George S. Helmy
Democrat junior Senator of New Jersey
Senator
New Jersey
September 9, 2024 - January 3, 2025
1
Congresses Served
1
Senate Terms
October 27, 1979 (44 years old)
Birthday
Democrat junior Senator of New Jersey
Senator
New Jersey
September 9, 2024 - January 3, 2025
1
Congresses Served
1
Senate Terms
October 27, 1979 (44 years old)
Birthday
American politician (born 1979)
George Samir Helmy (born October 27, 1979)[1][2] is an American politician serving since 2024 as the junior United States senator from New Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed by governor Phil Murphy after Senator Bob Menendez resigned, and served as Murphy’s chief of staff from 2019 to 2023.[3] Helmy is the first Coptic-American U.S. senator.[4]
Early life and education[edit]
Helmy was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.[5] He played on the basketball and football teams at Glen Ridge High School.[6] He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in finance and management from the Harvard Extension School. Helmy is Coptic American.[7][8]
Career[edit]
Helmy worked for UPS as a business operations manager from 2001 to 2013, and as staff assistant and constituent advocate for Senator Frank Lautenberg from 2012 to 2013.[7] He then served as deputy and later state director for Senator Cory Booker before being hired as Governor Phil Murphy’s chief of staff in January 2019.[9] He resigned in October 2021 to join Murphy’s reelection campaign[10] before returning to the role 18 days later, after the election.[11] Helmy left the governor’s office at the end of September 2023 and was succeeded by NJDOT commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.[12] After departing the governor’s office, he served as executive vice president and chief external affairs and policy officer at RWJBarnabas Health and as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[8]
Helmy was a registered Republican until 2011, when he became an unaffiliated voter.[2] He briefly registered as a Democrat in 2018, to vote in the party’s primary that year for U.S. representative in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district,[2] but left the party at the end of the year, and remained an independent until March 2024, when he affiliated as a Democrat again.[2]
U.S. Senate[edit]
Senate president pro tempore Patty Murray swears in Helmy, as Senator Cory Booker looks on.
The New Jersey Globe reported on August 13, 2024, that Helmy would be appointed to the United States Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Bob Menendez. Murphy announced Helmy’s appointment on August 16.[3] On September 9, he was sworn in by Senate President pro tempore Patty Murray. He was assigned as a caretaker and is not a candidate in the November 2024 election.[8] Murphy announced that Helmy would resign in late November, after the 2024 election is certified, to be replaced by the election’s winner, in order to give New Jersey’s new senator an advantage in seniority over the other newly elected senators, who take office on January 3, 2025.[13]
On September 10, Helmy introduced his first sponsored bill, which would rename facilities at the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in honor of Congressman Bill Pascrell, who died in August.[14]
Committee assignments[edit]
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Committee on Finance
Committee on Foreign Relations
Personal life[edit]
As of 2024[update], Helmy lives in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey. He and his wife, Caroline, have two children.[2]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Helmy.
Senator George Helmy official U.S. Senate website
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
Appearances on C-SPAN
U.S. Senate
Preceded byBob Menendez
United States Senator (Class 1) from New Jersey 2024–present Served alongside: Cory Booker
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byLaphonza Butleras United States Senator from California
Order of precedence of the United Statesas United States Senator from New Jersey
Succeeded byGovernors of States
United States senators by seniority 100th
Last
vteCurrent United States senatorsPresident: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Patty Murray (D)
AL: ▌ Tuberville ®⎣ ▌ Britt ®
AK: ▌ Murkowski ®⎣ ▌ Sullivan ®
AZ: ▌ Sinema (I)⎣ ▌ Kelly (D)
AR: ▌ Boozman ®⎣ ▌ Cotton ®
CA: ▌ Padilla (D)⎣ ▌ Butler (D)
CO: ▌ Bennet (D)⎣ ▌ Hickenlooper (D)
CT: ▌ Blumenthal (D)⎣ ▌ Murphy (D)
DE: ▌ Carper (D)⎣ ▌ Coons (D)
FL: ▌ Rubio ®⎣ ▌ R. Scott ®
GA: ▌ Ossoff (D)⎣ ▌ Warnock (D)
HI: ▌ Schatz (D)⎣ ▌ Hirono (D)
ID: ▌ Crapo ®⎣ ▌ Risch ®
IL: ▌ Durbin (D)⎣ ▌ Duckworth (D)
IN: ▌ Young ®⎣ ▌ Braun ®
IA: ▌ Grassley ®⎣ ▌ Ernst ®
KS: ▌ Moran ®⎣ ▌ Marshall ®
KY: ▌ McConnell ®⎣ ▌ Paul ®
LA: ▌ Cassidy ®⎣ ▌ Kennedy ®
ME: ▌ Collins ®⎣ ▌ King (I)
MD: ▌ Cardin (D)⎣ ▌ Van Hollen (D)
MA: ▌ Warren (D)⎣ ▌ Markey (D)
MI: ▌ Stabenow (D)⎣ ▌ Peters (D)
MN: ▌ Klobuchar (D)⎣ ▌ Smith (D)
MS: ▌ Wicker ®⎣ ▌ Hyde-Smith ®
MO: ▌ Hawley ®⎣ ▌ Schmitt ®
MT: ▌ Tester (D)⎣ ▌ Daines ®
NE: ▌ Fischer ®⎣ ▌ Ricketts ®
NV: ▌ Cortez Masto (D)⎣ ▌ Rosen (D)
NH: ▌ Shaheen (D)⎣ ▌ Hassan (D)
NJ: ▌ Booker (D)⎣ ▌ Helmy (D)
NM: ▌ Heinrich (D)⎣ ▌ Luján (D)
NY: ▌ Schumer (D)⎣ ▌ Gillibrand (D)
NC: ▌ Tillis ®⎣ ▌ Budd ®
ND: ▌ Hoeven ®⎣ ▌ Cramer ®
OH: ▌ Brown (D)⎣ ▌ Vance ®
OK: ▌ Lankford ®⎣ ▌ Mullin ®
OR: ▌ Wyden (D)⎣ ▌ Merkley (D)
PA: ▌ Casey (D)⎣ ▌ Fetterman (D)
RI: ▌ Reed (D)⎣ ▌ Whitehouse (D)
SC: ▌ Graham ®⎣ ▌ T. Scott ®
SD: ▌ Thune ®⎣ ▌ Rounds ®
TN: ▌ Blackburn ®⎣ ▌ Hagerty ®
TX: ▌ Cornyn ®⎣ ▌ Cruz ®
UT: ▌ Lee ®⎣ ▌ Romney ®
VT: ▌ Sanders (I)⎣ ▌ Welch (D)
VA: ▌ Warner (D)⎣ ▌ Kaine (D)
WA: ▌ Murray (D)⎣ ▌ Cantwell (D)
WV: ▌ Manchin (I)⎣ ▌ Capito ®
WI: ▌ Johnson ®⎣ ▌ Baldwin (D)
WY: ▌ Barrasso ®⎣ ▌ Lummis ®
▌ Republican: 49
▌ Democratic: 47
▌ Independent: 4
vteUnited States senators from New JerseyClass 1
Elmer
Rutherfurd
Davenport
Schureman
Ogden
Condit
Lambert
Wilson
Southard
McIlvaine
Bateman
Dickerson
Southard
W. Dayton
R. F. Stockton
Thomson
Field
J. Wall
Wright
F. T. Frelinghuysen
J. Stockton
Randolph
Sewell
Blodgett
J. Smith
J. Kean
Martine
J. Frelinghuysen
Edwards
H. Kean
Moore
Milton
Barbour
Walsh
A. Smith
Williams
Brady
Lautenberg
Corzine
Menendez
Helmy
Class 2
Paterson
Dickinson
F. Frelinghuysen
R. Stockton
J. Dayton
Kitchell
Condit
Dickerson
T. Frelinghuysen
G. Wall
Miller
Wright
Ten Eyck
J. Stockton
Cattell
F. T. Frelinghuysen
McPherson
Sewell
Dryden
Briggs
Hughes
Baird
Edge
Baird Jr.
Morrow
Barbour
Smathers
Hawkes
Hendrickson
Case
Bradley
Torricelli
Lautenberg
Chiesa
Booker
vteStatewide political officials of New JerseyU.S. senators
Cory Booker
George Helmy
State government
Phil Murphy, Governor
Tahesha Way, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State (appointed)
Matt Platkin, Attorney General (appointed)
Liz Muoio, Treasurer (appointed)
Senate
Nicholas Scutari, President
Shirley Turner, President pro tempore
Teresa Ruiz, Majority Leader
Anthony M. Bucco, Minority Leader
General Assembly
Craig Coughlin, Speaker
Benjie Wimberly, Speaker pro tempore
Louis Greenwald, Majority Leader
John DiMaio, Minority Leader
Supreme Court(appointed)
Stuart Rabner, Chief Justice
Anne M. Patterson
Fabiana Pierre-Louis
Douglas M. Fasciale
Rachel Wainer Apter
Michael Noriega
1 seat vacant
vteNew Jersey’s current delegation to the United States CongressSenators
▌Cory Booker (D)
▌George Helmy (D)
Representatives (ordered by district)
▌Donald Norcross (D)
▌Jeff Van Drew ®
▌Andy Kim (D)
▌Chris Smith ®
▌Josh Gottheimer (D)
▌Frank Pallone (D)
▌Thomas Kean Jr. ®
▌Rob Menendez (D)
▌Vacant
▌LaMonica McIver (D)
▌Mikie Sherrill (D)
▌Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)
vteNew Jersey’s delegation(s) to the 118th United States Congress (ordered by seniority)
118th
Senate:
▌B. Menendez (D)
▌C. Booker (D)
▌G. Helmy (D)
House:
▌C. Smith ®
▌F. Pallone (D)
▌B. Pascrell (D)
▌D. Payne Jr. (D)
▌D. Norcross (D)
▌B. Watson Coleman (D)
▌J. Gottheimer (D)
▌A. Kim (D)
▌M. Sherrill (D)
▌J. Van Drew ®
▌T. Kean Jr. ®
▌R. Menendez (D)
▌L. McIver (D)
Authority control databases: People US Congress
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Retrieved from “https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Helmy&oldid=1247860931”
George HelmyUnited States Senatorfrom New JerseyIncumbentAssumed office September 9, 2024Serving with Cory BookerAppointed byPhil MurphyPreceded byBob MenendezChief of Staff to the Governor of New JerseyIn officeFebruary 4, 2019 – September 30, 2023GovernorPhil MurphyPreceded byKathleen Frangione (acting)Succeeded byDiane Gutierrez-Scaccetti
Personal detailsBorn (1979-10-27) October 27, 1979 (age 44)Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.Political partyDemocratic (2018; since 2024)Other politicalaffiliationsRepublican (until 2011)Independent (2011–2018; late 2018–2024)SpouseCarolineChildren2EducationRutgers University (BA)Harvard University (ALM)WebsiteSenate website