NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill has tapped Jennifer Davenport as the state's next attorney general.
“The Attorney General’s office plays a critical role in advancing the governor-elect’s mission of keeping residents safe and making the state affordable, and I share her commitment to that mission,” Davenport said.
Sherrill called Davenport a "lifelong public servant" with more than 15 years of law enforcement experience.
Davenport currently serves as the first assistant attorney general, a position she had previously held from 2018 to 2020.
She has also worked as the acting attorney general's principal law enforcement advisor, as well as division counsel to New Jersey's division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The state's current Attorney General, Matt Platkin, endorsed Davenport on social media and said she is "one of the finest public servants" who will do "an extraordinary job as our state's chief law enforcement officer."
Davenport said she has spent her career in public service alongside law enforcement, and in each role, she worked to bring people together and solve the toughest problems facing the state.
“So, from taking on gun violence and human trafficking, to protecting our children, to ensuring affordability, to defending New Jerseyans from attacks out of Washington, I will build on my career in law enforcement and in public service to protect New Jerseyans every day,” Davenport said.
She also served as the New Jersey Commissioner on the Waterfront Commission, where she tackled corruption in the New York and New Jersey harbors. She is a graduate of DeSales University and Seton Hall University School of Law.