Meet Aura
Aura Dunn was initially selected to the New Jersey Assembly in 2019, and a year later won the special election in the 25th Legislative District, breaking New Jersey’s history for the most votes in an (more than 64,000) Assembly race.
Assemblywoman Dunn has gone on to win two more election cycles and is now serving her fifth year in the legislature. In this short time, she has become known as an effective legislator and problem-solver who always puts people over politics. She is a fierce defender of children and families and parental rights.
Dunn serves on the Assembly Budget and Children, Families & Food Security Committees. Dunn holds the Assistant Whip Leadership position in the Republican Caucus and is appointed to the Human Relations Council and Women’s Re-entry Commission. She also is a founding member and current Co-Chair of the Legislative Disability Caucus.
She joined the Assembly after a 30-year career in public service. She was the District Director for 12-term Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen from 2016 to 2019, a budget analyst on education policy for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee from 1997 to 2000, and a policy advisor for the House Veterans Affairs Committee. She also represented America’s Public Television Stations, Sesame Street, and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood before Congress and the White House.
One of Assemblywoman Dunn’s proudest accomplishments from her time on Capitol Hill was her work on the Campus Crime Disclosure Act, better known as the Clery Act. The landmark legislation requires colleges and universities to issue on-campus crime statistics and security information.
Dunn currently serves as a board member of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation. Dunn served on the boards of Morris Habitat for Humanity and Morris County Mental Health Addictions Services. She volunteers as a JBWS-certified domestic violence crisis response team member for local police departments. Since 2010, her family has hosted a New York City child each summer through the Fresh Air Fund program.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University. Dunn also holds a certificate in Mediation.
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A Record of Accomplishment
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2025 Domestic Shelters' Purple Ribbon Award for Outstanding Legislator
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2025 Arc of Morris Legislator of the Year
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2025 Morris County Chamber of Commerce Alex DeCroce Public Leadership Award Recipient
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2025 State Legislative Champion Award - NJ Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies (NJAMHAA)
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2025 Excellence Award from the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris
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2025 NJBIA Paul L. Troast Award
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2024 New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Woman of Inspiration Award
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2024 Association of Schools & Agencies for the Handicapped Legislator of the Year Award
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2023 League of Conservation Voters Legislator of the Year Award
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2023 Good Grief Community Advocate Award
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2022 NJ YMCA Alliance Legislative Champion for Youth Development
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2022 Veterans Advocate of the Year, Morris County American Legion
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2022 Woman of Excellence, National Foundation for Women Legislators
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2021 Morris County NAACP Community Service Award
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Why I'm Running
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Like all of us, I fill many roles. I am a mother, wife, daughter, employee, and community volunteer. But, WHO I am and WHY I am running for Assembly is more important.
I am a first-generation college graduate and homeowner. I was raised by a Purple Heart Marine who fought in the Battle of Khe Sahn, the deadliest of the Vietnam War. My father taught me to always stand up for what you believe in. When times got tough, and they did, my mother worked as a Construction Apprentice, often the only woman on site. As the oldest child in a single parent home, I was responsible for getting my siblings off to school each morning.
These challenges made me a protector, helper, hard worker and -- Believer! A believer in the American Dream. Never before have I seen that dream and the traditions and values that built this country and the hometowns we hold so dear, in such jeopardy. For this reason, I am running for office and I hope you will elect me, a first-generation candidate.
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As your Assemblywoman,
I am and will be relentless
about bringing economic
and fiscal security to our
families.
With a 25 year career in public policy, I am sick and tired of obstructionist politics and know what it will take to bring sanity back to the New Jersey Statehouse.
