Nilsa Cruz-Perez
New Jersey State Senator, District 5 since 2015. Next on the ballot in 2027.
- In office
- 11 yrs
- Since 2015
- Bills became law
- 20
- 420 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
- Votes missed
- 11.2%
- Chamber median 2.7%
- With party
- 100%
- On votes splitting the parties
- Last margin
- +39.3
- Won 2023
- Next election
- 2027
- Nov 2, 2027
Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Committees
As of 2026-10.
- Economic Growth · chair
- Military and Veterans' Affairs · vice chair
- Budget and Appropriations
- Select
Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Legislation
Became law Jul 2026
Became law May 2026
Passed Senate Oct 2026
Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET
Voting record
Where Cruz-Perez sits in the New Jersey State Senate
Cruz-Perez is closer to the center than 40% of the chamber's Democrats.
Closest: Shirley Turner, Joe Lagana, Joe Vitale
Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:57 PM ET
With Cruz-Perez’s party
- Votes with the chamber's Democrats100%
- Cosponsorships of the other party's bills35%
Black tick: the average of Democrats in the New Jersey State Senate.
Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships
Key votes
Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Cruz-Perez’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Democrats.
| Date | Bill | Cruz-Perez | Dem. majority | Rep. majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 22, 2025 | A 3016: Allows follow-up communication by operators of mental health and suicide crisis resources… | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 27–6 |
| Dec 18, 2025 | A 2316: Increases traffic threshold for local installation of certain speed humps on certain local… | Yes | Yes | Yes | Passed 35–2 |
| Dec 18, 2025 | S 3776: Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 26–12 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | A 5463: Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 29–8 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | S 4476: Permits awarding of contracts for certain preschool education services by resolution of… | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 30–7 |
Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls
Career
Offices held, and every time Cruz-Perez was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.
Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Elections
Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.
| Year | Race | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | New Jersey State Senate, District 5 | Won | D+39.3 |
| 2021 | New Jersey State Senate, District 5 | Won | D+15.4 |
| 2017 | New Jersey State Senate, District 5 | Won | D+33.1 |
| 2015 | New Jersey State Senate, District 5 (special) | Won | — |
| 2007 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+2.9 |
| 2005 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+2.9 |
| 2003 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+2.0 |
| 2001 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+2.9 |
| 1999 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+4.8 |
| 1997 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+4.1 |
| 1995 | New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 | Won | R+2.7 |
Source: 99chambers results archive
Seats Cruz-Perez has held
- New Jersey State Senate, District 5 · since 2015
- New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 · 1995–2009
Source: 99chambers results archive
Who Cruz-Perez has run against
- Clyde E. Cook (R) · 2023 general, won
- Clyde Cook (R) · 2021 general, won
- Keith Walker (R) · 2017 general, won
- Joe Roberts (D) · 2007 general, won
- Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D) · 2005 general, won
- Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D) · 2003 general, won
Source: 99chambers results archive
How we know Cruz-Perez
One person, matched across every source we use.
- Open States ocd-person/b656905a-de58-4d36-b433-276788233b1f
Source: Identity links: Wikidata, congress-legislators, Open States, FECUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET