In 2017 Ashley Bennett made history and national headlines when she was elected Freeholder in the 3rd District of Atlantic County New Jersey.
Motivated to run after the incumbent Republican mocked the 2017 Women’s March asking will they be back in “time for them to cook dinner?”, the 32 year-old mental health counselor, Ashley Bennett was elected to office in a suburban district never before held by a woman, an African American or a Democrat.
Born and raised in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Ashley is the product of three generations of South Jersey working families. Ashley’s maternal grandparents, who migrated from a small town in South Carolina for better opportunities, worked at the Lennox China factory in Mays Landing. Her father’s parents, native to Atlantic City, worked as a janitor and a security guard in the public schools.
Ashley credits her mother with teaching resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity and hardship. Raising three children as a single parent while on disability due to suffering a brain tumor and brain surgery and overcoming crushing financial setbacks, instilled the values of faith, family, hard work and service.