State Assembly
Assemblywoman
Claire Swift
A life-long resident of Atlantic County, Claire Swift was sworn in as assemblywoman in January 2022.
Swift earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 and a law degree from Widener University Law School in 1999.
She clerked in Atlantic City for Michael Winkelstein, the assignment judge for Superior Court in Atlantic and Cape May counties, from 1999 to 2000. Following her role as a deputy attorney general from 2000 to 2003, she started a law firm with two of her brothers.
She has been a member of the Atlantic County Bar Association since 2005 and has served on the Committee of Character and Fitness for the state board of Bar Examiners from 2013 to 2016.
An active volunteer in her local community, she has served as a member of the Stockton’s Women’s Leadership Council since 2019, the Atlantic County Chamber of Commerce since 2018, and the Atlantic County Board of Realtors since 2005.
Swift lives in Margate with her husband, John, and three children, Jack, Anthony and Claire. They reside on the same street where she grew up with her father and seven siblings.
Assemblyman
Don Guardian
Don Guardian was sworn in as assemblyman in January 2022.
Guardian earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1975 from Upsala College in East Orange. His first job after graduation was with the Boy Scouts of America, where he worked until 1980. He was a Claridge Casino Hotel executive from 1991 to 1993 and ran the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority’s Special Improvement District from 1992 until 2013. He most recently served as Toms River Township business administrator.
Previously, Guardian was mayor of Atlantic City from 2014 to 2018. In a city with just 10% Republican registration, he became the first Republican mayor in almost 25 years.
He is actively involved in Rotary International, Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association, the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, and the NAACP.
Guardian resides with his husband, Louis Fatato, in Atlantic City.
Assemblyman
Erik Simonsen
Erik Simonsen was sworn in as an assemblyman in January 2019.
A life-long resident of Lower Township, he previously served as councilman from 2013 to 2016 and mayor from 2017 to 2018.
Simonsen graduated from the College of New Jersey with a degree in fine arts. After earning a degree in special education from Rutgers University, he attended the University of Scranton where he received a master’s in educational administration. He is the athletic director of Lower Cape May Regional High School.
Simonsen has a diverse background beyond elected office. He is a singer, songwriter and front man of the band Twelve:01. Over the years, he has performed with: They Might Be Giants, Nils Lofgren of The E Street Band, Edwin McCain, Jewel, and many more national artists
Simonsen and his wife, Anna, have two daughters.
Assemblyman
Antwan McClellan
Antwan McClellan has been an assemblyman since 2019, serving as Republican whip since January 2022.
A lifelong resident of Ocean City, he served as councilman from 2012 to 2019, and as a member of the Ocean City Board of Education from 2010 to 2012. Additionally, he serves as a trustee on the Ocean City Historical Museum and volunteers for the South Jersey Field of Dreams, which provides the opportunity for special needs children to participate in sports programs.
A 1993 graduate of Ocean City High School, McClellan attended Virginia State University and Old Dominion University. He works as public information officer and personnel director in the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office.
Assemblyman
Michael Torrissi
Brandon E. Umba was sworn in as an assemblyman in January 2022.
Michael Torrissi was sworn in as an assemblyman in January of 2022. He was born and raised in Hammonton and spent ten years on the Town Council, prior to being elected to the Assembly.
As a lifelong resident, Assemblyman Torrissi was the past president of the Hammonton GOP and has served on the Hammonton Lions Club, Exchange Club, and Italian Sons and Daughters.
Torrissi has a Bachelors of Arts in History and Criminal Justice from Rutgers University. During college, he received his CDL and started driving trucks. He is now the Managing Member of Samuel Coraluzzo Co and Torrissi Transport, a petroleum bulk transport company that operates up and down the entire East Coast. He still occasionally drives trucks.
The Assemblyman resides with his wife, Katie and daughter, Sophia. He is an ardent fisherman and golfer, often traveling to play in tournaments.
Assemblyman
Brandon Umba
Brandon E. Umba was sworn in as an assemblyman in January 2022.
Umba is a graduate of the Catholic University of America, where he learned about public service under various lawmakers.
While in college, he interned for Congressman Frank LoBiondo and served a semester in the Republic of Ireland working as an intern for Michael D Higgins, the current President of the Republic of Ireland.
Following college, Umba worked as Director of Constituent Outreach for former 3rd District Congressman Jon Runyan. He has also served as Township Administrator for Lumberton Township in Burlington County and West Deptford Township in Gloucester County.
During his six years in Lumberton Township, he was responsible for lowering the township’s property taxes while increasing staffing in the Police and Public Works departments, building a new Public Safety Building, reconstructing all township recreational facilities and mitigating flood prone properties.
He is currently the Business Administrator for Manchester Township in Ocean County. Umba lives in Medford Township with his fiancé, Dana.
Assemblyman
Brian Rumpf
Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf was born in Somerville, New Jersey on May 11, 1964. He graduated from St. Joseph High School and attended The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where he graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts. He received a Juris Doctor from Washington & Lee University School of Law in 1989.
Assemblyman Rumpf was a Committeeman on the Little Egg Harbor Township Committee from 1997 to 2005 and served as Mayor from 2000 to 2004. He was a member of the Little Egg Harbor Planning Board and is the founder of the Great Bay Regional Police Athletic League and continues to serve as its Chairman. Assemblyman Rumpf previously served as a County Committeeman and is presently a member of the Ocean County Regular Republican Organization Screening Committee.
Assemblyman Rumpf’s present and former professional affiliations include the American Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association and the Ocean County Bar Association.
Assemblyman Rumpf was selected by the Republican County Committee members and was sworn to the Assembly on June 23, 2003 and was elected to his first full General Assembly term in 2003 and was reelected in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
In 2007, Assemblyman Rumpf was appointed as Vice Chairman of the Assembly Coastal New Jersey Evacuation Task Force. Several key recommendations made in the Task Force’s final report have been enacted into law to enhance New Jersey’s coastal coordinated evacuation procedures. The Assemblyman also authored the law establishing the “Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” Program in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Assemblyman Rumpf served as the Legislator-In-Residence at Richard Stockton College for the 2013 fall Semester.
Assemblyman Rumpf is presently serving as a member of the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Commitee and the Assembly Health Committee.
Assemblyman Rumpf and his wife, Debra H., were married in 1990. They have two children, Justin and Kassidy.
Assemblywoman
DiAnne Gove
DiAnne Gove is a life-long resident of Ocean County who has dedicated her life to serving the community.
DiAnne made her way through the local school system, graduating from Southern Regional High School. Earning her degree in Social Science from Cabrini University and her Master’s Degree from Monmouth University, DiAnne taught American History and Government at her Alma Mater for 32 years. DiAnne served as mentor and class advisor to eight graduating classes, receiving recognition as High School Teacher of the Year in 1992.
In 1984, she was asked by members of the governing body of Long Beach Township to complete the term of former Commissioner McGinnis; in 1985, the residents of Long Beach Township affirmed their choice, electing DiAnne to a complete term.
DiAnne continued to serve her community as Eucharistic Minister and Lector at St. Francis parish, member of the Southern Ocean County Hospital (SOCH) Board of Trustees, member and Chair of the Ocean County Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, member of the St. Francis Community Center Board and the Long Beach Island Rotary, where she received the Paul Harris Award in 1998.
In 2003, DiAnne was again called by her community to serve; this time to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mayor and Commissioner James Mancini. In 2004, she was elected to a full four-year term as Commissioner and Mayor and re-elected in 2008. During this time, she also served as President of the Ocean County Mayor’s Association.
In 2009, DiAnne was selected to fill a vacant General Assembly seat in the 9th District. Later that fall, voters elected her to a full term in the Assembly. Following her selection to the Assembly, DiAnne resigned her position on the Long Beach Township Commission to focus on her legislative responsibilities. She was sworn in to the Assembly on December 7, 2009. The Assemblywoman was reelected in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
Assemblywoman Gove was awarded the 2010 Southern Ocean County Women of Achievement award from the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. In 2012, the Assemblywoman was named Advocate of the Year by the Ocean County Advisory Commission on the Status of Women. In 2015, Assemblywoman Gove was named VFW Legislator of the Year. That same year, the Assemblywoman served as Legislator-In Residence for the Spring Semester at Stockton University.
The Assemblywoman authored the “Veterans’ Business Assistance Act,” signed into law in 2011, which established a state-led effort to enhance outreach initiatives and develop strategies to expand the number of veteran-owned businesses eligible to benefit from State contracting.
Assemblywoman Gove currently serves on the Assembly Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the Assembly Higher Education Committee, and the Assembly Aging and Senior Services Committee.
