James K. "Jay" Webber is a Republican member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 26th Legislative District, which encompasses municipalities in Morris and Passaic counties. The district's most populous communities include Parsippany-Troy Hills, Denville Township, Montville Township, East Hanover Township, Florham Park, and Pequannock Township. Webber assumed office on January 8, 2008, and has been re-elected every two years since. He served as Minority Appropriations Officer from 2018 to 2026.

Born on February 29, 1972, in Teaneck and raised in Clifton, Webber graduated from Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale. He earned a B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University in 1994, where he was Phi Beta Kappa and a Second Team All-American in baseball. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2000 and clerked for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Peter Verniero. He served as Budget Staffer and District Director to U.S. Representative William J. Martini and worked as a staff member at the Manhattan Institute before entering private practice.

Webber is a labor attorney and owns Webber McGill LLC in Whippany. He served as chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee from June 2009 to January 2011, a period that included Governor Chris Christie's election as the first Republican to win a statewide race in 12 years. Webber is a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors and was a Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership. He and his wife Johanna have eight children and reside in Morris Plains.

Political Career

• Budget Staffer and District Director, Office of U.S. Representative William J. Martini
• Staff Member, Manhattan Institute
• New Jersey General Assembly, District 26 (2008–present)
• Chairman, New Jersey Republican State Committee (2009–2011)
• Minority Appropriations Officer, New Jersey General Assembly (2018–2026)

Key Policy Areas

• Budget and fiscal policy
• Labor and employment law
• Immigration and border security
• Constitutional rights and Second Amendment
• Government spending and debt reduction
• Business regulation and small business protection

Notable Actions / Initiatives

• Declined his legislative salary during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, stating he could not accept pay while constituents' unemployment claims went unfulfilled.
• Refused taxpayer-funded health benefits and pension coverage throughout his Assembly tenure, turning down an estimated $300,000 in benefits, and sponsored legislation ending defined-benefit public pensions for part-time officials.
• Championed bipartisan legislation strengthening protections for children in schools from abusers and sexual predators, and legislation protecting and funding victims of domestic abuse and the communities that serve them.
• Opposed the removal of General Phillip Kearny's statue from the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, introducing a resolution to maintain the monument.
• Led the New Jersey Republican State Committee during the 2009 election cycle that produced Governor Chris Christie's victory, the party's first statewide win in 12 years.

Education

• B.A., International Studies, Johns Hopkins University (1994)
• J.D., Harvard Law School (2000)

Personal

• Birth date: February 29, 1972
• Residence: Morris Plains