Joseph Cryan
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 20th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2018
Preceded by	Raymond Lesniak
Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly
In office January 12, 2010 – January 10, 2012
Preceded by	Bonnie Watson Coleman
Succeeded by	Louis Greenwald
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 20th district
In office January 8, 2002 – January 4, 2015 Serving with Neil M. Cohen, Annette Quijano
Preceded by	Joseph Suliga
Succeeded by	Jamel Holley
Chair of the New Jersey Democratic Party
In office February 17, 2006 – January 27, 2010
Preceded by	Bonnie Watson Coleman
Succeeded by	John Wisniewski
Personal details
Born	(1961-09-01) September 1, 1961 (age 63) East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Relations	John F. Cryan (father) John Cryan (cousin)
Education	Belmont Abbey College (BA)
Website	State Senate website

Joseph P. Cryan^[1] (born September 1, 1961 in East Orange, New Jersey) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2018, representing the 20th Legislative District. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2015, where he also represented the 20th Legislative District.

Cryan was the Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly, serving from January 12, 2010, until January 10, 2012. Cryan served as the Assembly's Deputy Majority Leader 2006–2010, and was Assistant Majority Leader from 2004 to 2005. He served on the Human Services Committee and the Law and Public Safety Committee.^[2]

Cryan ran for New Jersey Senate in 2017, and won. Cryan was sworn in on January 9, 2018.

Assemblymember Jamel Holley announced in January 2021 that he would challenge Cryan in the June 2021 primaries.^[3] Jason Krychiw also ran against Cryan in the primary.

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[4]

• Higher Education (as chair)
• Commerce (as vice-chair)

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[5] The representatives from the 20th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[6]

• Senator Joseph Cryan (D)
• Assemblyman Reginald Atkins (D)
• Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D)

Cryan was born on September 1, 1961, in East Orange and raised Roman Catholic.^[1] His father, John F. Cryan, an immigrant from County Roscommon, Ireland, was elected to the General Assembly and served as Sheriff of Essex County.^[7]

Cryan's father had been charged in Federal court with racketeering and corruption, though the judge in the case dismissed the charges due to prosecutorial mistakes and ended the proceedings against him.^[8]

The lawmaker's son, also named John Cryan, was convicted of brutally beating a motorist with a baseball bat while two accomplices punched and kicked the victim, after a case of road rage that occurred when his father was in the General Assembly. The younger Cryan was ordered by the court only to probation but he was later jailed for violating the terms of his sentence.^[9]

Other relatives involved in public life are his cousin, Morristown Councilman John Cryan,^[10] his sister, Union Township Municipal Clerk Eileen Birch, his cousin, Cranford, New Jersey township administrator Jamie Cryan,^[11] his brother-in-law Superior Court judge Joseph Donohue.^[12]

The New York Post reported that Cryan "graphically spelled out his kinky proclivities in more than 150 e-mails that he sent to" a former lobbyist for Prudential Financial who pleaded guilty to stalking his girlfriend in exchange for being allowed to participate in a pre-trial intervention program.^[13] "The e-mails were written when the pol presumably would have been at one of his government jobs — either his $49,000-a-year Assembly gig or his $111,000-a-year post as Union County undersheriff," the Post said.

Cryan graduated with a B.A. from Belmont Abbey College in Business Administration^[2] in 1983.^[1] Cryan was born in East Orange, and currently resides in Union Township.^[1]

Cryan has served on the New Jersey State Democratic Committee since 2002, as Vice Chair. On February 17, 2006, Cryan was selected to be the head of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, succeeding Bonnie Watson Coleman. He stepped down after the selection of his successor John S. Wisniewski on January 27, 2010.^[14] As Democratic state chairman, in November 2009, Assemblyman Cryan presided over a Democratic gubernatorial party loss by incumbent Jon Corzine to Republican Chris Christie.^[15] He was replaced as state chairman in January 2010 by Assemblyman John Wisniewski.

New Jersey general election, 2017^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph Cryan	25,772	83.7	16.3
	Republican	Ashraf Hanna	5,023	16.3	N/A
Total votes			'30,795'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2013^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph Cryan (Incumbent)	19,268	36.3	6.1
	Democratic	Annette Quijano (Incumbent)	18,839	35.5	7.2
	Republican	Charles Donnelly	7,719	14.5	0.1
	Republican	Christopher Hackett	7,269	13.7	N/A
Total votes			'53,095'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2009^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph Cryan (Incumbent)	20,607	50.7	15.5
	Democratic	Annette Quijano (Incumbent)	20,054	49.3	12.6
Total votes			'40,661'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2007^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Neil M. Cohen (Incumbent)	10,000	36.7	13.6
	Democratic	Joseph Cryan (Incumbent)	9,583	35.2	14.5
	Clean Up Government	Marlene J. Abitanto	3,858	14.2	N/A
	Clean Up Government	Lester Dominguez	3,810	14.0	N/A
Total votes			'27,251'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2005^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Neil M. Cohen (Incumbent)	23,668	50.3	18.9
	Democratic	Joseph Cryan (Incumbent)	23,345	49.7	18.4
Total votes			'47,013'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2003^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Neil M. Cohen (Incumbent)	12,035	31.4	9.9
	Democratic	Joseph Cryan (Incumbent)	12,016	31.3	9.5
	Republican	A. Tony Monteiro	7,515	19.6	N/A
	Republican	Aristo Carranza	6,821	17.8	N/A
Total votes			'38,387'	'100.0'

• Assemblyman Joseph Cryan Official Webpage at the New Jersey Legislature
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
  • 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
• New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003