Maria Teresa Ruiz (born June 28, 1974) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 29th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since taking office on January 8, 2008.
[1] Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Ruiz graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.
[5] In the November 2007 general election, Ruiz and her Assembly running mates Alberto Coutinho and L. Grace Spencer won the three seats from the district.
Ruiz won with 57.8% of the vote, defeating five other candidates, including Democrats-running-as independents Luis Quintana (with 15.9%) in second place and William D. Payne (with 15.7%) who came in third.
[8] The representatives from the 29th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[9] In January 2025, Ruiz was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Montclair State University.