Carmen F. Amato Jr. is an American Republican Party politician serving as a member of the New Jersey Senate for the 9th legislative district, having taken office on January 9, 2024.

A resident of the Bayville section of Berkeley Township, New Jersey, Amato attended Central Regional High School and Ocean County College.

[1] With Christopher Connors not running for re-election after 16 years in the Senate in a district that he and his father Leonard T. Connors had represented in the Senate for more than four decades, Amato stepped in and sought the Republican nomination.

[2][3] Amato defeated Democrat Gabriel Franco in the 2023 New Jersey Senate election.

[4][5] Amato was one of 10 members elected for the first time in 2023 to serve in the Senate, one quarter of all seats.