New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, the longest-serving speaker in NJ history, reflects on his working-class roots, a bipartisan ethos “180 degrees from Washington,” the debate over cellphones in schools, and a mission to end hunger. But he didn’t always sit at the helm of the General Assembly under the gilded dome of the State House. On a night in 1968, he was like any other young boy, relaxing on the couch at home.
On a November night, 10-year-old Craig Coughlin sat with his mom watching TV on election night. As Coughlin’s father had passed away when he was four, it was just him and his mother. The race was close. When young Craig asked who they wanted to win, Richard Nixon or Hubert Humphrey, his mother answered simply, “The Democrat.” Why? “Because they care about people like us,” she said. That simple explanation struck a chord. “It was as understandable to her ten-year-old son then as it is profound to her 67-year-old son today,” Coughlin recalls. “It has been the driving principle of my political belief ever since, and I’ve never found it to be untrue.”
At 67 years old, he now sits at the head of the Assembly, the fourth-term Speaker since 2018 [1]. But that belief, instilled at such a young age by his mother, still underpins his approach to public service.
Working-Class Values
Coughlin’s working-class roots run deep in Middlesex County, and they’ve profoundly shaped his priorities in Trenton. He grew up in a blue-collar family in South Amboy. “Working class folks,” as he puts it.
His father worked in a factory at Chevron Oil, and his mother worked there as well until the death of his father. That background and childhood are the reasons why affordability and education are the cornerstones of Coughlin’s agenda.
“I believe the middle class is the backbone of the nation, and education is the backbone of the middle class,” he adds.
Since joining the Assembly in 2010, he’s built a reputation as a champion for “people like us.” In fact, the very first bill he passed upon becoming Speaker was the landmark Equal Pay for Women Act. Under his leadership, the Assembly has spearheaded numerous measures to ease burdens on middle-class families and seniors. These accomplishments are personal for the Speaker. Coughlin notes that many of his own neighbors and family members have struggled with paychecks that don’t stretch and property taxes that bite.
Affordability is practically Coughlin’s mantra. “The FY26 budget provides record property tax relief, invests in the future of our state, and does it all while holding the line on taxes for working-class families,” he said in a statement earlier this year [2].
That budget launched the new Stay NJ program to cut property taxes in half for most senior homeowners and expanded New Jersey’s ANCHOR rebate program, putting money back into residents’ pockets.
But perhaps no issue is closer to Coughlin’s heart than the fight against hunger. Under his speakership, New Jersey created a first-in-the-nation Office of the Food Security Advocate and boosted funding to food banks by 500%. Coughlin has sponsored four expansive anti-hunger bill packages—including the Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act—to expand free school meals and make it easier for struggling families to access food assistance [3]. Since 2010, Coughlin has also contributed personally, hosting his annual “Bowl for Hunger” charity bowling tournament, which has raised around $600,000 to support local food pantries [4].
His ultimate goal is to end hunger in New Jersey by the end of the decade. A bold objective, but one he insists is achievable.
180 Degrees from Washington
In an era when partisan bickering paralyzes Washington, Speaker Coughlin takes an approach he calls “180 degrees” away from D.C. ‘s dysfunction.
“People focus on the rancor in Washington, but we’re probably 180 degrees away from that,” Coughlin says. As a Democrat in a Democratic-majority legislature, Coughlin advances progressive policies, but he’s equally known for a collaborative style that gives the minority party a voice and respects dissent
“I think what you try to do is figure out what you can do together and where there are areas of common ground, and start there,” he explains of working across the aisle. Building personal relationships is key: “If you get to know people, you get to respect their values; you know them as real people…that approach has served me well,” Coughlin says.
In Trenton, he routinely chats with the Assembly’s Republican leader, John DiMaiosometimes over dinner—and keeps lines of communication open.
One example occurred in 2022, amid public concerns about election processes. That year, Coughlin teamed up with Republican leader DiMaio to reform New Jersey’s vote-by-mail and ballot counting procedures. The reform package, allowing mail ballots to be opened earlier to speed up results, among other changes, sailed through with overwhelming bipartisan support. In fact, Coughlin and DiMaio co-sponsored one major bill, an unusual pairing that caught some pundits off guard.
The goal was to reassure voters about election integrity, especially with conspiracy theories swirling nationally. “We knew that New Jersey’s vote-by-mail process is safe and fair…so John and I did a bill together to strengthen it,” Coughlin explains. “We both felt it was important for New Jerseyans to understand that our elections are free, fair, and safe, and you can count on that.”
By presenting a united Democratic and Republican front on voting reforms, the two leaders sent a message: some issues rise above partisanship. At the bill signing ceremony, Coughlin summed it up: “Working together across the aisle, we accomplished just that with these new laws…ensuring the results reported on election night are transparent, we safeguard the health of our democracy.”
While Washington, D.C. often descends into partisan trench warfare, Trenton under Coughlin has been notably functional. Moments like these, Coughlin says, are proof that Trenton can be different, “180 degrees away from the dysfunction in D.C.”
Keeping Democracy Alive
Coughlin notes that low voter turnout among young people has always been an issue, including when he was young. But today’s divisiveness, he adds, only makes it harder.
“Young people could play an incredibly important role. There are a lot of them, if they would just vote. We need to get them engaged in voting. To do that, we need them to focus on that rather than looking at memes on their phones,” Coughlin says.
Coughlin argued that democracy requires persistence even when elections don’t go your way. “What democracy requires is that we recognize not getting what you wanted in an election…doesn’t mean you give up on the system. You don’t say ‘to hell with the system.’ Instead, you double your efforts next time. You work harder, you get more engaged, rather than throwing your hands up.”
He has also backed concrete steps to bring younger voters into the process. In January 2024, the New Voter Empowerment Act was passed, which allows 17-year-olds to vote in a primary if they will turn 18 by the general election. At the signing, Coughlin emphasized the goal was to encourage youth participation, laying the foundation for “deeper engagement in our democracy” [5].
As he looks ahead, Coughlin frames his mission in the same terms he learned as a boy in 1968. He talks about continuing to fight for “the people” his mother talked about. In other words, the working families and ordinary folks who need a voice. That guiding principle, “because they care about people like us”, will continue to lead his hand.
Sources:
[1]] https://www.assemblydems.com/directory.aspx?EID=35
[2] https://www.assemblydems.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12685
[3] https://www.assemblydems.com/382/Combatting-Food-Insecurity
[4] https://www.assemblydems.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12318
[5] https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/20240104b.shtml