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NJ congresswoman welcomes baby girl amid federal legal battle
Amid her fight for re-election and a tumultuous legal battle, U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver and her family say they have gained a "symbol of hope" with the birth of her second child.
The 40-year-old representative of New Jersey's 10th Congressional District announced Oct. 1 that she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
"Being a mom is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I feel deeply grateful to welcome this beautiful, healthy baby into the world," McIver said in a news release. This is her second child. She and her husband Khalif Thomas also have a 10-year-old daughter.
The birth of her second baby comes as McIver actively serves in Congress while running for re-election and facing a possible 17 years in prison. She was indicted by Alina Habba, a former U.S attorney for the District of New Jersey, on federal charges of assault and obstruction stemming from a May 2025 protest incident at the Delaney Hall immigration facility in Newark.
A panel of appellate judges declined to toss the federal charges in August, saying they had no jurisdiction over whether she should face trial.
The congresswoman, who first announced her pregnancy in May, has been very vocal about her hopes for additional children and her reproductive health journey, including a battle with uterine fibroids. In November 2025, she rushed from a uterine fibroid removal surgery in New Jersey to make it to a vote in Washington, D.C. that same day.
McIver is the fifteenth-ever member of Congress to give birth while serving, according to the release, and is one of only a small group of women serving in Congress with school-aged children.
"There really aren't words to describe how blessed my family feels to welcome a new life into the world. Getting the chance to raise a family is a priority and a delight for me, something I hope everyone who wants to, gets the chance to do," said McIver. "Bringing a child into the world is a reminder not only of why we fight for maternal healthcare and reproductive rights, but of why we fight for the rights and freedoms of our most vulnerable - they are someone's babies too"