Gabriela M. Mosquera (born January 3, 1977) is an American Democratic Party politician, who represented the 4th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from March 5, 2012, until January 9, 2024.
Early life Mosquera was born on January 3, 1977, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and immigrated to the United States at the age of three. Mosquera received a B.A. degree from The College of New Jersey, where she majored in political science and was awarded an M.B.A. from the Keller Graduate School of Management at Devry University. After college, she worked as a policy analyst for the Assembly Democratic Caucus and later as an assistant to 5th District Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez. She is currently the chief of staff to Gloucester Township mayor David R. Mayer. She has lived in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township since 2011.
New Jersey Assembly Due to the 2011 apportionment based on the results of the 2010 United States census, the 4th District Assembly seat of Domenick DiCicco, a Republican, became vacant, with DiCicco placed in the 3rd District where he lost to the Democratic incumbents. Mosquera ran for the vacant seat on the Democratic ticket with the incumbent Paul D. Moriarty. In the general election, she and Moriarty defeated the Republican candidates, former Gloucester Township councilwoman Shelley Lovett and Patricia Fratticcioli. By taking DiCicco's seat, Mosquera represented the only gain by the Democrats in the Assembly in the 2011 election cycle. In response to a lawsuit filed by Lovett, Mosquera could not be sworn into office in January 2012 and a ruling issued the next month by the New Jersey Supreme Court declared Mosquera's November 2011 win invalid, saying that her move to Gloucester Township did not meet the one-year residency requirement established in state law.Osborne, James. "N.J. Supreme Court dismisses assemblywoman's win, citing state's residency rule", The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 17, 2012. Accessed July 2, 2012. "The New Jersey Supreme Court invalidated Assemblywoman-elect Gabriela Mosquera's November election on Thursday in a 4-3 decision that upheld the state's one-year residency requirement for legislative candidates.... The election of Mosquera, who lives in Gloucester Township's Blackwood section, came under scrutiny after Republican Shelley Lovett - whom Mosquera defeated handily - filed suit in Superior Court in December." Mosquera was sworn into office on March 5 after she was selected by district Democrats and filed to face off again against Lovett in a November 2012 special election.Barna, John. "Gabriela Mosquera, Shelley Lovett to square off once again for Assembly seat", Gloucester County Times, April 3, 2012. Accessed July 2, 2012. "Democrat Gabriela Mosquera and Republican Shelley Lovett will square off this November for a second time in a year to be one of the two Assemblymen representing the state’s fourth legislative district." In June 2012, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey overturned the N.J. Supreme Court ruling and upheld her November 2011 election, finding that an injunction that prohibits enforcement of the one-year residency rule is in force in years in which redistricting takes place.Romalino, Carly Q. "Federal court ruling validates Gabriela Mosquera election win, rejects Supreme Court findings", Gloucester County Times, June 29, 2012. Accessed July 2, 2012. "Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera’s 2011 election win has again been validated, this time by a federal court, which deemed the state Supreme Court wrong in voiding her Election Day votes because of residency issues." Mosquera won the November 2012 special election for the remainder of the term, defeating Lovett by a margin of 60 to 40 percent.
At the time of her last legislative session, she served as the chair of the Women and Children Committee and served on the Appropriations Committee.Assemblywoman Gabriel M. Mosquera, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 22, 2022.
She announced in 2023 that she would not run for re-election.Biryukov, Nikita. "20 legislators won’t seek return to Statehouse this year", New Jersey Monitor, March 27, 2023. Accessed January 21, 2024. "Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (D-Gloucester) will retire alongside Madden (D-Gloucester) after 12 years in the Legislature."
District 4 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.New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022. The representatives from the 4th District for the 2022—2023 Legislative Session are:Legislative Roster for District 4, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022. Senator Fred H. Madden (D), Assemblyman Paul D. Moriarty (D) Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (D)
Electoral history Assembly
References
External links Assemblywoman Mosquera's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms - 2012 2011