NJ-12: Jay Vaingankar (D), ex-Energy Department official, enters race
When Jay Vaingankar was born in January 1998, Bonnie Watson Coleman had been a New Jersey state assemblywoman for all of three days. Watson Coleman’s political career is now coming to an end, and Vaingankar will run to succeed her as the next U.S. representative from New Jersey’s 12th congressional district.
The 27-year-old Vaingankar, a Mercer County native who spent most of his still-short career working in President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy, officially announced his campaign for Watson Coleman’s seat this morning, calling the departing congresswoman a trailblazer whose “progressive legacy” he hopes to continue.
Vaingankar’s decision to run, which he’d been mulling since Watson Coleman announced her decision to retire last month, adds another name to a crowded – and, so far, difficult to handicap – primary for the deep-blue Central Jersey seat.
“This is going to be a campaign that really excites voters,” Vaingankar told the New Jersey Globe. “I think it’s going to really change things up. We are focused on tackling the affordability crisis in this state, and the way that we’re going to do that is by bringing some new energy into our politics.”
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/jay-vaingankar-ex-energy-department-official-enters-nj-12-race/