Shanique Davis Speight is a Democratic member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 29th Legislative District, which encompasses portions of Essex and Hudson counties. The district's most populous municipalities include Newark, Harrison, and East Newark. Speight assumed office on January 9, 2018, and currently serves as Assembly Deputy Speaker. A resident of Newark, Speight earned a Master of Arts in Human Services from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. She has worked as an officer in the Essex County Sheriff's Office. Her early public service included election to the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board in 2007, where she served as vice chair from 2007 to 2012. She also worked as an aide to State Senator Teresa Ruiz from 2009 to 2010.

Speight's path to the legislature included a brief and contested tenure on the Newark City Council. In November 2012, Mayor Cory Booker nominated her to fill a vacant at-large seat, and she was sworn in at a chaotic council meeting. The following month, a Superior Court judge ruled that Booker lacked the authority to cast the deciding vote under the circumstances, and the Appellate Division affirmed that ruling in July 2013. Speight vacated the seat, and the council remained in deadlock until a special election. She won election to the General Assembly in 2017, succeeding Blonnie R. Watson, and has been re-elected in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Political Career

• Vice Chair, Newark Public Schools Advisory Board (2007–2012)
• Aide to Senator Teresa Ruiz (2009–2010)
• Member, Newark City Council (November–December 2012, vacated by court order)
• New Jersey General Assembly, District 29 (2018–present)
• Deputy Parliamentarian, New Jersey General Assembly (2022–2023)
• Deputy Speaker, New Jersey General Assembly (2024–present)

Key Policy Areas

• Aging and senior services
• Health and human services
• Disability rights and provider accountability
• Public safety and homeland security
• Regulated professions and workforce standards
• Housing and municipal affairs

Notable Actions / Initiatives

• Co-sponsored legislation (A5638/S3754) signed into law in January 2026 creating the Disability Mortality and Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee within the Department of Human Services, charged with reviewing cases of abuse, neglect, or mortality involving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Named chair of the Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee in 2024, following previous service as chair of the Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee.
• Introduced a bill package in March 2026 addressing pancreatic cancer testing and research while strengthening outreach on men's health in underserved communities.
• Elevated to Assembly Deputy Speaker in 2024 after serving as Deputy Parliamentarian.

Education

• M.A., Human Services, Lincoln University

Personal

• Birth date: November 14, 1978
• Residence: Newark, New Jersey