Michael L. Testa Jr.’s family has deep roots in South Jersey and Cumberland County.
On his father’s side, his great-grandparents emigrated from Italy to secure a better future for their children and themselves.
His grandfather became the first elected Mayor of the City of Vineland and later became a Judge, despite not even speaking English until 1st grade. Michael’s father went on to start and build their family law firm.
On his mother’s side, his grandparents were Polish Jews who met in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II and were rescued by Allied soldiers. After the war, they came to the United States, where the Senator’s mom was born. They settled in Buena and ran a family chicken farm.
Sen. Testa is a graduate of Villanova University School of Law and received his Masters Degree at Temple University Beasley School of Law. He and his wife Julie live in Vineland with their three children, Eva Marie, Sarah, and Tripp. He returned to his roots in Vineland and joined his family’s law firm as a defense attorney and is a partner with his father.
Sen. Testa was a former Board Chairman of the Vineland Downtown Improvement District/Main Street Vineland, is a proud lifetime member of the Greater Vineland Chapter of the NAACP, the past Board President of the Vineland Regional Dance Company, and Past Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem counties.
In 2019, Sen. Testa was elected to the New Jersey State Senate to represent the First Legislative District. He won his second term as a New Jersey Senator in 2021 by a historical margin, and repeated that victory for his third term in 2023.
During the 2020 COVID Pandemic, Sen. Testa dedicated his time to assisting the families of the First Legislative District. With his teammates, Assemblymen Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan, the LD1 staff helped well over 6,000 residents to receive unemployment and disability benefits and assisted with other issues from the MVC, Treasury, Licensing, and many others.
In his third term, Senator Testa continues work on enhancing the state environment to foster and support business growth and expansion, protect parental rights for their children in education and health, improve veteran benefits in the state, promote tourism and shore economy, as well as preserving marine life and the fishing industry. His opposition to the wind turbine project has been openly public and is ongoing. Senator Testa started his 5th year on the Senate Budget and Appropriation Committee and his 4th year on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2024. As the Co-Chair of the NJ Manufacturing Caucus, he remains a champion for revitalizing and re-energizing manufacturing and small business in South Jersey.
Senator Testa continues to practice law while balancing his numerous responsibilities in the Senate. In 2024, Senator Michael Testa was named the Senate Republican Whip.
