Nellie
Pou

Nellie Pou has been a longtime leader in the state legislature, where she has consistently voted to protect New Jersey’s land, air, and water.

Pou attended Kean College and Rutgers University, and received a degree in business administration from the University of Virginia. Prior to running for the state Legislature, she served on the Passaic-Bergen County HIV Health Services Advisory Council. In 1997, she joined the New Jersey state Assembly, and served there until she was elected to the state Senate in 2011. She was the first woman and first Latina elected to represent the 35th Legislative District. She co-sponsored the Global Warming Response Act, which became law in 2007, and most recently sponsored legislation to require the Department of Environmental Protection to prioritize funding for environmental projects that employ residents who are local or from nearby urban municipalities that qualify for aid.

As a representative, Pou will work with federal, state, and local leaders to advance environmental justice, hold polluters accountable, and combat the climate crisis.

Pou joins the U.S. House to fill the seat of the late Representative Bill Pascrell, who earned a 95% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. Pou is the first Latina and person of Puerto Rican descent elected to Congress in New Jersey.

“With the most Superfund sites in the entire nation, New Jersey deserves a fighter in Congress who will prioritize holding polluters accountable and address a legacy of environmental injustice. That is why environmental issues will be a top priority of mine.” – LCVAF Questionnaire