Marge Roukema


Margaret "Marge" Roukema was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty-two years as a Republican.
A graduate of Montclair State College, Roukema's first career was as a teacher in the Ridgewood Public Schools. She began her political career in the local board of education, becoming the vice president of the body in 1970. In 1980, she challenged three-term incumbent Democratic Congressman Andrew Maguire, and won in what was then the. She was one of several Republicans swept into office by Reagan's coattails. After decennial redistricting, Roukema's district was renumbered as the and became significantly more Republican than its predecessor. She was handily reelected in 1982 and nine more times after that with almost no opposition.
Roukema was a moderate Republican, as was the case with most Republicans from the Northeast. In 1992, she faced a primary challenge from a considerably more conservative Republican, Louis Sette, but defeated him by a 62%–25% margin. In 1998, another conservative, State Assemblyman Scott Garrett, challenged her in the primary. Roukema managed to fight him off, and did so again in 2000.
With the prospect of another primary challenge from Garrett in 2002, as well as facing the loss of her subcommittee chairs due to caucus term limits, the Ridgewood Republican opted not to seek a 12th term and retired from politics. Garrett won the nomination with 45% of the vote and went on to win the seat, despite Roukema's refusal to endorse him; State Senator Gerald Cardinale, who Roukema endorsed in the primary to succeed her, came in third with 25% of the vote, behind State Assemblyman David C. Russo with 26%.
She was an honorary board member of the National Organization of Italian American Women.

Death

On November 12, 2014, Roukema died at Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, New Jersey at the age of 85. She had Alzheimer's disease.