The Burlington County Republicans suggested to Rodriguez-Gregg that she should run for the Assembly in the 2013 elections to succeed Scott Rudder, who was retiring.[4] She and incumbent Christopher J. Brown were endorsed by the Republican Party and defeated two challengers affiliated with the Tea Party movement in the June primary election.[5] Rodriguez-Gregg and Brown both won in the general election in November,[6] and she became the first Republican Hispanic woman to serve in the New Jersey Legislature.[7]
Arrest and aftermath
On April 28, 2017, Rodriguez-Gregg was arrested following a traffic accident in which her car, while stopped at a traffic light, was struck in the rear bumper by another vehicle. Rodriguez-Gregg was charged with driving while intoxicated (marijuana and/or alcohol), obstruction of justice (for refusing a field sobriety test), reckless driving and a marked lanes' violation. The other driver was charged with careless driving. Both drivers were treated for minor injuries.[10][11]
Four months after her arrest, Rodriguez-Gregg withdrew from her campaign seeking re-election in the upcoming November 2017 New Jersey election.[12][13] The following month, local media outlets obtained and released body camera video footage of the arrest.[14][15]
Rodriguez-Gregg has maintained her innocence. No marijuana or alcohol was found by police in her vehicle. According to her attorney, Rodriguez-Gregg's blood test showed "some indication of alcohol", or a presence of alcohol, but no marijuana.[16][17] In December 2017, the court denied Rodriguez-Gregg's motions to suppress evidence collected by the police and dismiss the charges against her.[17][18]
In January 2018, Rodriguez-Gregg claimed that she was a survivor of domestic abuse that had been occurring at the time of her arrest.[19][20] In a Facebook post and several media interviews, Rodriguez-Gregg shared details of her alleged abuse and photographs of her face with multiple bruises and urged support for pending legislation that strengthened penalties for domestic violence.[21][22][23] In response, some local media outlets described Rodriguez-Gregg as "courageous" for publicly discussing her domestic violence abuse.[24][25]
In 2022, Governor Phil Murphy appointed Rodriguez-Gregg as a Republican member of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities,[26] but the nomination was withdrawn after a hold was placed on it in the State Senate.[27]