William B. Sampson IV (born January 13, 1989) is an American Democratic Party politician who represents the 31st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office on January 11, 2022.
Born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, Sampson graduated from Bayonne High School and then attended Clark Atlanta University, before heading back home and transferring to New Jersey City University.
Sampson won the support of Mayor of Bayonne James Davis for the Assembly seat that had been held by Nicholas Chiaravalloti and won the June 2021 Democratic primary. He was elected in the 2021 New Jersey General Assembly election together with running mate Angela V. McKnight and became the first African American state legislator from the city when he took office.
With Angela V. McKnight running for the State Senate seat that had been held by Sandra Bolden Cunningham, the Hudson County Democratic Organization chose Barbara McCann Stamato for the second Assembly seat. McCann Stamato and Sampson defeated Republicans Angelique M. Diaz, Sydney J. Ferreira and two independent candidates in the 2023 New Jersey General Assembly election.
In the June 2025 Democratic primary, Sampson and newcomer Jerry Walker ran together with the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and defeated fellow incumbent Barbara McCann Stamato, who bracketed together with Jacqueline Weimmer with the support of Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop.
Committee assignments for the 2024âÂÂ2025 Legislative Session are:
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The representatives from the 31st District for the 2026âÂÂ2027 session are: