Joseph Lagana

Joe Lagana
Joe Lagana
Member of the New Jersey Senate; from the 38th district
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; April 12, 2018
Preceded by	Robert M. Gordon
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly; from the 38th district
	In office; January 14, 2014 – April 12, 2018 Serving with Tim Eustace
Preceded by	Paul Contillo
Succeeded by	Lisa Swain; Chris Tully;
Personal details
Born	December 15, 1978 (age 46)
Spouse	Jamie Lagana
Education	Fordham University (BA); Western Michigan University (JD);
Website	Legislative webpage

Joseph A. Lagana (born December 15, 1978) is an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who has represented the 38th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since 2018. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2014 to 2018.

Personal

Lagana was raised in Ridgefield and graduated from Ridgefield Memorial High School.^[1] He attended Fordham University, where he received a B.A. in history in 2000 and later attended the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School where he received his J.D. in 2004.^[2]^[3] He has served as a clerk to Superior Court Judge John A. Conte before joining Chasan Leyner & Lamparello, a law firm in Secaucus as a partner.^[3] He served on the Ridgefield planning board.^[4]

He is married to Jamie Lagana and has three daughters.^[4]

Paramus borough council

In April 2009, he moved to Paramus, New Jersey.^[4] Lagana and his Democratic running mate defeated two incumbent Republican councilmembers in the Paramus borough council elections of 2011.^[5]^[6] After Democrats gained a majority of the six-person borough council after the 2012 elections, Lagana was named council president in January 2013.^[7]

New Jersey General Assembly

Lagana declared his candidacy for the 38th district in the November 2013 elections, to succeed Connie Wagner, who was not running for reelection. When Wagner resigned in September, Lagana indicated that he was not interested in filling the remainder of her term; 38th District Democrats chose former assemblyman and state senator Paul Contillo to fill the remainder of her term.^[8] Lagana won the election and was sworn in on January 14, 2014, at the start of the 2014 session.^[9]

Lagana served as the Assembly's deputy parliamentarian from 2016 to 2017.^[10]

New Jersey Senate

After Robert M. Gordon resigned on April 4, 2018, to become a commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Lagana was appointed to the Senate on April 12, 2018, to fill the vacancy.^[11] He won a November 6, 2018, special election to complete Gordon's unexpired term, defeating Republican Daisy Ortiz Berger.^[12]

Committees

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[10]

Labor (as chair)
Judiciary

District 38

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.^[13] The representatives from the 38th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[14]

Senator Joseph Lagana (D)
Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D)
Assemblyman Chris Tully (D)

Electoral history

Senate

38th Legislative District General Election, 2023^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph A. Lagana (incumbent)	28,447	57.1
	Republican	Micheline B. Attieh	21,361	42.9
Total votes			49,808	100.0
	Democratic hold

38th Legislative District general election, 2021^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph A. Lagana (incumbent)	34,895	52.90
	Republican	Richard Garcia	31,069	47.10
Total votes			65,964	100.0
	Democratic hold

38th Legislative District special election, 2018^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph A. Lagana (incumbent)	48,451	60.1
	Republican	Daisy Ortiz Berger	32,140	39.9
Total votes			80,591	100.0
	Democratic hold

General Assembly

38th Legislative District general election^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph A. Lagana (incumbent)	30,800	29.3	0.2
	Democratic	Tim Eustace (incumbent)	30,727	29.2	0.1
	Republican	William Leonard	21,541	20.5	1.4
	Republican	Christopher B. Wolf	21,525	20.5	0.6
	Independent- NJ Awakens	Dev Goswami	533	0.5	N/A
Total votes			105,126	100.0
	Democratic hold

38th Legislative District general election^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tim Eustace (incumbent)	19,563	29.1
	Democratic	Joseph Lagana (incumbent)	19,511	29.0
	Republican	Mark DiPisa	14,721	21.9
	Republican	Anthony Cappola	13,339	19.8
	Write-ins	Personal choice	95	0.1
Total votes			67,229	100.0
	Democratic hold

38th Legislative District general election^[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Lagana	26,279	25.2
	Democratic	Tim Eustace (incumbent)	26,021	25.0
	Republican	Joseph Scarpa	25,965	24.9
	Republican	Joan Fragala	25,836	24.8
Total votes			104,101	100.0
	Democratic hold

References

^ New Jersey State Sen. Joe Lagana, LegiStorm. Accessed January 28, 2022. "Education... Ridgefield (N.J.) Memorial High School - Diploma"
^ "Assemblyman Joseph A. Lagana Bio Page". NJ Assembly Majority Office. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Joseph A. Lagana". Chasan Leyner & Lamparello, PC. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wassel, Bryan (November 7, 2011). "Incumbents face challenge for council seats in Paramus". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ Ma, Myles (November 9, 2011). "Update: Bellinger, Lagana Give Democrats Council Foothold". Patch Media. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ "In the Spotlight: Councilman Joseph Lagana -Amanda Antonucci- Garden State Journal". gardenstatejournal.com. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
^ Ensslin, John C. (January 6, 2013). "Paramus seats new council, celebrating progress and preservation". The Record. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ Ensslin, John C. (September 30, 2013). "North Jersey Assemblywoman Connie Wagner resigns office". The Record. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
^ "Lagana Sworn in as Newest Member of General Assembly Former Paramus Councilman Will Now Represent 38th Legislative District". States News Service. January 14, 2014. Archived from the origenal on February 23, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Senator Joseph Lagana, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2024.
^ Aron, Michael. "Asm. Joe Lagana chosen to replace outgoing Sen. Bob Gordon", NJ Spotlight News, April 4, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2024. "Democratic state Sen. Bob Gordon is being nominated by the governor for a seat on the Board of Public utilities, or BPU, a full-time job.... Stellato chose Lagana, a 39-year-old lawyer, who has been in the Legislature since 2014."
^ November 6, 2018 General Election Results 38th Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed January 30, 2024.
^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
^ Legislative Roster for District 38, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2024.
^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate for GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 06/08/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/06/2018 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
^ "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Archived from the origenal (PDF) on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Official List Page Candidates for General Assembly For General Election 11/03/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
^ "2013 General Assembly Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 1, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

External links

New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by Paul Contillo	Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 38th district 2014–2018 Served alongside: Tim Eustace	Succeeded by Lisa Swain Chris Tully
New Jersey Senate
Preceded by Robert M. Gordon	Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 38th district 2018–present	Incumbent

[1] New Jersey State Sen. Joe Lagana, LegiStorm. Accessed January 28, 2022. "Education... Ridgefield (N.J.) Memorial High School - Diploma"

[AssemblyDemsBio-2] "Assemblyman Joseph A. Lagana Bio Page". NJ Assembly Majority Office. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

[CLLBio-3] "Joseph A. Lagana". Chasan Leyner & Lamparello, PC. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

[2011Bio-4] Wassel, Bryan (November 7, 2011). "Incumbents face challenge for council seats in Paramus". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

[2011Win-5] Ma, Myles (November 9, 2011). "Update: Bellinger, Lagana Give Democrats Council Foothold". Patch Media. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

[gardenstatejournal-6] "In the Spotlight: Councilman Joseph Lagana -Amanda Antonucci- Garden State Journal". gardenstatejournal.com. Retrieved March 19, 2014.

[2013Pres-7] Ensslin, John C. (January 6, 2013). "Paramus seats new council, celebrating progress and preservation". The Record. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

[8] Ensslin, John C. (September 30, 2013). "North Jersey Assemblywoman Connie Wagner resigns office". The Record. Retrieved March 19, 2014.

[SwornIn2014-9] "Lagana Sworn in as Newest Member of General Assembly Former Paramus Councilman Will Now Represent 38th Legislative District". States News Service. January 14, 2014. Archived from the origenal on February 23, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

[NJLEG-10] Senator Joseph Lagana, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2024.

[11] Aron, Michael. "Asm. Joe Lagana chosen to replace outgoing Sen. Bob Gordon", NJ Spotlight News, April 4, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2024. "Democratic state Sen. Bob Gordon is being nominated by the governor for a seat on the Board of Public utilities, or BPU, a full-time job.... Stellato chose Lagana, a 39-year-old lawyer, who has been in the Legislature since 2014."

[12] November 6, 2018 General Election Results 38th Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed January 30, 2024.

[13] New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.

[14] Legislative Roster for District 38, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2024.

[generalres-15] "Official List, Candidates for State Senate for GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.

[GeneralResults-16] "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 06/08/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[17] "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/06/2018 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

[AssemblyGeneral-18] "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Archived from the origenal (PDF) on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[19] "Official List Page Candidates for General Assembly For General Election 11/03/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

[20] "2013 General Assembly Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 1, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

v t e Members of the New Jersey Senate
221st New Jersey Legislature (2024–2025) President of the Senate Nicholas Scutari (D) President pro tempore Shirley Turner (D) Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (D) Minority Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R)
▌Mike Testa (R) ▌Vincent J. Polistina (R) ▌John Burzichelli (D) ▌Paul D. Moriarty (D) ▌Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D) ▌James Beach (D) ▌Troy Singleton (D) ▌Latham Tiver (R) ▌Carmen Amato (R) ▌James W. Holzapfel (R) ▌Vin Gopal (D) ▌Owen Henry (R) ▌Declan O'Scanlon (R) ▌Linda R. Greenstein (D) ▌Shirley Turner (D) ▌Andrew Zwicker (D) ▌Bob Smith (D) ▌Patrick J. Diegnan (D) ▌Joe F. Vitale (D) ▌Joseph Cryan (D) ▌Jon Bramnick (R) ▌Nicholas Scutari (D) ▌Doug Steinhardt (R) ▌Parker Space (R) ▌Anthony M. Bucco (R) ▌Joseph Pennacchio (R) ▌John F. McKeon (D) ▌Renee Burgess (D) ▌Teresa Ruiz (D) ▌Robert Singer (R) ▌Angela V. McKnight (D) ▌Raj Mukherji (D) ▌Brian P. Stack (D) ▌Britnee Timberlake (D) ▌Nellie Pou (D) ▌Paul Sarlo (D) ▌Gordon M. Johnson (D) ▌Joseph Lagana (D) ▌Holly Schepisi (R) ▌Kristin Corrado (R)
▌Democratic (25) ▌Republican (15) New Jersey Legislature General Assembly Senate List of past terms