Michael L. Testa Jr. (born May 1, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer who represents the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate. A Republican, Testa was elected to the state senate on November 5, 2019 in the special election to fill the remaining 14 months of the unfinished term of Jeff Van Drew, who won a seat to the United States House of Representatives in 2018. He was sworn into office on December 5, 2019.[1]
Testa is a partner at the law firm of Testa Heck Testa and White, P.A.[2] He was elected as chairman of the Cumberland County Republican Party in 2014, after serving as vice chairman for three years. From 2006 to 2008, Testa was a member of the Vineland Downtown Improvement District/Main Street Vineland. He has also been a chairman of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties, and board president of Vineland Regional Dance.[5]
On November 5, 2018, 1st District State Senator Jeff Van Drew won a seat to the United States House of Representatives, creating a vacancy for his state senate seat.[7] On November 20, Testa announced he would run for the special election for the remainder of Van Drew's State Senate term.[5] President Donald Trump recorded robocalls for Testa in his state senate election, which were sent out on the day before election day.[8]
Testa ran as a team with Antwan McClellan and Erik K. Simonsen for Assembly. During the campaign, the team made immigration and taxes a key part of their campaign. He, alongside Testa and McClellan, ousted the 1st District's legislators, Senator Bob Andrzejczak (who had been appointed to fill Van Drew's seat) and Assemblymen R. Bruce Land and Matthew W. Milam.[9] Their victories were the only gains Republicans made in the 2019 New Jersey elections.[10]
Tenure
Testa was sworn into the Senate on December 5, 2019, by Senate President Steve Sweeney. After Rep. Jeff Van Drew switched to the Republican Party, Testa endorsed Van Drew.[11]
In November 2023, records regarding the sale of a Vineland, New Jersey property, 1615 W. Garden Road, were subpoenaed by federal investigators. The Vineland Industrial Commission sold the plot to four limited liability companies that flipped the vacant lot, one of them being Nova Investments, of which Testa is a beneficiary.[12]
^About Mike, Mike Testa for State Senate. Accessed January 14, 2020. "On Mom’s side, my grandparents were Polish Jews who met in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II and were, thank God, freed by Allied soldiers. After the war, they came to the United States, where my Mom was born. They settled in Buena and my family ran a chicken farm that I fondly recall playing at as a kid."
^Verma, Pranshu. "Democrats suffer a setback in New Jersey as Republicans win battleground legislative districts", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 6, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2023. "In the same district, which covers Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties, Democratic incumbents Bruce Land and Matthew Milam conceded their Assembly race to Republican challengers Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan. Unofficial results showed Simonsen and McClellan leading by a four-point margin late Tuesday."
^Verma, Pranshu. "New Jersey Democrats outspent Republicans 3-1 in the 2019 election — and still lost seats", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2024. "When the new legislative session begins in January, Democrats will hold a 52–28 majority in the lower house and a 25–15 edge in the upper chamber.... But all of the Democratic losses came in this district, with incumbent Democratic State Sen. Bob Andrzejczak losing to Republican challenger Mike Testa and the Democratic incumbents running for Assembly, Matthew Milam and Bruce Land, losing to Republican challengers Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan."
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