Washington, May 30, 2026
A 28-year-old former White House and Department of Energy official is seeking to make history in New Jersey by becoming the state’s first Gen Z and first Indian American member of Congress, arguing that voters are increasingly frustrated with political stagnation and are looking for a new generation of leadership.
Jay Vaingankar, the son of immigrants from Mumbai, is among a crowded field of candidates competing in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. This is an open seat created by the retirement of veteran Democratic Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman.
With only days remaining before the primary election, Vaingankar told IANS in an exclusive interview that his campaign is focused on affordability, clean energy investment and political reform.
“I’m running for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District because our legendary Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman at 81 years old is retiring. And I think it’s time for a new generation in our politics,” he said. “If elected, I would be New Jersey’s first Gen Z and first South Asian member of Congress.”
Vaingankar said he entered the race after receiving encouragement from community members following Watson Coleman’s retirement announcement last year.
“A number of folks said that, you know, we can’t keep electing the same politicians over and over again, and we can’t elect the one just because it’s their turn,” he said. “We have to be electing people who respond to the call from our community.”
The candidate said his years in Washington helped shape his political outlook. While serving in the Biden administration, he regularly travelled back to New Jersey and observed the economic pressures facing working families.
“When I was working at the White House, I was working in the Department of Energy. I would take the Amtrak home every other weekend back here to Central New Jersey,” he said. “I also saw in the grocery store every week our prices were going up. I also saw how people didn’t feel represented by the leadership in Washington.”
For Vaingankar, affordability remains the defining issue of the campaign.
“It’s that every week you go to the grocery store or you’re paying your property taxes or you look at your bills and they’re going up every single month,” he said. “And it’s not like the quality of those goods or those services are getting better.”
He argued that the country needs greater investment in clean energy technologies, saying the transition to renewable and alternative energy sources can create jobs while lowering costs for consumers.
“We need to create jobs. We need to lower our utility bills, and we need to fight climate change,” he said. “I think America can lead the Green Tech revolution.”
Vaingankar said he rejects what he called a false choice between affordable energy and environmental goals.
“I’m tired of this false choice between should the energy be clean or should it be cheap,” he said, adding that solar, wind and nuclear technologies can be expanded while creating jobs for American workers.
The Democratic primary has drawn 12 candidates, creating an unpredictable race in which vote splitting could play a decisive role.
“We’ve got 11 opponents,” he said. “Someone can win this race with maybe 15% of the vote.”
Despite the crowded field, Vaingankar believes voters are increasingly receptive to younger candidates and more diverse representation.
“The biggest competitor that we have is the cynicism that New Jersey isn’t ready to elect a young candidate, isn’t ready to elect a South Asian candidate,” he said.
He pointed to what he described as growing political engagement among Indian-Americans and younger voters.
“We’re so grateful to see thousands of Indian Americans registering to vote for the first time,” he said.
Asked why New Jersey, despite having one of the largest South Asian populations in the United States, has never elected an Indian-American to Congress or statewide federal office, Vaingankar said both structural barriers and community attitudes have played a role.
“We have one of the largest South Asian populations in the country, and we’ve never elected a South Asian to statewide or federal office,” he said.
He added: “I think that when the South Asian community succeeds, every community in America succeeds.”
The campaign has attracted support from several Asian-American political organisations and prominent Indian-American leaders, he said, while also drawing significant participation from younger volunteers.
“We’ve had hundreds of high school and college students of all backgrounds sign up to volunteer for our campaign,” Vaingankar said.
On foreign policy, he stressed the importance of strengthening ties between Washington and New Delhi.
“I’ve always believed in a strong US-India relationship because I think that India’s at a crossroads right now,” he said. “India’s one of the fastest growing economies of the world.”
He argued that the relationship should be rooted in shared democratic values and stronger economic cooperation.
“I think it’s really important that we have a strong US-India relationship,” he said.
Vaingankar’s personal story closely mirrors that of many Indian-American families in New Jersey. His father arrived in the United States on an H-1B visa, while his parents, both originally from Mumbai, eventually settled in New Jersey. He was born in Trenton, raised in East Windsor and Hightstown, attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and later served in Washington before returning home.
New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District is one of dozens of open-seat House races across the United States in 2026. General elections are scheduled in November.
With Watson Coleman’s retirement, the contest has drawn significant attention from Democrats seeking to shape the party’s next generation of leadership. The district includes parts of central New Jersey, home to one of the nation’s largest and most politically active Indian-American populations.(Agency)
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