Christopher P. DePhillips (born March 30, 1965) is an American attorney and Republican Party politician who has represented the 40th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018. Since 2024, DePhillips has been the GOP conference leader, the third highest-ranking Republican in the NJ Assembly. He previously served as a committeeman and mayor in Wyckoff.
Personal and early life Christopher DePhillips was born in 1965 and lived in Northvale until 1968, when his family relocated to Old Tappan, where he grew up. The family attended a local Catholic parish and, in 1983, DePhillips graduated from Bergen Catholic High School. DePhillips said that politics has "always been in my DNA," as his parents were "proud Reagan Republicans" who both served on the Republican county committee in Old Tappan and instilled civic values. DePhillips' father was a civil engineer and the CEO of an engineering firm, and he worked as an assistant commissioner in the New Jersey Department of Transportation from 1970-1973 under Gov. William T. Cahill. DePhillips went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in government from Georgetown University in 1987 and a juris doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1992.Nesi, Chris. "Four are vying for two seats on the governing body", Wyckoff Suburban News, October 22, 2009. Accessed December 25, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Christopher P. DePhillips.... Education: B.A., Georgetown University, Washington D.C.; Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark; Bergen Catholic High School, Oradell, 1983" From 1987 to 1989, he worked in Washington, D.C. as an aide to Congresswoman Marge Roukema.
DePhillips now lives in Wyckoff. He served on the board of trustees of the Wyckoff Education Foundation and, in 2009, was elected to the Wyckoff Township Committee, serving from 2010 to 2013. He was unanimously selected by his fellow committeemen to serve as mayor in 2012.Gerace, Joseph M. "DePhillips in First Speech as Mayor: 'Wyckoff's Past, Present and Future are Strong'; New Mayor: 'Public service is an honor and responsibility, a duty.'", Wyckoff Patch, January 1, 2012. Accessed January 22, 2018. "At its reorganization meeting on January 1, Wyckoff's Township Committee unanimously voted Chris DePhillips as mayor for 2012." During DePhillips' term as mayor, Wyckoff purchased Russell Farms for $3.1 million and converted the five-acre property into a public park; he called the purchase "an historic moment for the township." He also supported a ban on "loud, unnecessary or unusual noise" in Wyckoff, saying it was "an ordinance that is designed to prevent disturbances of the peace."
In June 2012, DePhillips was appointed as a Commissioner of the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority, which provides sewage treatment services to 75,000 residents in Bergen County, serving until 2017.Mazzola, Jessica. "Former Mayor Officially Installed As Utilities CommissionerJohn DaPuzzo and Wyckoff Mayor Christopher DePhillips join NBCUA governing body", Mahwah Patch, June 25, 2012. Accessed January 22, 2018. "The Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority (NBCUA) has officially installed two new commissioners on its governing board. They are Christopher P. DePhillips of Wyckoff, NJ, and John DaPuzzo of Mahwah, NJ."
DePhillips is a practicing attorney who has been a partner at Gibbons as well as Porzio Bromberg & Newman. From 2016 until 2024, DePhillips was chief operating officer and general counsel at Porzio Life Sciences, which was taken over by RLDatix in 2022."Porzio Life Sciences VP Christopher DePhillips Elected to NJ State Assembly", Porzio Life Sciences, press release dated November 8, 2017. Accessed January 22, 2018. In April 2024, he returned to private practice, becoming an equity partner at the North Jersey law firm Bernstein DePhillips & Kalosieh.
New Jersey Assembly Since 2024, DePhillips has been GOP conference leader, the third highest-ranking Republican in the Assembly. DePhillips was first appointed to GOP caucus leadership in 2021, when he was named deputy Republican leader by leader Jon Bramnick.
In September 2026, following news that the MVC had accidentally registered 6,600 noncitizens as voters, DePhillips and fellow Republican Assemblyman John DiMaio introduced a resolution to create a bipartisan committee to investigate the New Jersey's election integrity. The Assembly Speaker and Assembly Minority Leader would each appoint six members and name a co-chair, and the committee would be empowered to issue subpoenas, compel testimony, and collect evidence.
In June 2026, DePhillips stated that "my top priority in Trenton has always been cutting taxes and cutting spending," and he criticized Gov. Mikie Sherrill's 2026 budget. In August 2026, he further rebuked the Sherrill administration for adding $490 million in last-minute supplemental spending to the initial budget, characterizing the additions as pork barrel spending that broke her campaign's "no-pork promise." He has introduced bills to cut New Jersey's corporate business tax from 11.5% to 2.5% over four years, rescind a 2.5% surcharge (dedicated to the NJ Transit budget) on businesses with earnings over $10 million, cut the sales tax from 6.625% to 6%, and increase the amount of rental payments that landlords would be eligible to deduct from their property taxes from 18% to 30%. DePhillips also argued that New Jersey should do more to assist seniors who cannot afford to remain in the state, sponsoring a bill that would triple the personal needs allowance for low-income nursing home residents.
In March 2026, DePhillips introduced a bill that would create a task force to recommend safety policies for special education students who ride school buses.
In June 2025, following the assassinations of Minnesota state legislators, DePhillips introduced a bill that would add state legislators to the list of New Jersey officials whose personal information is protected by Daniel’s Law, which already prohibited publishing the home addresses of judges and law enforcement.
In January 2025, DePhillips argued that NJ Transit suffered from poor organization, not a lack of funding. As a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee, DePhillips was a critic of NJ Transit president Kevin Corbett (who served from 2018-2025), calling on him to resign in November 2024.
In March 2022, DePhillips proposed articles of impeachment against New Jersey Secretary of Labor Robert Asaro-Angelo, citing unemployment backlogs and government office closures related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In December 2021, DePhillips introduced a bill that would allow vote-by-mail ballots to be counted as they are received. DePhillips stated that, "It is incumbent upon officials to fix the problems that lead to conspiracy theories. Earlier counting of mail-in votes will help address some of this year's hang-ups," referencing how, in 2021, New Jersey's gubernatorial race and some legislative races were too close to call on election night.
In February 2019, DePhillips introduced a bill that would abolish the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, but it never came to a vote in committee.
Committees Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:Assemblyman Christopher P. DePhillips (R), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2024. Science, Innovation and Technology Transportation and Independent Authorities
District 40 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 40th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:Legislative Roster for District 40, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2024. Senator Kristin Corrado (R) Assemblyman Al Barlas (R) Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips (R)
Electoral history
2023
Led by Kristin Corrado running for re-election in the New Jersey Senate, DePhillips and his Republican running mate, newcomer Al Barlas, defeated Democrats Giovanna Irizarry and Jennifer Marrinan in the 2023 New Jersey General Assembly election.Connolly, John. "NJ election results 2023: State Senate, Assembly seats decided", The Record, November 9, 2023. Accessed December 23, 2023.Official List Candidates for General Assembly for General Election November 7, 2023, New Jersey Department of State, December 6, 2023. Accessed December 23, 2023.
2021
In the 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election, DePhillips (with 45,246 votes) and running-mate Kevin Rooney defeated their Democratic opponents, a team of Waldwick councilwoman Nicole McNamara (who earned 31,066 votes) and former assistant Bergen County prosecutor Genny Allard (who earned 30,606), to win re-election to his third two-year term in the General Assembly. In Bergen County, DePhillips won with 28.09% of the 60,790 votes cast (versus Allard's 21.73% and McNamara's 21.71%), in Passaic County with 30.48% of the 66,366 votes cast (versus 18.94% and 19.50%), in Essex County with 29.14% of the 10,059 votes cast (versus 20.28% and 20.71%); and in Morris County with 31.83% of the 15,730 votes cast (versus 17.69% and 18.07%).
Leading up to the election, the New Jersey State FMBA (a union representing career firefighters, EMTs, and dispatchers) backed DePhillips in a slate of mixed Republican and Democrat endorsements. The New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police, also in a politically heterogenous round of endorsements, chose to support DePhillips as well.
2019
In the November 2019 election, DePhillips (with 21,955 votes) was re-elected to his second two-year term as an assemblyman, defeating the Democratic slate of former Bergen County Freeholder Julie O'Brien (who earned 17,557 votes) and Little Falls councilwoman Maria Martini Cordonnier (who earned 17,332). In Bergen County, DePhillips won with 27.84% of the 17,046 cast (versus O'Brien's 22.17% and Cordonnier's 21.63%); In Passaic County with 26.97% of the 36,050 votes cast (versus 22.58% and 22.45%), in Essex County with 26.71% of the 3,254 votes cast (versus 22.74% and 23.11%); and in Morris County with 30.26% of the 7,666 votes cast (versus 19.25% and 19.05%).
In late October 2019, DePhillips and his running mate, Kevin Rooney, skipped a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, claiming that the question-selection process was "broken" and "unfair" because an earlier debate sponsored by the Wayne League of Women Voters had allowed, "...a local Democratic candidate to be part of a group that was screening questions and determining what questions would be asked".
2017