Senator Shirley Turner Contact information

Shirley Kersey Turner, born on July 3, 1941, is an American Democratic Party politician who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 1998, representing the 15th Legislative District. She assumed office in 1998 and her current term ends on January 11, 2028.

Turner was born in Dover, New Jersey, and graduated from Dover High School in 1960. She received a B.A. in education from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) and an M.A. in guidance and counseling from Rider College. She later pursued postgraduate studies in education at Rutgers University.

Before entering state politics, Senator Turner served on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1983 to 1986, where she served as Freeholder Vice President. Before being elected to the State Senate, Turner served in New Jersey’s lower house, the General Assembly, from 1994 to 1998. Turner was the associate minority leader for the Assembly from 1996 to 1998.

In the 1997 general election, Turner defeated incumbent Republican Dick LaRossa, making him the only Republican Senator to lose his seat. Turner was elected State Senate President Pro Tempore on January 9, 2024.

As a career educator, Senator Turner has been dedicated to New Jersey’s youth, helping them to build bright futures. She is a former Trenton public school teacher, a former EOF counselor to disadvantaged youth who are first-generation college students, and a former counselor for the New Jersey Youth Corps to help prepare youth for employment.

Her professional experience includes working as the associate director of career services at Rider University. She has also been a leader on civil rights issues, introducing legislation to eliminate racial profiling and strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the community. She also sponsored the law that abolished the death penalty in New Jersey, replacing it with life imprisonment.

Senator Turner serves on the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, the State Council for Adult Literacy Education Services, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. She is a commissioner of the Education Commission of the States and serves on the organization’s steering and finance committees.

As of the 2020 Census, New Jersey state senators represented an average of 232,362 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 220,188 residents. The representatives from the 15th District for the 2024'2025 Legislative Session are Senator Shirley Turner (D), Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D), and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D).