Donald Norcross

Donald W. Norcross (born December 13, 1958) is an American politician and labor leader who represents New Jersey's 1st congressional district in South Jersey. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was first elected to this role in 2014 after Rob Andrews resigned. His district includes cities like Camden, Cherry Hill, Lindenwold, and Glassboro, covering much of the area around Philadelphia.

Before becoming a U.S. representative, Norcross was active in labor leadership. He worked with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351 and served as president of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO Central Labor Council. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2009 and later joined the New Jersey State Senate in 2010.

Norcross serves on important committees such as Armed Services and Education and Labor. He is part of groups like the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition, and helped start the Bipartisan Building Trades Caucus.

Early life and education

Donald Norcross was born on December 13, 1958, in Camden, New Jersey. He is the son of George E. Norcross Jr. and has two brothers named George E. Norcross III and John C. Norcross. The family lived in Pennsauken Township. Norcross finished his studies at Camden County College, earning a degree in criminal justice, and later attended Rutgers University-Camden. He was raised in the Lutheran faith.

Career

Donald Norcross began his career in 1980 with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, eventually becoming assistant business manager of IBEW Local 351. He was also president of the Southern New Jersey Building Trades Council and served for 16 years as president of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.

Norcross and his running mate, Camden City Council President Angel Fuentes, were elected to the Assembly in 2009. After Dana Redd became mayor of Camden, Norcross was appointed to the Senate. He won a special election in 2010 to finish the term and was later reelected to the New Jersey Senate in 2011 and 2013.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2014

Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey § District 1

On February 4, 2014, South Jersey Congressman Rob Andrews said he would leave Congress by the end of the month, and he did so on February 18.

Norcross said he would run for the job on February 5, and soon after he got support from many important leaders in New Jersey, including State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, General Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, Mayor of Camden Dana Redd, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, and former Governor Jim Florio.

Tenure

Norcross won the Democratic primary—the main contest in this area—with 72% of the vote. He ran in two elections on November 4: a special election to finish Andrews’s term, and a regular election for a full two-year term. He won both easily against Republican challenger Garry Cobb. He was sworn in on November 12 by House Speaker John Boehner. Because he joined the House on that date, he gained more experience than other new members elected in 2014.

Soon after being elected, Norcross was given an important job helping to organize the Democratic team, a job he kept after winning again in 2016. He helps lead many groups in the Democratic team, including the Rebuilding America Task Force, and he is part of committees that make big decisions. He also helped start a group that works with both parties and leads a team working to stop a serious health problem.

In 2020, Norcross was talked about as a possible choice for a top job under President Joe Biden. On June 12, 2025, Norcross was one of four Democrats who did not vote on a $9 billion spending cut suggested by the Department of Government Efficiency; house Republicans approved the plan by 2 votes.

Hot mic incident

On June 24, 2021, during a meeting over Zoom with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, someone shouted a word during a question, and Norcross’s name appeared on the screen. Some people thought Norcross said it, but a report said it was not him. A letter from Republican members asked the meeting leader to say sorry, but he said the shout was not appropriate.

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Education and Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development

Caucus memberships

• Founding member of the Bipartisan Building Trades Caucus
• Vice Chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic
• Co-Chair of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus
• Blue Collar Caucus
• Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Solar Caucus
• Congressional Equality Caucus
• New Democrat Coalition
• Problem Solvers Caucus
• Rare Disease Caucus
• Veterinary Medicine Caucus
• Labor Caucus

Personal life

Donald Norcross is married to Andrea Doran, who works as an echocardiographer. They have two children together. Norcross also has a child from a previous marriage. He has three brothers: George, a leader in the New Jersey Democratic party and a businessman; Philip A. Norcross, who is an attorney; and John, a psychologist, author, and professor at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Norcross and his wife live in Camden.

In April 2025, Norcross became very sick during a flight due to an infection. He was taken to a hospital and needed special care. After some time, he began to get better and was allowed to leave the hospital to rest and recover. He returned to his work in Congress for a short time to vote on an important bill before going back to his regular schedule.

Electoral history

New Jersey State Senate

U.S. House of Representatives