hoped for, but to blame them on sexism or on a closed process is deceptive, untrue and insulting."^[18]

In the Democratic primary held on June 3, Watson Coleman defeated Greenstein, Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula and scientist Andrew Zwicker.^[19]

She is a resident of Plainsboro Township, and had one son Evan, with her husband Michael Greenstein.^[20][21] Michael Greenstein died on November 1, 2017.^[22]

New Jersey general election, 2017^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein	34,474	56.5	6.1
	Republican	Ileana Schirmer	26,548	43.5	4.5
Total votes			'61,022'	'100.0'

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein (incumbent)	31,387	50.4%	4.9
	Republican	Peter A. Inverso	29,903	48.0%	3.3
	Libertarian	Don Dezarn	1,014	1.6%	N/A
	Democratic hold		Swing	{{{swing}}}

New Jersey general election, 2009^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein	37,958	28.2	1.1
	Democratic	Wayne DeAngelo	35,791	26.6	2.6
	Republican	Rob Calabro	30,479	22.6	0.7
	Republican	William T. Harvey, Jr.	29,530	21.9	0.8
	Modern Whig	Gene L. Baldassari	859	0.6	N/A
Total votes			'134,617'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2007^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein	28,266	27.1	0.4
	Democratic	Wayne P. DeAngelo	25,119	24.0	1.7
	Republican	Thomas Goodwin	24,298	23.3	4.4
	Republican	Adam Bushman	23,711	22.7	0.4
	Libertarian	Jason M. Scheurer	1,775	1.7	1.2
	Libertarian	Ray F. Cragle	1,308	1.3	0.8
Total votes			'104,477'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2005^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Baroni	37,241	27.7	0.2
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein	35,816	26.7	1.2
	Democratic	Daniel R. Benson	29,914	22.3	0.2
	Republican	Michael D. Paquette	29,899	22.3	2.2
	Libertarian	William Hunsicker	725	0.5	N/A
	Libertarian	Jason M. Scheurer	714	0.5	N/A
Total votes			'134,309'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2003^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Baroni	27,181	27.9	4.7
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein	24,752	25.5	2.0
	Republican	Sidna B. Mitchell	23,872	24.5	1.5
	Democratic	Gary Guear	21,448	22.1	4.2
Total votes			'97,253'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 1999^[35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Linda R. Greenstein	25,219	25.4	2.3
	Democratic	Gary Guear	25,214	25.4	2.6
	Republican	Paul R. Kramer	24,769	25.0	1.2
	Republican	Barbara W. Wright	23,981	24.2	1.8
Total votes			'99,183'	'100.0'

• Senator Greenstein's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms - 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
• Linda R. Greenstein, Project Vote Smart