Raymond Lesniak
| Ray Lesniak | |
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| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 20th district |
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Assumed office June 16, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | John T. Gregorio |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 20th district |
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In office January 12, 1982 – June 16, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Chuck Hardwick |
| Succeeded by | Thomas W. Long |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 21st district |
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In office January 10, 1978 – January 12, 1982 |
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| Preceded by | John T. Gregorio |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Hardwick |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 7, 1946 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater |
Rutgers University, Newark (BA) St. John's University, New York (JD) |
| Website | Official website |
Raymond J. "Ray" Lesniak (born May 7, 1946) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 1983, where he represents the 20th Legislative District. Before entering New Jersey's upper house, the Senate, Lesniak served in the General Assembly from 1978 to 1983. Lesniak is considered a major power broker in the Democratic Party, having served as New Jersey Democratic State Chairman and New Jersey Chair for Clinton/Gore and Gore/Lieberman. Lesniak is a candidate in the New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2017.
Lesniak grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, then earned his A.B. in Economics from Rutgers University in 1971, and his J.D. from St. John's University School of Law in 1974. He is an attorney with the firm Weiner Lesniak.
Lesniak is ethnically Polish.
In 1980, Lesniak ran for the office of Mayor of Elizabeth. He was defeated by incumbent mayor Thomas G. Dunn, whom he challenged in the Democratic primary election. Dunn scored about 7,100 votes to Lesniak's 6,600 while about 2,000 went to David Conti, the challenger who came 276 votes away from toppling Dunn in 1976 and was (in 1980) endorsed by the Regular Democratic Organization of Union County.
Subsequently, Dunn orchestrated Lesniak's removal from the 'party line' -- a preferred ballot position aligned with almost all other incumbents—when it was time for the lawmaker to seek re-election to the General Assembly in 1981. Party leaders did not inform Lesniak about his loss of support until two days before the petition filing deadline. Elizabeth Health Director John Surmay was selected to replace Lesniak on the ballot between Sen. John T. Gregorio and Assemblyman Thomas J. Deverin, his prior running mates.
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