Vincent Kearney (born October 12, 1976Assemblyman Vincent M. "Vinnie" Kearney (D), New Jersey Legislature, Accessed May 19, 2026.) is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented the 21st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office in January 2026. He flipped the district at the 2025 New Jersey General Assembly election. Prior to his election, he was a member of the Garwood Borough Council, flipping a Republican seat following a controversy involving bigoted social media posts.
Early life and education Raised in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Kearney graduated from Oratory Preparatory School. He attended the John H. Stamler Police Academy in Union County where he trained in law enforcement.Councilman Vincent Kearney, Borough of Garwood. Accessed November 11, 2025. "Raised in the nearby Township of Union, Vincent Kearney moved to Garwood with his wife Veronica in 2009 to raise their boys Anthony and Vincent. He is a graduate of Oratory Prep in Summit and the John H. Stamler Police Academy."
Electoral history The two Assembly seats in the 21st district, which covers parts of Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union counties, had been held exclusively by Republicans since the early 1990s. Democrats had targeted the seats unsuccessfully, losing by narrow margins in the four previous elections, with their efforts increasing after Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump by a 14-point margin among district voters in the 2024 election.Wildstein, David. "Garwood councilman will take on Muñoz, Matsikoudis Vinnie Kearney expected to join Andrew Macurdy on Democratic ticket in 21st district", New Jersey Globe, March 17, 2025. Accessed November 12, 2025. "Vincent Kearney, a two-term councilman from Garwood and a Union County Sheriff’s officer, has emerged as a candidate for State Assembly in the politically competitive 21st district.... The 21st district, which includes parts of Union, Somerset, Morris, and Middlesex counties, has been on the Democratic target list on and off since 2017. Still, Republicans have prevailed in the last four elections, sometimes by narrow margins. In 2024, Kamala Harris carried the 21st over Donald Trump by more than 17,000 votes and about fourteen percentage points – roughly three points less than Joe Biden in 2020, putting Muñoz and Matsikoudis in a potentially tough race next year." In 2025, Kearney and his fellow Democratic running mate Andrew Macurdy defeated Republican incumbents Michele Matsikoudis and Nancy Munoz to flip the two seats representing the 21st district. Kearney, Macurdy and Marisa Sweeney are the only Democrats representing part of Morris County in the state legislature.
New Jersey General Assembly Kearney took office on January 13, 2026.
Committee assignments Committee assignments for the 2026—2027 Legislative Session are: Commerce and Economic Development Higher Education State and Local Government
District 21 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 May 19, 2026. The representatives from the 21st District for the 2026—2027 Legislative Session are:Legislative Roster for District 21, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed May 19, 2026. Senator Jon Bramnick (R) Assemblyman Vincent Kearney (D) Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy (D)
References
External links Assemblyman Vincent M. "Vinnie" Kearney (D), New Jersey Legislature