John Adler

Location: Cherry Hill, NJ
My Story: John Adler is running for Congress to bring accountability and trust in leadership back to the political system. Having lived the American dream himself, John knows that with hard work, integrity and commitment, we can change the direction of our country and restore confidence in our government. John grew up in the Borough of Haddonfield with his mother, Mary Louise and father, John. For more than fifteen years, John's father, owned and operated a dry cleaning store in town. When John was in junior high school, his father suffered the first of a series of heart attacks leaving him with skyrocketing medical bills. Like many small business owners, John's father lacked the health insurance necessary to pay the high medical costs. The heart attacks left his father unable to work and he consequently lost the dry cleaning business. Sadly, John's father died in 1976. John and his widowed mother learned firsthand the value of government programs designed to help families in times of crisis. Throughout his childhood, John attended Haddonfield public schools. He participated in the Cubs and Boys scouts programs and was very active in his community. He was admitted to Harvard College, only able to attend through the assistance of Social Security payments, scholarships, student loans, and jobs in the summer and during the school year. John continued at Harvard for law school, again paying for his education in large part with jobs and student loans. John has never lost sight of the opportunities he has received in life from his parents and from government assistance and is committed to ensuring that programs like Social Security, Medicare and State Children's Health Insurance Program remain available to families who need government assistance for generations to come. John married his law school classmate Shelley Levitan, and they moved to Cherry Hill. Since their move to Cherry Hill, John has been very involved in Democratic politics. He ran for Cherry Hill Town Council in 1987 and won. He has been committed to ethics reform, quality education and given his personal experience with a failed healthcare program, John has remained an outspoken advocate for providing health insurance to all families. He wrote Cherry Hill's ethics ordinance during his time on Town Council. In 1991, John ran for State Senate against a long-time incumbent. In a generally awful year for Democrats in New Jersey, John was the only candidate to beat a Republican incumbent in either house of the Legislature. John is now serving in his fifth term as a State Senator. He has received the most votes of any Democratic legislative candidate in any single election in New Jersey's history. John Adler has been named one of the state's ten best legislators by New Jersey Magazine, which called him "hardworking, incisive, and respected by both parties." PoliticsNJ.com lists the Senator among New Jersey's smartest state legislators, calling him "persuasive and respected." Senator Adler's Smoke-Free Air Act became the state's premier public health law in January 2006. The bill, which received overwhelming bipartisan support, prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces. Senator Adler's efforts will likely save thousands of lives from the dangers of second-hand smoke. Senator Adler is Chairman of New Jersey's Senate Judiciary Committee. In this position, John leads the evaluation of all gubernatorial nominations and oversees all constitutional amendments. He has sponsored vital legislation designed to address key environmental and health related issues, homeland security, ethics reform, reducing auto insurance rates, eliminating municipal and school mandates, and reducing corporate tax on small business. John wrote New Jersey's law requiring pension forfeiture and mandatory prison terms for corrupt officials. John still lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with his wife and their four sons Jeffrey, Alex, Andrew, and Oliver. He believes that government has a limited but vital role to play in society. He wants to create opportunity for success in education, in the job market, in business, and in a secure retirement. He believes in an America in which all people have a chance to achieve their dreams.
Registered to Vote: Yes
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Political Identification: Progressive