As part of our nonpartisan civic engagement efforts, we reached out to all midterm election candidates for 2026 Midterm Elections asking them to share their views on how they will serve their AAPI constituents. Scroll down to see which candidates answered and read their responses.
Donald Norcross
(Democrat)(CD1)
Right now, I believe the Asian American community is experiencing a rise in anti-Asian hate that must be addressed and the Asian American community must be assured that their neighbors are standing with them and support them. I also believe that it is important that we ensure Asian American students have the resources they need in our schools for children to succeed in their education, and we must make sure language access is available. These are some of the issues we hope to address.
I have been working for a long time to make New Jersey more affordable for everyday working men and women. As a union electrician and single father raising my son, I know the struggle that many New Jersey residents face when trying to put food on the table and pay bills. I have supported raising wages for middle class Americans, I have supported creating programs to help reduce the cost of childcare. Far too often have I heard from young parents looking for work that their biggest barrier to making it to their job is the cost of childcare. I have fought to lower healthcare costs for all Americans, and to extend the premium healthcare tax credits so that health insurance can stay affordable. These are a few of the efforts I have been apart of, but there are many more including looking at ways to lower the costs of college for students.
What is happening across this country with ICE agents trolling the streets and scaring families and kids is unacceptable. We are a nation of law and order, and due process is one of the most scared protections we have. As Democrats we have been fighting for ICE reforms to ensure our communities are safe from terror. We saw it locally in our own district, as ICE agent had school children running scared. I have proposed the Trust Through Transparency Act, which would help to bring accountability to these offices and ensure that all their work is caught on video so there is no hiding behind the badge. We also need a comprehensive immigration reform package that adequately address the needs of the families and individuals that have been here for many years who are just looking for a better life and to contribute to their communities.
Hate has no place in our communities. I am strongly in favor of provide the necessary resources to our communities to ensure they are safe and feel safe. No one should have to worry about their safety when they go grocery shopping, or drop their children off at school, or take them to sports practice. I have stood next to my community and listened to community leaders to help address these concerns.
We have to be able to separate the government of China from the larger Asian population. The geopolitical and national security issues that the United States has with China is not with the people of China but with the government. I have long stood next to local community leaders and talked with them to help address their concerns. As I said previously no one should be fearful in our communities that they will be discriminated or attached based on their ethnicity. This is anti-American. We are a melting pot of cultures that has thrived most when we work together and stand with each other.
Zack Mullock
(Democrat)(CD2)
Even though Asian Americans make up a fast-growing share of the population in New Jersey, that growth hasn’t been matched by representation in government. When communities aren’t represented, their concerns whether it’s language access, small business support, or public safety can be overlooked. While I myself am not an Asian American, I will do everything in my power to represent my constituents in Congress no matter their race or religion. I will uplift voices that have historically been drowned out by ensuring everyone has a seat at the table.
In South Jersey we have a housing issue. Prices are rising, on nearly everything and wages fail to rise with them. Parents are having to take on multiple extra jobs to be able to support their families and provide a future for their children.
I have been the Mayor of Cape May City for six years, on town council for eight and taxes have not been raised in seven years. In that time we have also built a new fire station and library, we are building a new police station, we have invested in our roads and infrastructure and we have removed lead pipes from our water system. With the proper management of a budget it is possible to provide for the people while also keeping taxes low. This is a record I am very proud of.
We need to look at the multitude of abandoned and run down properties in South Jersey and do the work to allow families to move in. Again as Mayor of Cape May I have worked with the local housing authority to build affordable housing and we have maintained it since.
Regardless of immigration status due process and equal protection under the law are fundamental rights. If elected I would ensure that no one man, President or not, could threaten these rights.
We need to have a compassion centered immigration process. One that prioritizes a clear path to citizenship over detention centers. ICE has a budget of over $85 billion with little to no government oversight. Congress has the power of the purse and if elected I would ensure that we withhold federal funding for agencies that violate due process, lack transparency, or undermine the constitutional rights of the people they are supposed to serve.
Ultimately, this comes down to trust. We need to work closely with community leaders making them the focal point of the reporting process. We also need to make sure our public institutions understand and respect cultural differences, and create an environment where people actually feel safe speaking up. This starts with transparency, honesty and integrity. The American people have lost trust in the very institutions that have been tasked with protecting them. It now falls on the government to rebuild that trust. We need to center the conversation around victims and their needs, providing resources through every step of the process including language, mental health, and advocacy services.
I think we have to be very clear, policies like so-called “alien land laws” that single out people based on nationality or ancestry are incredibly problematic. We’ve seen in our history the harm that comes from isolating entire communities of people. We can not make individuals scapegoats and to do this we must target actions not identity. In a time where we have the data and the ability to study specific incidents we should be utilizing it to avoid making broad accusations towards an entire group of people.
Terri Reese
(Democrat)(CD2)
Asian American communities in New Jersey are diverse and growing, and their needs are too often overlooked. Key issues include language access, culturally competent healthcare, support for small businesses, and concerns about safety and anti-Asian hate.
Attending and participating in the AAPI Convening in Cherry Hill this past January gave me real insight into the challenges facing Asian American and immigrant communities in our district. It reinforced how important it is to listen directly and not make assumptions.
As someone who is not a member of this community, I am committed to showing up, building relationships with AAPI organizations and community leaders, and making sure those voices are heard and reflected in the policies I support.
This is the issue I hear about most. People are struggling. Groceries, utilities, property taxes, rent or mortgage payments, health care. Everything costs more, and paychecks haven’t kept up.
Housing costs are rising faster than wages. The average first-time homeowner is now around 40 years old, seniors are worried about staying in their homes, and too many renters are paying more for less stability. To bring costs down, we need to expand and preserve truly affordable housing for working families, not just high-end development. We also need to stop private equity from buying up homes and driving up costs, while increasing supply through transit-oriented redevelopment, streamlined approvals for mixed-income housing, and stronger first-time homebuyer support.
Wages have also not kept pace with rising costs, and too many jobs lack stable hours, benefits, and long-term security. I will fight for a true living wage tied to inflation and stronger labor protections. We must also ensure that corporations receiving public subsidies are creating good jobs with fair wages and benefits. Public investment should prioritize small businesses that support local communities.
Utility costs are another major burden. We need stronger oversight to ensure large corporate entities pay their fair share and are not shifting costs onto working families. We must invest in renewable energy and modernize our grid to increase long-term reliability and reduce costs, while requiring corporate investors to contribute to infrastructure upgrades driven by their demand.
We cannot keep asking families to tighten their belts while corporations post record profits. I will fight for Medicare for All as a pathway to Universal Healthcare, guaranteeing comprehensive coverage, including mental health, reproductive care, prescriptions, and long-term care. I will also protect Social Security and Medicare and reform the tax code by closing loopholes so corporations and the ultra-wealthy finally pay their fair share.
We are a nation of immigrants, full stop. With the significant resources being used to militarize our immigration system, we should focus instead on common-sense reform that prioritizes compassion, dignity, and a clear and accessible path to citizenship.
We also need to address the root causes of migration and honestly confront the role U.S. policy has played over the last century. Too often, our actions in Central and South America, initially framed as assistance, contributed to significant instability and weakened institutions, leaving long-term challenges that continue to drive migration today.
Due process and equal protection are constitutional guarantees that apply to everyone. Any actions that deny those rights, including detention or removal of people without clear legal process, must be challenged, and there must be real accountability for abuses of power.
We need stronger protections at every level, including access to legal counsel, transparency in enforcement, and clear limits on federal actions that undermine civil liberties or community trust.
At the same time, we need a fair and functional immigration system that keeps families together, protects Dreamers and long-term residents, and addresses the backlogs in our current system.
Immigrants are not a threat to our communities. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and family members. We can and must build a system that reflects both our values and our responsibilities.
Hate crimes are abhorrent, and there is no place for them here in New Jersey or elsewhere. The rise in incidents targeting Asian Americans, including the increased harassment of Indian Americans, is unacceptable and wrong. People should not have to live in fear.
The “us versus them” mindset, where people are treated as the “other” instead of as neighbors and fellow human beings, is something that has been a part of our society for a long time. Racism is systemic in our country, and while we have made some progress, we need to do more, especially when we see how easily it resurfaces in moments of fear and division.
I will support stronger funding for victim services that provide real, culturally aware support, including mental health care, legal assistance, and crisis response. These services need to be accessible in multiple languages and partnered with community organizations that people already trust.
I also support better reporting systems, stronger coordination between law enforcement and community partners, and making sure victims are treated with dignity and compassion and taken seriously from the moment they come forward.
Beyond responding after harm occurs, we also need to invest in prevention through education, stronger and equitable enforcement of hate crime laws, and community-based programs that build understanding and trust.
No one should be made to feel unsafe in their own community. I am committed to supporting victims, listening to communities, and making sure everyone has the resources and protection that they need.
I am opposed to any laws or policies that discriminate based on national origin, including so-called “alien land laws” that target Chinese individuals or Chinese Americans. These policies do not enhance security but rather normalize prejudice and racism and harm communities.
National security concerns should be addressed, but they must be grounded in evidence and conduct, not ancestry or ethnicity. The “China Initiative,” raised serious concerns about racial profiling and the restricting of academic and scientific exchange, and it should not be policy.
We can protect national security and economic stability by focusing on evidence-based enforcement of actual misconduct, ensuring critical infrastructure is protected, and strengthening our domestic economy. We cannot blame people of Chinese descent for the actions of a government on the other side of the world.
When policy or rhetoric singles out one country or its people in ways that cast suspicion on entire communities, it directly contributes to discrimination and hate.
We must demand that our leaders uphold security and civil liberties. A safe country is not one that sacrifices the rights of entire communities. Instead, it protects them while addressing real threats that are backed by verifiable evidence and accountability.
Ryan Kelly
(Independent)(CD3)
Asian American communities in New Jersey are incredibly diverse, and that diversity is reflected in the issues they face. In my experience, key concerns include language access, small business support, rising costs of living, educational opportunity, and ensuring protection from discrimination and bias.
I’ve also come to understand that “AAPI” includes Pacific Islander communities, who are often overlooked in policy conversations. Through my doctoral program, I developed a close relationship with a colleague from Guam who has been active in public service, and during my visit to the island I had the opportunity to meet with community members and hear directly about the challenges they face, particularly around representation and access to federal resources. That experience reinforced for me how important it is that all voices within the AAPI community are included.
As a Member of Congress, I will engage directly with AAPI communities through regular listening sessions, partnerships with local organizations, and ensuring language access in constituent services. My approach is simple: listen first, understand the specific needs of each community, and make sure those voices are reflected in policy decisions.
The cost of living in New Jersey is one of the biggest challenges facing working families, including many AAPI households. Housing affordability, healthcare costs, and everyday expenses are putting real pressure on families trying to build stability.
I will focus on policies that increase housing supply in smart and sustainable ways, reduce healthcare costs by addressing inefficiencies and middlemen in the system, and support small businesses that are essential to many AAPI communities. I also support efforts to reduce student loan burdens and expand workforce development opportunities so people can access higher-paying jobs without taking on unsustainable debt.
At its core, affordability is about making sure that hard work leads to stability. That means addressing costs across the board, not just in one area, and ensuring that families can live, work, and raise children in New Jersey without being priced out.
Due process and equal protection under the law are fundamental principles that must apply to everyone, regardless of immigration status. Any enforcement actions must be carried out lawfully, transparently, and with respect for constitutional rights.
Through my work at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, I saw firsthand how important oversight, accountability, and clear procedures are in protecting individual rights while carrying out federal responsibilities. That experience reinforced for me that civil liberties are not optional—they must be built into how policies are implemented every day.
I believe we need a fair and functional immigration system that prioritizes family unity, provides clear and efficient legal pathways, and ensures that individuals are treated with dignity throughout the process. This includes access to legal representation, clear communication of rights, and strong oversight to prevent abuses.
Here in New Jersey, I will work to ensure that all residents feel safe engaging with schools, healthcare providers, and local services without fear. Public safety and community trust go hand in hand, and protecting civil liberties is essential to both.
The rise in hate incidents targeting Asian American communities is deeply concerning, and it requires both immediate support for victims and long-term prevention efforts.
I support expanding access to culturally competent mental health services, ensuring victims have access to legal resources, and strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations that are already doing critical work on the ground. Reporting mechanisms must be accessible and trusted, which includes providing language support and outreach to communities that may be hesitant to come forward.
At the same time, we need to address the root causes of hate through education, public awareness, and responsible leadership. Words matter, and leadership must be clear and consistent in rejecting bias and discrimination in all forms.
National security and economic competitiveness are important priorities, but they must be pursued in a way that does not target or harm individuals based on their background or perceived affiliation.
I do not support policies that single out people based on nationality or ethnicity, such as broad “alien land laws” or initiatives that can lead to profiling or discrimination. We have seen how rhetoric and policy choices can contribute to fear and bias within communities, and that must be avoided.
We can protect national security through targeted, evidence-based measures that focus on actual risks, not broad assumptions. At the same time, we should continue to support innovation, research, and economic growth in a way that welcomes contributions from diverse communities, including Asian Americans who play a vital role in our economy.
It is entirely possible to be strong on national security while also protecting civil rights, and I am committed to doing both.
Jason Cullen
(Republican)(CD3)
In my career as a territory manager in the consumer goods industry, I do not just study the AAPI community. I work for them every single day. Most of my customers are Asian American small business owners who are the lifeblood of the economy in Burlington, Mercer, and Monmouth counties.
Through these daily conversations at the checkout counter and in the warehouse, I have seen that the key issues are affordability, public safety, and the burden of over-regulation. These entrepreneurs are living the American Dream, but they are being choked by inflation that devalues their hard work and a bureaucracy that treats them like an ATM.
I will engage with the AAPI community by continuing to show up where they are, in their shops and neighborhood centers, not just during election season. I will ensure they are heard by fighting for a common sense agenda that slashes the red tape making it harder to run a business and by advocating for language-accessible government resources that empower owners to navigate the system independently. Putting America First means putting the strivers and small business owners of NJ-03 first.
To lower the cost of living for families in Burlington, Mercer, and Monmouth counties, we must address the root cause of inflation: out-of-control federal spending. As a territory manager in the consumer goods industry, I see every day how rising costs at the wholesale level force my Asian American customers to raise prices for their neighbors. It is a vicious cycle that hurts everyone.
I will advocate for a total freeze on non-essential federal spending and a massive reduction in the size of the federal bureaucracy. By shrinking the government, we stop the reckless printing and borrowing of money that devalues your hard-earned paycheck. I also support making the current tax relief permanent for families and small businesses, ensuring that the people of NJ-03 keep more of their money rather than sending it to a black hole in Washington.
We must also achieve total energy dominance. By unleashing American energy production and cutting the radical regulations that drive up utility and transport costs, we can lower the price of everything from the gas in your tank to the groceries on your shelf. My policy is simple: cut the spending, cut the red tape, and put the financial stability of New Jersey families first.
As a territory manager working daily with the AAPI community, I see firsthand the incredible contributions new Americans make to our economy and our neighborhoods. My position is that the law must be applied fairly and consistently to everyone. Safeguarding due process means ensuring that our legal system is transparent, predictable, and focused on public safety rather than political theater.
A fair immigration process begins with a secure border and a functional legal “front door.” We need to streamline the bureaucratic backlog that forces law-abiding families to wait years or even decades to join our community. By cutting the red tape in our legal immigration system, we honor those who follow the rules and contribute to the American Dream.
At the same time, true equal protection requires that we uphold the rule of law. I support a system where federal and local authorities work together to remove violent criminals from our streets, ensuring that every family in NJ-03 can live in a safe and secure environment. My focus is on protecting the rights of all citizens and legal residents by ensuring that our resources are used to support those who play by the rules and build our great state.
As a territory manager who works with South Asian and other AAPI business owners every day, I find these statistics deeply personal. My customers are not just clients; they are my neighbors and friends in towns like Hamilton and Freehold. No one should ever feel targeted or unsafe while working to provide for their family. I believe the first duty of government is to ensure the safety of its citizens.
I support robust funding for local law enforcement to ensure they have the training and resources to investigate and prosecute bias crimes to the fullest extent of the law. Accountability is the best deterrent. To support victims, I advocate for redirecting federal administrative funds directly to community based organizations and faith based groups in NJ-03. These local leaders already have the trust and cultural understanding to provide effective mental health support and legal guidance without the cold, impersonal red tape of a D.C. bureaucracy.
I will fight for a system where safety and justice are not partisan issues. By strengthening our neighborhoods and ensuring that criminals are held responsible, we send a clear message that harassment has no place in New Jersey. My door will always be open to AAPI leaders to ensure that federal resources are actually reaching the victims who need them most.
Protecting our national security and our local communities are not mutually exclusive goals. In my daily work with AAPI business owners, I see that they are the most patriotic Americans I know. They want a strong and secure country just as much as anyone else. My position is that our policies must be surgical and focused on hostile state actors, not on the families and entrepreneurs who have chosen to make New Jersey their home.
I believe we must be clear eyed about strategic competition and protect our food supply and technological secrets from foreign adversaries. However, I do not support broad alien land laws that would prevent a law abiding immigrant from buying a home or starting a shop in NJ-03. Legislation should target the foreign government itself, not individuals based on their heritage. We must ensure that programs like the China Initiative do not devolve into profiling that ruins the careers of innocent scientists or researchers.
To address our nations well-being, we should focus on bringing manufacturing back to America and achieving energy independence. This strengthens our economy without targeting specific groups of people. I will always advocate for precise security measures that protect our interests while upholding the civil rights and dignity of every person in our district. We win by being the best version of America, which means being a land of opportunity and the rule of law for everyone who plays by the rules.
John Blake
(Democrat)(CD4)
I believe the cost and availability of housing hurts all communities including Asian Americans, I will hold monthly town halls to hear out and address any issues the community is facing.
Housing, I’d like to prevent big companies and LLC’s from purchasing starter homes, outbidding middle class families on these houses, to either flip them, and jam them full of families. And if I cannot outright prevent them from purchasing I will limit their ability to do so to a limited number yearly, or alter the tax bracket to match the reason for the purchases.
Immigration reform is needed, immigrants should have an easier path to citizenship, I’m partial to the policy proposed by Mr Menendez in 2021. Immigration Customs and enforcement should be abolished and completely rebuilt from the ground up. The people who are in this particular branch are wholly unqualified and unfit to be in any kind of enforcement role, while the branch is being rebuilt, a professional law enforcement agency can fill in until the process is completed.
Discrimination or hate directed towards anyone because of their race is ignorant and completely unacceptable. I will be fully engaged in my support of any and all programs tailored to help the AAPI community, and every other community in the fourth district.
Alien land laws are racist, discriminatory, and unconstitutional. They should not be implemented, as for the “China initiative” I don’t believe in profiling someone because of their race. I do believe that some secrets shouldn’t be shared with foreign countries, but instead of being at each other’s throats all the time, it would be nice if we could get along with China and possibly share ideas for new technologies, especially in the green energy sector.
Rachel Peace
(Democrat)(CD4)
I am intimately familiar with issues that affect Asian American communities both in New Jersey and nationwide. Throughout my professional career, I had the opportunity to raise awareness of a stain on America’s history, the brutal internment camps in which Japanese Americans were detained during WWII, an injustice we see repeated in the present day with immigrants across the state of New Jersey and the nation. The scapegoating of minority groups in wartime and periods of economic crisis is a historical wrong that would be less likely to be repeated if our true collective history were incorporated in textbooks and as curriculum embedded deeply in all subject areas.
Education is also essential to undoing the model minority myth. This stereotypical assumption can leave AAPI students underresourced. It is a false narrative that all members of a single ethnic or racial group are collectively more intelligent or studious. AAPI students with intellectual or learning disabilities deserve better than to be ignored or overlooked. If there is an appetite to work with the Asian American Education Project and the South Asian American Digital Archive to provide resources to schools in Congressional District 4. I would like to work alongside Make Us Visible to ensure that AAPI history is taught in schools not just in New Jersey, but across the US.
A dramatic rise in anti-Asian hate and bias connected to falsehoods perpetuated around the pandemic, is undoubtedly another key issue. Still almost three times higher than pre-pandemic levels, urgent action must be taken to combat offensive stereotypes and protect Asian American constituents.
Ultimately, listening to the lived experiences of Asian American communities is key to informing good policy-making, and I endeavor to have these conversations throughout my campaign and during my time in office. I firmly believe in solidarity with marginalized and minority voices.
If we want to build families, supporting those families is essential. That’s exactly why we should have paid family leave, so that parents can be there for their child during the critical stages of their development. We need to provide 3k and 4k so parents can return to the workforce and know their children are safe. And yes, this should all be regardless of employer size or employment classification.
I’ll advocate for living wages for everyone in the nation, adjusting for inflation and geographic realities connected to the cost of living, especially here in New Jersey. I’m also interested in modeling novel initiatives to support families on successful pilot programs like Rx Kids, NMEE, and the Magnolia Mother’s Trust to reduce stress and improve outcomes for families.
Additionally, I’d like to increase income limits for programs that reduce financial barriers to home ownership and expand eligibility for no down payment housing programs to include both low AND moderate income New Jerseyans.
Furthermore, as the richest country in the world, we shouldn’t have the most expensive healthcare. Our campaign is grounded in the premise that everyone should be able to see the doctor when they are sick.
We can create the best health care system in the world by learning from all other developed nations who’ve already created workable systems. Decades of data are available to inform this effort, tracked by organizations such as the Commonwealth Fund. America can avoid pitfalls in other systems, learn from what already works, and finally deliver on the promise America made 80 years ago this summer to nations worldwide that healthcare would be recognized as a human right.
There are multiple proposals currently to fix our broken system. We look forward to engaging with Congressional champions of equitable healthcare to pass legislation that will heal communities, eliminate price gouging, reduce disparities, and ensure the well-being of everyone who calls NJ & the U.S.A. home.
New Jersey took a step in the right direction when it banned masked agents, codified the Immigrant Trust Directive, and prohibited our law enforcement from 287(g) agreements. However, since early 2025, ICE detention of immigrants in court proceedings has surged from roughly 40,000 to over 73,000 individuals detained by January of 2026, a 75% increase, with 73 to 74% of ICE detainees having no criminal convictions. Some reports state that roughly 72% are detained for over a month before their first appearance in immigration court, and as of February 2026, the immigration court backlog exceeded 3.3 million cases, while detention facilities saw record high populations.
Not only is this system unjust, but these detention facilities actually cost American taxpayers money. The average cost to detain an immigrant is approximately $157 to $165 per day, though some locations exceed $500. At the federal minimum wage, the daily cost to detain individuals costs the same as approximately 21.5 hours of work. Meanwhile, community-based support programs can cost as little as $17 per person per day.
Three of the top private detention contractors, Geo Group, Core Civic, and LaSalle, dominate the US immigration detention market, operating roughly 90% of private detention beds for ICE. My proposal is that these taxpayer dollars, instead of being spent irresponsibly, should be reallocated into our communities.
Under current legislation, it is actually discouraged for those with an “unlawful” presence from coming forward to engage in the legal process given restrictions around reentry for up to a decade. This is an impractical and inhumane policy that tears families apart.
Furthermore, we need to create the ‘missing middle visa’ for the industries that countless immigrants sustain on behalf of our communities. These include but are not limited to agriculture, construction, caretaking and beyond. Prospective immigrants would sign up via a portal, enabling individuals to be documented in affiliation with an industry rather than an employer. This would remove the financial and legal burden of visa sponsorship employers are expected to cover. Uploading open positions into this government administration portal would also ensure immigrants are paid a living wage. This system would create documentation, and reduce the ability for politicians to leverage immigrants as a scapegoat as is so often done to create division, sow hatred, and lead vulnerable Americans to vote based on unjustified fears.
In order to inform legislation going forward, we would discuss options with those who have actually experienced hate crimes within our communities in order to better understand what they wish they would have had access to. We want to lean on the lived experiences of people to ensure that any policy we propose would actually be beneficial. Too often, individuals most harmed by the system are unable to participate in the system. As a survivor of domestic violence, I have personally experienced the failures of multiple systems designed by those who haven’t had to navigate them. As a result, I am personally invested in championing neighbors who’ve been failed by other poorly designed and ineffective systems.
My commitment to involving the AAPI community in decision making that impacts their safety and well being will extend beyond my campaign, to active dialogue and an open line of communication to inform legislation upon election.
Alien land laws represent a dark chapter of America’s history, and under no circumstance can they be any part of its future. Racism has already done unprecedented damage to our national security and economic well-being. The decision to abandon the China Initiative in 2022 was the right one. This campaign is interested in collaboration over competition and a culture of open dialogue around academia, research, and scientific advancement. I believe China and Japan are both advanced when it comes to innovation around the renewable energy movement and America should reposition itself in alignment with those advances as a leader on the world’s stage. Profiling anyone based on country of origin or race is wrong, plain and simple. We’d also be less likely to face threats from foreign actors if we were better positioned geopolitically. I will work towards building bridges, not digging deeper chasms.
Adam Rueda
(Independent)(CD5)
Best way to stay connected with communities is through open dialogue through Zoom meetings and town halls in NJ so different groups have the chance to express their concerns. We must work to combat anti-Asian sentiment still falling out from COVID and dangerous rhetoric about China or Chinese in general. Like all Americans, universal healthcare is a priority for this group. In general Asian-Americans should have more visibility in political processes and need to be given better standing in their communities in general as we work to combat any kind of racism or hate crimes in our District.
Expand energy supply, lower property taxes, lower utility bills, end tolling, end congestion pricing
Abolish ICE. Create new system centered around dignity for all, human rights, preserving families and community-driven-networks
We need to connect afflicted communities with opportunities to relay and describe crimes in a comfortable place, possibly an organization they are already a part of, and have that organization work in tandem with law enforcement. We need to have open dialogue about all forms of hate to give issues visibility. I do believe we need to build up healthcare for all, which includes mental health, as soon as possible and deliver it quickly to people who need it most.
We need to balance rhetoric against China as often as possible as usually when elected officials or our existing government bring up China or Chinese as a threat, they have an ulterior motive in mind or some other cause they are pushing for under the surface. As always we need to combat and call out any forms of hate speech or bigotry.
Katie Bansil
(Democrat)(CD6)
My father immigrated from the Philippines to Woodbridge when I was eight years old, hoping to give our family a better life. But when my mom and I followed in the mid-2000s, we found ourselves in the middle of a recession. I’ll never forget watching them work multiple jobs and switch careers just to make ends meet.
My story is not unique among the Asian Americans I grew up with. Our families come from The Philippines, India, China, South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Pacific Islands, and so many incredible places. That diversity means that no single issue affects everyone the same way. But as we’ve been speaking with voters on their doorsteps and community events, they’ve shared many of the same hopes and fears. Hopes for stability and a chance to get a leg up. Fears of losing their health insurance, of watching their children struggle to find work and an affordable home. And fear that the country is heading down a dangerous path.
Like all Americans, the key issue for the AAPI community is affordability. This community shoulders the same high costs of housing, healthcare, and childcare that every American is struggling with. But they are often doing so while also proudly supporting extended families here and abroad, navigating the costly and opaque immigration system, and running small businesses which have been disproportionately effected by President Trump’s tariffs on Asian nations.
In Congress, I will fight for universal healthcare & childcare, and a restored Small Business Administration that gives immigrant small business owners a chance to succeed rather than a threat to close.
And I’ll do it while using my platform to combat the epidemic of anti-Asian hate, which remains serious and underreported. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated racist and xenophobic crimes against the Asian American community that have been going on for decades. I wilI fight for stronger enforcement of federal hate crime statutes, community-based reporting mechanisms, and will push the Justice Department’s civil rights team to fully investigate and prosecute anti-Asian violence.
Here is the reality for working families in New Jersey today. Young people are struggling to find good jobs and affordable homes. Parents are forced to pay more to send their child to daycare than it will cost to send that same child to my alma mater, Rutgers University. Our seniors are watching the Social Security and Medicare they worked so hard for in their careers continue to shrink and even disappear completely. In the richest nation in the history of the world, it doesn’t have to be this way.
We need to end the broken for-profit health insurance system and transition to a universal, single-payer model. In Congress, I would support the Medicare for All Act proposed by Sen. Sanders and Rep. Jayapal. We need to ensure that no one slips through the cracks when they change jobs, give Medicare the power to directly negotiate drug prices, cap the cost of lifesaving medications, and end surprise billing once and for all.
We need universal childcare from birth to age 5 so families can stay in the communities they love and children can get the strongest possible start in life. When you and your partner decide to have a child, that decision should not be followed by a conversation about what town in South Jersey or Pennsylvania you will have to move to. Everyone should have a chance to raise their family in the neighborhood they love.
We need to raise the federal minimum wage to no less than $17 per hour. No one should work a full-time job and still struggle to buy groceries or pay the mortgage on time.
We need to make housing more affordable for renters and buyers alike. Congress must make significant investments to build more housing, including low-income housing, and stop bad landlords from price gouging working families. We need large-scale federal investment in housing construction, including affordable rental units, public housing modernization, and incentives for local governments to allow more multi-family and development close to mass transit like Amtrak and NJ Transit. We must strengthen tenant protections, expand rental assistance, and crack down on bad landlords who drive up prices while neglecting maintenance.
And we need to end the corrupting influence of money in politics, which is the root cause of our broken economy. In Congress, I will push for a permanent ban on stock trading for elected officials so lawmakers can’t profit from inside information. I will also support public financing of elections, stronger disclosure laws to expose dark money, and tighter limits on corporate PAC donations so everyday people have a real voice in our democracy.
First and foremost we must abolish ICE. To be clear: Abolishing ICE does not mean abandoning immigration enforcement or border policy. IT means replacing a punitive, broken, enforcement-first system with a humane, orderly immigration system rooted in due process and human rights. ICE is terrorizing our communities, separating families, and undermining trust in the very institutions meant to keep people safe. Any immigration system built on fear, raids, and detention is a system that is fundamentally broken. We must abolish this rogue, deadly agency before more families are torn apart and more innocent lives are lost.
We need clearer and more cost-efficient pathways to citizenship, strong labor protections so immigrant workers cannot be exploited, and we need to end for-profit detention centers. Immigration policy should reflect our values: Fairness, dignity, and equal opportunity.
The rise of anti-Asian hate is a source of deep pain and fear in our community. I have heard firsthand from friends and neighbors who been made to feel like undesirable, dangerous strangers in the place they call home.
The federal government must take a much more proactive approach to combating the epidemic of anti-Asian hate, and I will lead that fight. That means dedicated, recurring federal funding for community-based organizations already doing this work on the ground. We need culturally competent programs with sufficient funding for targeted outreach in every language our community speaks. We need a team of well-trained, motivated mental health counselors who come from the Asian American community and can provide the kind of care that victims and their families need to heal and move forward with their lives.
Our community legal aid programs deserve a significant investment so they can work to better report hate crimes when they occur and prosecute offenders. This work is not easy; there is legitimate concern among the Asian American community as to how much they can trust law enforcement in the age of ICE. We must work to restore trust in our communities and work together to combat hate with every tool available to us.
And I believe that the strongest tool we have is to build resilient communities by investing in the programs I’ve mentioned, not just universal healthcare and childcare as well as undoing the harm of President Trump’s reckless tariffs on our small businesses. Indian Americans in New Jersey and across the country know Oak Tree Road as the nucleus of their community. Trump’s tariffs have hit small businesses there disproportionately hard, and I will fight to not only lift those undeserved burdens but also compensate the businesses who are struggling because of them.
This district needs a representative who will use both their votes and their platform to combat anti-Asian hate. We don’t just need better laws—we need a better culture. I will fight to restore the values of diversity and equality in New Jersey and across the nation.
In my view, so-called alien land laws represent an effort to resurrect of one of the ugliest, most xenophobic traditions in American history. In the early twentieth century, similar laws were designed to explicitly deny Asian immigrants, coming from China, Japan, and even the Philippines, of their right to own property and make a living. Any attempt by public officials to use global economic competition with China as justification to persecute immigrants in the United States is unfair, unjust, and simply wrong. I will oppose it without reservation.
Proponents will claim that since Justice Department’s China Initiative was formally ended in 2022, we no longer have a problem. Asian Americans know the truth. For years the program disproportionately targeted Chinese American researchers, scientists, and academics. While most were cleared of any wrongdoing, many found their careers, reputations, and lives destroyed by the investigation process alone. Skilled researchers will now deal with undue suspicion and skepticism for the rest of their careers. I will fight for justice for all those wrongly impacted by this program and will strongly opposed any covert attempt to restart it under a new name.
We can and must address genuine national security and economic questions without scapegoating working people trying to do their jobs. We must work to better protect American intellectual property, secure critical supply chains, and remain competitive in the global economy with thoughtful, evidence-based policies rather than those that single out individuals and organizations on the basis of ethnicity and national origin. Indeed, we must seek out more opportunities to cooperate with China to advance common goals at home and abroad.
John Hsu
(Democrat)(CD6)
Asian Americans are less likely versus other populations to report crimes committed against them. A representative from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s department approached me about collaborating on programs and/or events to bring awareness to this issue and encourage more reporting of crimes. This is something I plan to pursue as the representative for this area.
Asian Americans sometimes cannot imagine themselves in certain spaces. Politics is one of them. Many people of East Asian descent have told me how encouraging it was to see someone like me in politics. As an elected representative I will continue to visit Asian communities and encourage them to become involved politically. Recently I was a special guest at an Edison High School Peacock Society event and a few young people of Asian descent talked to us at our table and became interns. As a representative I will continue going to these events but at a larger scale.
We need medicare for all so that no goes bankrupt from Medical bills.
Electricity costs are soaring; Primarily driven by the energy usage of Data Centers and the discount they receive for that energy which is covered by regular customers. Tech companies need to pay their fair share of the electricity they use.
Private equity and hedge funds are buying up large numbers of residential housing to keep inventory off the market and raise rental prices. I want to either outright ban such practices or use taxes to disincentivize such practices. The industry will try to get around such regulation with loopholes and those will need to be closed too.
Consolidation of markets and industry has given corporations monopoly power in pricing. Large corporations need to be broken up. Private equity that owns various brands must be clearly indicated and perhaps broken up as well.
I support abolishing ICE which was only created in 2003. ICE was created as a reaction to 9/11 and was always designed to act in this way. Before ICE we had the INS. We need an efficient and compassionate system to process refugees and asylum seekers. We need to restore TPS in the meantime.
I will support federal funding if possible and join or host events to highlight this issue. Living in Edison I have many South Asian friends including people on my campaign staff so this is a community I want to support.
I oppose these laws and will stand up for residents who are clearly facing unfair treatment, and particularly if that treatment comes from a place of xenophobia. These laws may impact me so I have a personal stake in it as well. I support due process for any foreign nationals that break any of the laws and will monitor statistics and individual cases when necessary.
Hillary Herzig
(Republican)(CD6)
Key issues in New Jersey that affect Asian American communities include affordability, support for small businesses, quality education, health care and public services. Meaningful engagement I believe requires ongoing listening sessions, partnerships with local cultural and community organizations, and ensuring Asian American voices are consistently heard and represented in policy discussions and decision-making.
New Jersey families should never be taxed out of their homes, and I will support policies that reduce the overall cost of living by lowering energy prices, reining in reckless federal spending that fuels inflation, cutting unnecessary regulations, strengthening small businesses and job growth, and delivering real tax relief so working families, seniors, and retirees can afford to stay in the communities they have worked their whole lives to build.
With my background working in the citizenship and immigration process, I understand both the strengths of our system and where meaningful reforms are needed to preserve the dignity and integrity of the path to citizenship, uphold the rule of law, and prioritize the security and public safety of our communities while ensuring fair and lawful treatment throughout the process.
Hate crimes against any community based on race or ethnicity are unacceptable. I support restoring law and order by ensuring that threats, harassment, and violence are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, while expanding legal aid, mental health resources, and community advocacy services for victims. I also strongly respect First Amendment protections for free speech, but no one has the right to threaten, intimidate, or harm another person.
I stand firmly against communism, totalitarian control, and any form of government oppression that denies people freedom and human dignity. Many Americans, including some Asian Americans who came here from countries under authoritarian rule, chose the United States because it represents liberty, due process, and opportunity. At the same time, we must remain vigilant in protecting our homeland and all Americans from real national security threats. I support an approach that is tough on genuine threats while preserving important research institutional relations, strengthening transparency and avoiding broad policies that unfairly harm law-abiding families, students, and local communities. I also support measures that protect American land sovereignty and ensure fairness and reciprocity for foreign land ownership. It is important to understand that China’s system differs significantly from the United States, as land is owned by the government in China and individuals are typically granted long-term use rights, rather than full ownership. Any U.S. policy in this area should focus on national security, reciprocity, and transparency while avoiding broad rules that unfairly burden law-abiding individuals and families. Our security and our constitutional principles must go hand in hand.
Rebecca Bennett
(Democrat)(CD7)
Asian American communities in New Jersey are incredibly diverse, and any serious engagement has to begin with that understanding. New Jersey’s Asian population is large and growing – even in my own community of Bridgewater, where I’m raising my two girls, there is a huge growing Asian American population, along with communities across this district.
The issues I hear most often are affordability, language access, public safety, quality schools, small-business opportunity, immigration stability, and protection from hate and discrimination. For many families, those concerns overlap: a parent may be worried about housing costs, barriers to accessing government services in their preferred language, and whether their children will be safe from bullying or bias in school. For seniors and new immigrants, navigating health care, benefits, and legal systems can be especially difficult when translation and outreach are inadequate. New Jersey’s own Office of New Americans emphasizes language access and know-your-rights outreach because those are real, ongoing needs.
My approach is to engage Asian American communities consistently, not just during election season. That means regular meetings with community-based organizations, temples, faith communities and leaders, educators, small-business owners, and youth leaders; town halls and constituent services; hiring staff who reflect the district’s diversity; and making sure policy is shaped with community input from the start. I would also push for stronger language access in federal programs and more federal partnerships with trusted local organizations, because communities are heard best when government meets people where they are.
Affordability. As a mom of two, I fully understand the challenges of balancing work & family while navigating inflation and the rising cost of living. I want to pursue policies in Congress that will help bring down costs for families in New Jersey.
On Energy:
Data centers are projected to explode in the region, taking up more electricity than is currently projected to come online in the next five years. This means that unless we change policy, our prices are going to go up, and we will all be subsidizing trillion-dollar companies. In Congress I will fight to make sure that data centers have to pay their own way for electricity and do not abuse the local water supply. I will also fight efforts by the Trump Administration to make it even easier for data centers in NJ to take advantage of ratepayers.
PJM is a company most people have never heard of but the company is in charge of managing the electric grid for the region. They are woefully behind in doing their job. In fact, “…PJM is now taking eight years to bring new generation online” and they have a backlog of thousands of energy projects. As a result, the price we pay for electricity is rapidly rising. PJM “capacity prices for the 2025/26 delivery year soared to nearly 10 times the cost from a year ago.” But PJM is federally regulated and we do not have to accept failure. In Congress I will demand that PJM either start doing its job or Congress will find an alternative that can reliably deliver affordable power to the people of New Jersey.
On Families:
Child care is a crisis in this country. Child care in New Jersey averages nearly $20,000 per year. No family should have to go broke just to make sure their kids are safe and cared for, but that’s the reality for too many families in New Jersey. We can fix this. We can cap child care costs at 7% of income and use tax credits to cover the difference for families. And we know exactly how to pay for it: simply letting the top tax rate return to its pre-Trump level fully covers the cost. It’s good for families, and it’s good for the economy.
On Housing:
Donald Trump campaigned on lowering prices, but the first thing he did when he got into office was raise them. Trump’s reckless trade war has increased the cost of everything, especially housing. The National Association of Home Builders notes that Trump’s trade policy is adding $10,900 to the cost of building a new home. Congress could end the trade war at any time, but instead has continued to allow it to wreck our alliances and raise our costs. I will vote to end the trade war on our allies on day one.
In the first quarter of this year, nearly 27% of all homes sold went to investors, meaning more than a quarter of a million homes that could have gone to families were instead turned into investment vehicles. After purchase, these firms raise rents for Americans through pricing power and market consolidation. They also reduce the inventory available to those looking to buy.
After the 2008 financial crisis, firms were able to purchase foreclosed homes and convert them into rental housing. This trend “emerged from the 2007–2009 financial crisis, leveraging access to capital and new technologies to purchase large numbers of foreclosed homes and convert them to rental housing.” This resulted in institutional investors being able to control prices in those markets and manage properties at a large scale, boxing out regular home buyers. Firms then raised rental prices across the board. In Congress, I will make sure the FTC and DOJ investigate this consolidation, and change our tax policy so it favors homeowners.Healthcare. After I left the Navy, I started working in healthcare. I’ve worked at early-stage startups and Fortune 50 companies, and I’m ready to stand up to anyone who tries to strip away healthcare from New Jersey families. We have to expand access and bring down costs for patients, and I’m excited to bring my experience in healthcare to Congress.
On immigration and due process, my position is simple: every person in this country is entitled to due process and equal protection under the law. That principle is not limited to citizens; it applies to people. Even if you’re not a citizen, you are entitled to fair treatment and the opportunity to defend themselves in court, and New Jersey’s own know-your-rights materials state that every person in or visiting New Jersey has rights regardless of immigration status.
I would oppose efforts that erode those protections through intimidation, lawless enforcement, denial of counsel, or policies that pressure local authorities to act as federal immigration agents without accountability. People should be able to report crimes, go to school, seek medical care, and show up in court without fear that basic civic participation will put their family at risk.
Holding the current Administration accountable: The current Congress has completely abdicated its responsibility to be an equal branch of government. Right now flipping the House is critical to provide some form of accountability to the current Administration. I’m a pragmatic, common sense leader who looks for common ground to work with people to make life better for all of us.
A fair immigration process also requires structural reform. We need more immigration judges and court capacity, clear case processing rules, humane alternatives to detention, and a pathway that keeps families together rather than trapping them in years of uncertainty. Federal policy choices in 2025 and 2026 have made due process concerns more urgent, not less, which is why I would push for reforms that restore fairness, transparency, and accountability.
There is no place for hate and bias in our community, period. I support a full response that treats these incidents as both a public-safety issue and a community-health issue. New Jersey’s Attorney General maintains a statewide bias dashboard and reported sharp increases in reported bias incidents in recent years, while the FBI continues to track anti-Asian hate nationally and the Justice Department directs victims and witnesses to report hate crimes to federal authorities. That means we should invest not only in enforcement, but also in victim services that are culturally competent and easy to access.
I would support funding for multilingual mental health services, trauma-informed care, legal assistance, case management, and community-based advocacy programs tailored to AAPI communities. I support stronger data collection, and grants for trusted nonprofits that can help victims navigate reporting, safety planning, and recovery. Hate incidents are often underreported, especially when victims fear stigma or do not trust the system, so our response has to be centered on trust, access, and follow-through.
We can protect our national security without demonizing specific groups or fearmongering. Russia is just as serious a geopolitical threat to the United States and yet no one seems to be calling for bans on Russians owning land next to military bases. We should have uniform policies that do not discriminate.
As a military veteran, I absolutely think we should prevent any foreign government from buying land next to US military bases.
But frankly, it is appalling that we need to even talk about the fact that discrimination is bad in this day and age – we need to have explicit safeguards against racial profiling, civil-rights violations, and community scape-goating against the Chinese-American community.
Michael Roth
(Democrat)(CD7)
Asian American communities in New Jersey are incredibly diverse, and no single community should be treated as a monolith. The AAPI “community” is made up of many different communities with different histories, immigration pathways, languages, religions, cultures, and economic realities. That diversity is part of what makes these communities so vibrant, and it is also part of what makes them so profoundly American. America’s strength has always come from people with different stories and backgrounds building something bigger together. Good representation starts with listening closely enough to understand actual experiences and challenges and where policy needs to be more tailored and specific.
Across AAPI communities, a few issues come up again and again: affordability, small business opportunity, healthcare, safety, and immigration. And in many ways, that reflects what matters to families across New Jersey. People want the same basic things: a fair shot, a decent life, and the ability to feel safe and secure in their communities.
Affordability is at the center of all of it. In the November 2025 AAPI Voter Survey, 58% of respondents said cost of living and economic security was one of their top two issues, more than double the next highest issue. AAPI communities also have an extraordinary entrepreneurial presence. Nearly 1 in 7 Asian households in the United States owns a business, yet many family businesses that have served their communities for generations are now being squeezed by rising costs, corporate concentration, and tariffs that make everyday goods more expensive. Lowering costs and expanding small business opportunities must be central to any serious agenda.
When the pandemic hit, Asian American small businesses were hit especially hard, and many small businesses were understandably afraid to seek help from a federal government that had fueled so much hostility. 28% of Asian American small businesses were shut down, compared to 17% of white-owned small businesses. I called the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in New York and personally walked Chinatown with community leaders, going business by business to make sure owners knew they had a right to access federal support and could do so safely. I deeply believe that representation is not just about having the right policy positions. It is about showing up, earning trust, and working with leaders in the community who people already know and trust. As your representative, that is exactly how I would lead.
Healthcare is another major concern. Too many AAPI families are paying more while getting less, and too many feel that insurance does not cover what they actually need. That problem is only getting worse as corporate greed drives up prices and cuts to public programs put more families at risk. When more than 1 million lawfully present immigrants stand to lose access to affordable healthcare coverage because of Medicaid-related cuts, that is not just bad policy. It is a moral failure.
Right now, one of the most urgent threats facing many AAPI families is the attack on safety, belonging, and the basic rights of citizenship. The Trump Administration has an explicit strategy to put fear into the hearts and minds of the AAPI community. Anti-Asian hate surged during the pandemic after racist rhetoric from the White House, and too many families are still living with the consequences. On Day One in office, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at denying birthright citizenship and the Supreme Court heard arguments in that fight this week. That Executive Order is targeted, malicious, and a direct attack on a basic American promise. At the same time, ICE has clearly used racial profiling to target Asian Americans, most notably by raiding the Hyundai-LG Energy battery plant where 475 mostly Korean workers were detained. Collectively, these actions harken back to the times of the Chinese Exclusion Act and a long history in this country of using national security or immigration enforcement as a cover for discrimination. The AAPI community, just like every community, wants safety, dignity, and equal protection under the law.
The issues impacting the AAPI community reflect the issues that matter most to all Americans: opportunity, affordability, healthcare, safety, and immigration. I learned walking through Chinatown during the pandemic that representation starts by showing up, listening with humility, engaging with leaders and institutions the AAPI community trusts, and standing shoulder to shoulder with people when they need someone on their side. That is the kind of leader I have always been and the kind of representative I will be for Asian American communities across New Jersey.
I have spent my entire career in service to make life more affordable and provide more opportunity to folks in New Jersey and across the country, and that is exactly what I would do once elected. My Day One Affordability Agenda includes: (1) bringing back good-paying jobs to New Jersey, (2) making housing more affordable, (3) driving down energy costs, (4) making healthcare more affordable and accessible, and (5) rewriting the tax code for working families.
What we’re seeing on our streets is authoritarianism in plain sight. We have masked men murdering people, tearing families apart, and no due process. It’s not just in Minneapolis, it’s happening across New Jersey in our communities and it’s only getting worse. There is no reconciliation until there is full accountability. When a President or executive branch officials break the law, abuse power, defy Congress, or trample constitutional rights, the answer cannot be to “move on” and hope norms repair themselves. That is how lawlessness becomes precedent. I believe illegal actions must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The American people deserve to see what due process, justice, and true democracy actually look like.
Accountability cannot wait until after the damage is done. Congress has a duty to fight back in real time through oversight, subpoenas, appropriations, and, where necessary, impeachment. I am running because we need people in Congress who understand those tools, are willing to uphold their constitutional duties and use them, and will not flinch when the moment demands it. No President is above the law, and I will ensure that.
I was the first in this race to have unequivocally stated, we need to defund and dismantle Trump’s ICE. Here’s what that specifically means:
Oppose any new funding for DHS
Repeal the $75B funding allocation for ICE, that includes the facility in Roxbury
Replace ICE with a new agency within the Department of Justice that executes the duties that ICE is supposed to be doing – keeping violent criminals off our streets, not bullying legal immigrants who came for a better life – that operates with independence from the President and has full respect for due process and the constitution
End qualified immunity for ICE agents, create clear uniforms, uphold human rights standards, and prosecute to the full extent of the law
More broadly, I believe America is a nation of immigrants. My own family sought asylum in the United States in the 1950s after surviving the Holocaust. Like so many others, my family’s story shows that the difference between an asylum seeker and someone who helps lead this country’s economy out of crisis can be just one generation. That is why I reject Trump’s cruel and chaotic immigration agenda. It is not only inhumane and often unconstitutional, it is also economically self-destructive. Mass deportation and attacks on immigrants would reduce GDP, worsen labor shortages, increase costs in sectors like housing, farming, caregiving, and construction, and undermine American competitiveness in industries like semiconductors, AI, medicine, and clean energy.
We need comprehensive immigration reform that is secure, orderly, and rooted in human dignity. That means expanding legal pathways that match our economic needs, creating an earned pathway to legal status for long-term law-abiding immigrants, fixing the asylum process so claims are heard clearly and urgently, defending DACA, and securing the border through modern infrastructure and faster processing rather than cruelty and chaos. It also means rejecting mass deportation, family separation, and indefinite detention; holding employers accountable for exploitation; and ensuring immigration enforcement is focused on serious criminals, not people who came here seeking a better life.
No one should live in fear because of who they are, what they look like, where their family comes from, or how they worship. The Trump Administration has fueled hatred by dividing us, othering different groups, and blaming them for the nation’s problems. The truth is, the only minority who are taking away people’s jobs, healthcare, and safety are billionaires and the political elite.
I would start by clearly rejecting the xenophobia and scapegoating and speak clearly against anti-Asian hate and to stand publicly with communities under attack. I would support legislation that holds social media and AI companies accountable for amplifying hate speech. I would support federal funding for the community-based organizations that provide culturally competent support services for victims of hate, including mental health support, legal assistance, and advocacy. Lastly, I would support investments in hate prevention, including education, national public service, and community safety programs.
Alien land laws have a deeply ugly history in the United States. They were originally explicit racism that kept Japanese and Chinese Americans from owning homes and modern day versions risk repeating that history by treating ancestry as grounds for suspicion rather than focusing narrowly on actual national security threats. The China Initiative has a similar story. While it was framed as countering real national security threats, it actually targeted Chinese American scientists. Alien land laws and The China Initiative are examples of using national security as an excuse for racism. Our country has a deep history of this and we must make sure we do not let history continue to repeat itself.
I grew up hearing my family’s stories about Nazi Germany and how the slide into horror did not begin with camps. It began earlier, with a politics of fear, with laws and policies that marked certain people as suspect, disloyal, or dangerous in the name of protecting the nation. That history taught me to be alert whenever governments use national security as a rationale to target people based on ancestry or identity rather than actual conduct.
There are real national security concerns around China that we need to take seriously, including AI development, espionage, IP theft, foreign influence operations, energy production, and other critical technologies that threaten our national security and economic competitiveness. But the answer can not be laws that treat ancestry as suspicion of disloyalty. We need laws and leaders that are capable of protecting both civil rights and national security at the same time.
Brian Varela
(Democrat)(CD7)
Asian American communities in New Jersey are not a monolith, and any honest answer to this question has to start there. The term “Asian American” covers dozens of distinct ethnic communities, languages, immigration experiences, and economic realities, from South Asian tech workers in Somerset County to working-class Filipino healthcare workers, Korean small business owners, and Southeast Asian refugee families who rebuilt their lives here. Treating that breadth as a single voting bloc to be checked off is exactly the kind of politics I’m running against.
That said, there are common threads. Anti-Asian hate is real and has been undercounted and underaddressed. The spike in violence during and after the pandemic exposed how quickly “model minority” assumptions collapse when scapegoating becomes politically convenient. I support robust federal hate crime enforcement and the full reauthorization and funding of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The silence from elected officials when anti-Asian violence surged was a failure of political courage, and I won’t repeat it.
On economic issues, a significant share of New Jersey’s Asian American community are small business owners, and they faced the same devastation I watched hit my own business community during economic downturns. Access to capital, cuts to bureaucratic red tape, and a healthcare system that doesn’t punish entrepreneurs are working-family issues where Asian American communities have disproportionate stakes. My work building affordable childcare centers taught me that when you build something from scratch, you understand what it means when government either helps or gets in the way.
Immigration is impossible to avoid. Many Asian American families are dealing with decades-long visa backlogs, family separation, and an overall broken system. I support comprehensive immigration reform that clears those backlogs, prioritizes family reunification, and treats people with dignity regardless of where they came from. As the son of Colombian immigrants, I know personally that this is not an abstract policy debate.
Healthcare access and mental health are areas where cultural competency matters enormously. Language barriers, stigma around mental health within certain communities, and lack of providers who reflect the communities they serve are all real gaps. My commitment to Medicare for All is inseparable from my belief that everyone deserves care that actually reaches them.
When it comes to outreach, real engagement means bringing Asian American community leaders into policy conversations early, not after decisions are made. It means hiring staff who reflect the district. It means town halls with language access. And it means being present when things are hard, not just when votes are being counted. NJ-07 is a diverse district, and a representative who only speaks to one slice of it is not doing the job.
New Jersey is an incredible place to live, and it is becoming unaffordable for the people who built it. Teachers, nurses, tradespeople, small business owners, and working families are being pushed out of the state they grew up in not because they failed, but because wages have not kept pace with housing, healthcare, childcare, and basic necessities. This is the result of policy choices that prioritized corporate interests over working people, and it can be reversed with different choices.
Housing is where I have to start, because it is the largest cost most families carry. We have a supply crisis and a speculation crisis happening at the same time. On supply, I support significant federal investment in affordable housing construction, including expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, funding community land trusts, public/private partnerships and removing federal barriers to denser development near transit corridors. On speculation, we need to look seriously at how private equity firms have bought up single-family homes and apartment buildings, especially in marginalized communities. Market consolidation by private equity deserves the same antitrust scrutiny we should be applying across the economy. Childcare is an issue I know from the inside. I built affordable childcare centers across New Jersey because I watched families in my community make impossible choices between working and paying for care. The cost of childcare in this state is extraordinary, and for many families it effectively cancels out a second income. I support universal pre-K, expanded Child Care and Development Block Grants, and a serious federal investment in the childcare workforce, which is predominantly women, predominantly women of color, and chronically underpaid. This is a major economic infrastructure issue.
Healthcare costs are a direct driver of financial instability for New Jersey families. Medical debt is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in this country. I support Medicare for All because I believe the administrative waste, the insurer profits, and the price gouging baked into our current system are costs that working families are absorbing so that someone else can profit. A single-payer system would free small businesses and workers from the burden of employer-sponsored insurance negotiations and allow us to negotiate drug prices at scale.
On prescription drugs specifically: the Inflation Reduction Act was a start, but Medicare’s ability to negotiate prices should extend to far more drugs and far more beneficiaries. The price differential between what Americans pay and what people in other wealthy countries pay for the same medications is indefensible, and the PBM’s lobbying efforts against change is a reason to be more aggressive, not less.
Grocery and consumer prices deserve real attention too. Corporate consolidation across meatpacking, grocery retail, and consumer goods has contributed to price increases that go well beyond inflation. When four companies control most of the beef supply, that is a pricing power problem, not a supply chain problem. I support aggressive FTC enforcement, blocking anti-competitive mergers, and looking seriously at corporate profit margins in essential goods sectors.
Regarding taxes, working families in New Jersey pay too high a share of their income in taxes, while investment income is taxed at lower rates than wages. That is backwards. I support taxing capital gains as ordinary income for households above a meaningful threshold. That revenue can fund the investments in housing, childcare, and healthcare that actually reduce the cost of living, rather than chasing it with stagnant wages.
Cost of living is a layered problem that took decades to build. But the families being squeezed out of New Jersey deserve a representative who understands the problem from the ground up and who will fight for structural change rather than incremental gestures.
I am proud to share that I was one of the first candidates nationwide with the courage to call for Noem’s impeachment. While I believe that we need immigration enforcement, this is CLEARLY not it. What federal authorities are conducting in New Jersey and across the country are not routine enforcement operations. They are warrantless arrests, stops based on appearance, and deportations of people who have lived here for decades, some of whom are American citizens or have pending legal status. Calling that anything other than what it is, a violation of constitutional rights, would be a disservice to the people experiencing it.
The Fourth Amendment does not have a citizenship requirement. The Fifth Amendment does not have a citizenship requirement. Due process is not a privilege extended to some residents and withheld from others based on where they were born. When federal agents detain people without warrants, when they conduct sweeps in communities without individualized suspicion, they are not enforcing the law. They are breaking it. I will say that clearly and without hedging, because too many elected officials are choosing silence over the families being torn apart right now.
My own family came to this country from Colombia. My parents built a life here the way millions of immigrants have, working hard, paying taxes, contributing to their community, and navigating a system that was never designed to be easy. I know what it means when immigration policy is not an abstraction but a presence in people’s daily lives. That experience shapes how I see this issue and how I will fight on it.
On what I will do in Congress, I will be a consistent and vocal opponent of warrantless enforcement actions and will push to restore and strengthen Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections in the immigration context. I support legislation that requires judicial warrants, strengthens legal representation access for people in removal proceedings, and creates meaningful accountability when federal agents violate constitutional rights. I also support legislation protecting sanctuary city and county policies from federal coercion, because local law enforcement should be building trust with immigrant communities, not functioning as a deportation force.
On immigration reform more broadly, the system is broken in ways that hurt everyone. Families are separated for years, sometimes decades, waiting on legal backlogs. People who came here as children know no other country. Essential workers in our farms, hospitals, and construction industries live in legal limbo despite contributing to our economy every day. I support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people who have built lives here, full stop. I support the DREAM Act and permanent protections for people brought here as children. I support clearing the visa backlogs that keep families separated, particularly the family reunification categories that have wait times stretching a generation. And I support a refugee and asylum system that actually functions, with adequate resources and staffing, so that people fleeing violence and persecution get the fair hearing the law already promises them.
Regarding enforcement, I believe in border security and I believe immigration law should be enforced. But enforcement has to be constitutional, targeted, and humane. That means reform of the agencies conducting it to ensure accountability, independent oversight, and clear standards that prohibit the kind of indiscriminate sweeps we are seeing now. The question is not whether to have immigration enforcement. The question is whether that enforcement respects the rule of law and if it’s humane, and right now it’s not.
New Jersey has been shaped by wave after wave of new Americans. The state’s diversity, its workforce, its culture, and its economy are inseparable from that history. A representative from NJ-07 who does not understand that, or who treats immigrant communities as a political football rather than constituents deserving full representation, is not doing the job. Tom Kean is not doing the job. I intend to do the job.
Second highest in the nation for anti-Asian hate incidents means New Jersey families are living with fear that has no place in a state that prides itself on diversity and inclusion. And the specific targeting of Indian Americans right now is unacceptable. When a community is experiencing an unprecedented level of harassment and the political response is silence or generalities, that silence is a message.
I have watched this pattern before. My parents are Colombian immigrants. I grew up understanding that the distance between belonging and being treated as foreign can collapse quickly when the political climate shifts. The communities experiencing that right now deserve a representative who understands it first hand. I have personally been the victim of hate speech. This is not an academic insight for me, this is lived experience and something I will always fight against.
Here is what I will fight for in Congress.
On resources and services: the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act created important reporting and response infrastructure, but funding and implementation have been uneven. I will push for robust, sustained federal appropriations to support community-based organizations doing the frontline work, legal aid for hate crime victims navigating a system that was not designed with them in mind, and culturally competent mental health services that account for language access, stigma, and the specific trauma of being targeted for who you are. Federal dollars need to follow community need, and right now the AAPI community in New Jersey is not getting its share.
On mental health specifically, the trauma of a hate incident does not end when the incident does. It lives in how people move through the world afterward, whether they feel safe on public transit, whether they let their kids walk to school alone, whether they feel like they belong in their own neighborhood. Mental health support that is culturally grounded, available in relevant languages, and free of the stigma that still surrounds mental healthcare in many AAPI communities is not a luxury. It is part of what a serious response looks like. I support expanding Community Mental Health Center funding with explicit requirements for cultural and linguistic competency.
On legal assistance: many hate incident victims do not report because they do not trust the system, do not know their rights, or cannot afford legal help. I support expanding civil legal aid funding and working with community-based organizations to build know-your-rights infrastructure that is proactive. People should not have to find out what resources exist after they have already been victimized.
On accountability, the FBI data is only as good as reporting allows. Underreporting of hate incidents in AAPI communities remains a serious problem, driven by distrust of law enforcement, language barriers, and concern about immigration status. I support federal investment in community liaisons, multilingual reporting systems, and independent oversight structures that give communities a reason to trust that reporting leads to accountability rather than further harm. I believe that Law enforcement agencies in NJ want to be partners in addressing hate crimes, but we need to create the infrastructure and provide the tools that allow for this. I also believe we need to increase accountability for hate crimes. We have seen hate crimes expand too much in the past decade since Trump came into office.
Regarding advocacy programs, the organizations doing this work, the legal aid groups, the mental health providers, the cultural organizations serving South Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander communities, are often operating on shoestring budgets while handling an increasing load. Federal grant programs should be structured to support these organizations directly, with flexible funding that reflects the diversity within the AAPI umbrella rather than one-size-fits-all programming that misses communities entirely.
I will be an advocate who shows up before the cameras arrive and stays after they leave. The AAPI community in NJ-07 and across New Jersey deserves nothing less.
I FULLY oppose alien land laws. Laws that restrict property rights based on national origin or citizenship status tied to ethnicity are discriminatory on their face. Several states have passed or attempted to pass these laws in recent years under the banner of national security, and the effect, intended or not, is to treat Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans as presumptively foreign, presumptively suspect, and undeserving of the same property rights as other Americans. This is pure discrimination with a national security label attached. I will oppose any federal version of these laws and will speak out against state-level efforts that resurrect what are, at their core, the same legal logic that produced the Chinese Exclusion Act and the internment of Japanese Americans. We should know better by now. When we pretend otherwise, we are not protecting national security. We are repeating history.
On the China Initiative, the DOJ program launched in 2018 and formally ended in 2022 was a well-documented failure on its own terms. It produced a pattern of prosecutions targeting researchers of Chinese descent based on insufficient evidence, led to acquittals and dropped charges, and created a climate of suspicion that drove talented scientists and academics out of American institutions or into silence. The collateral damage was entirely structural. When you design an initiative around ethnic and national origin profiling, discriminatory outcomes are the predictable result. I supported ending the China Initiative and I will oppose any effort to reconstitute it under a different name. Federal law enforcement resources should be directed at actual espionage and technology theft through evidence-based investigations, not broad ethnic surveillance programs that cast entire communities as suspects.
Regarding strategic competition legislation, the United States has real and legitimate interests in protecting critical technology, ensuring supply chain resilience, and competing economically with China as a state actor. I take those interests seriously. What I do not accept is the conflation of the Chinese government with Chinese people, Chinese Americans, or anyone of Asian descent. Those are not the same thing, and legislation or policy that treats them as interchangeable causes serious harm and is also bad security policy, because it alienates the very communities and researchers whose expertise and trust we need.
When I evaluate legislation framed around strategic competition, I am asking specific questions. Does it target conduct and technology, or does it target ethnicity and national origin? Does it include civil liberties protections and oversight mechanisms? Does it create reporting requirements or disclosure rules that apply broadly based on risk, or does it single out people based on where they or their families came from? Legislation that answers those questions well can advance genuine national security interests. Legislation that answers them poorly is not security policy. It is discrimination that will produce the same outcomes the China Initiative produced, damaged lives, compromised research institutions, and a community made to feel that their citizenship is conditional.
The broader point is this, the United States is strongest when it invests in its own scientific capacity, its own semiconductor manufacturing, its own research infrastructure, and its own workforce. Competing with China economically means building up American institutions, not tearing down American communities. And on security, the most effective counterintelligence work is built on specific evidence and legal standards, not on treating an entire ethnic community as a threat. Chinese Americans are Americans the same way Colombian Americans are Americans. Our loyalty is not a variable to be assessed based on ancestry, and any policy framework that treats it that way is not protecting this country. It is betraying its founding principles.
I will be a consistent voice in Congress against the xenophobic drift in how we talk about China, and I will work to ensure that legitimate national security concerns are addressed through policies that do not make Chinese Americans and the broader AAPI community pay the price.
Mussab Ali
(Democrat)(CD8)
Jersey City, my home, has a prominent Asian-American community, with 27% identifying as Asian American. As an Asian American living in New Jersey, I’ve experienced first-hand the issues affecting my community. One such issue is Immigration reform. Many Asian Americans don’t have a reliable path to citizenship due to the green card backlog. I support action that adds judges and reforms the system so that immigrants have a quicker path to citizenship, reunifying families. There is also a lack of equitable healthcare in the Asian American community, particularly in the South Asian diaspora, who suffer from disproportionate rates of heart disease and diabetes. Thus, I support legislation to universalize Medicare, expanding access to healthcare for marginalized communities. The government needs to do more to reach out to Asian American communities and meet them where they are. Also, if elected to Congress, I would be the first Pakistani American to serve.
Jersey City, where I ran for Mayor in 2025, is the second most expensive city in the country. I support major federal investments in affordable housing construction, rent stabilization, stronger tenant protection, and expanding the Housing Trust Fund. I also support Medicare for All with no premiums, deductibles, or copays and capped drug costs. Further, I support expanded SNAP benefits and eliminating tariffs inflating grocery prices. In NJ-08, many people rely on public transit. I support major federal investment in NJTransit, PATH train, and other public transit so working families are not forced to spend on car ownership. Lastly, I support wealth tax on fortunes over $50 million, taxing capital gains as income and closing corporate loopholes to fund social programs to take the burden off working families.
Jersey City is the most diverse city in the country, with over 40% of residents being foreign born. Abolishing ICE is the quickest and simplest action to relieve the undue stress and terror our immigrant community faces. We need a humane system rooted in dignity, due process and community safety—not a lawless Gestapo snatching people off the street. In Congress, I would advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship, Dreamer protections, clearing the employment-based green card backlog, and reducing family reunification wait times. Further, we need expanded know-your-rights resources, language-accessible resources throughout the immigration and visa process, and free legal support for immigrant communities. I also oppose criminalization of asylum seekers and use of private detention facilities.
New Jersey has one of the highest numbers of hate incident reports targeting Asian Americans in the country, and South Asians are experiencing an unprecedented level of harassment. This is unacceptable. As a Pakistani-American Muslim, I know what it feels like to be targeted because of who you are and where you come from. Hate has no place in our communities, and the federal government must take it seriously. I support strong, enforceable equal protections for all individuals regardless of religion, race, or national origin, and I will oppose any policies that weaponize civil rights laws against the very communities they were meant to protect. We need real federal investment in community-based programs providing mental health care, legal assistance, and advocacy services tailored to hate crime victims, including AAPI communities. Too often, victims do not know where to turn or face language barriers that prevent them from accessing support. I will push for multilingual outreach, culturally competent services, and robust civil rights enforcement so that every victim has access to justice. If elected, I would be the first Pakistani-American in Congress, and I will use that platform to ensure AAPI communities have a direct voice in Washington.
Alien land laws, the China Initiative, and other legislation that exclusively targets Chinese Americans or those of Chinese descent are dangerous, discriminatory, and counterproductive. They do not make us safer. What they do is fuel suspicion, harassment, and violence against Chinese Americans and the broader Asian American community. I oppose these laws and initiatives unequivocally. Singling out individuals based on national origin or ethnicity is not a national security strategy; it is racial profiling dressed up in policy language. We have seen the real human cost it imposes on innocent people and entire communities. Our nation can and must address legitimate security and economic concerns without scapegoating American communities. That means investing in diplomacy, multilateral engagement, and targeted policy that goes after actual threats rather than entire ethnic groups. The government should never use fear or surveillance to target vulnerable communities, and I will oppose any domestic legislation that does so. A country that treats its own residents as suspects based on their heritage is not a secure country. It is an unjust one. I will always fight to ensure that every person in NJ-08 is treated with equal protection under the law, regardless of where they or their family came from.
Robert Menendez Jr.
(Democrat)(CD8)
As a proud member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I take seriously the responsibility of representing Asian American families in my district. By working closely with our AAPI communities, I’ve seen firsthand how economic strain, immigration barriers, health care access, and anti-AAPI hate profoundly impact their lives. And that’s just the beginning – student debt, climate change, and gun violence touch every part of our communities and require urgent and bold solutions. That’s why I’m committed to fighting for policies that empower and uplift our communities.
I proactively work hand-in-hand with AAPI partners to support civic and economic opportunities for our neighbors and quash anti-AAPI hatred. I constantly stay connected with constituents by attending and hosting events and through in-person meetings, phone calls, surveys, and Mobile Office Hours. I know that together, we can make a difference for New Jersey families.
New Jersey’s skyrocketing cost of living is one of the most urgent challenges facing working families, seniors, and young people trying to build a life in our district. As the representative of a diverse district of working families, I am committed to fighting for meaningful changes that improve the quality of living for everyone who calls our district home.
That’s why I have introduced a series of bills to make the core pillars of the American Dream accessible to everyone. To force the federal government to center working families in policymaking, I introduced the Working Families Task Force Act. To bring down rising electricity bills for families and hold energy-hungry data centers accountable for driving up costs, I introduced the PRICE (Preventing Rate Inflation in Consumer Energy) Act and the Data Center Transparency Act. To lower the cost of prescription drugs, I co-led the Prescription Drug Transparency and Affordability Act. And to make housing more affordable, I cosponsored major housing bills like the Housing Crisis Response Act and the Ending Homelessness Act, which together would invest $150 billion in housing, expand housing vouchers and reduce housing discrimination.
By lowering costs and expanding opportunity, we can ensure that no one in New Jersey is priced out of the community they call home or forced to make difficult choices between basic necessities.
New Jersey’s strength has always come from its diversity. But right now, that strength is under direct attack from the Trump Administration. As our immigration enforcement system has become increasingly aggressive and unaccountable, we’ve seen families torn apart and American residents murdered in our streets. I will not let the chaos and terror that has been inflicted on our communities continue.
As the Representative of one of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country, I am committed to giving my all in the fight for the soul of our nation. I’ve gone where the fight is – I was on the ground in Minnesota after ICE murdered Renee Good and outside Delaney Hall when over 20 armed DHS agents attempted to stop me and my colleagues from conducting lawful oversight of the facility.
I believe that safeguarding due process and immigrant rights is not optional, it is fundamental. It’s clear that ICE is a rogue agency beyond reform, and I’ve consistently called for it to be abolished to protect our communities from further abuses. I’ve also called for the closure of ICE detention centers in New Jersey since coming to Congress, and I’ve conducted regular oversight visits to Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center to assess conditions and provide assistance to detained individuals. Each time, I am appalled by the detention system’s clear betrayal of the American Dream. No one, no matter their immigration status, should be denied access to counsel, subjected to unjust detention, or stripped of their dignity.
I also know that we must look beyond this dark moment towards building an immigration system that supports rather than punishes people who want to build their lives in America. That requires taking a hard look at the failed immigration policies of the past several decades to chart a better path forward. In my role as Vice Chair of Policy for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I have worked hard to ensure the Caucus champions fair and humane immigration policies that prioritize legal pathways and family unity, often partnering with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus to push back against punitive proposals and advocate for a more just approach.
But legislation alone is not enough. We must also ensure that our communities here in New Jersey are protected and informed. That’s why my team and I are often in the community sharing Know Your Rights resources and conducting trainings on resisting ICE and becoming a legal observer.
At the end of the day, this fight is about who we are as a country. I will continue fighting for an immigration system that is orderly and compassionate, one that upholds due process, respects every family’s humanity, and reflects the very best of who we are as a state and as a country.
I am deeply concerned by the continued rise in hate incidents targeting Asian Americans here in New Jersey, including the alarming harassment facing Indian American communities. These incidents are in no way consistent with our country’s values, and I believe we have a responsibility to respond with both urgency and care.
As a proud member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I strongly support funding for programs like the Department of Justice (DOJ) Culturally Specific Service Program, the Legal Services Corporation, DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Community Mental Health Centers, HHS’ Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program, implementation of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, and other federal initiatives that foster safer and more inclusive environments.
We also have a responsibility to make mental health care and community-based support not just available, but truly accessible in every neighborhood, because no one should have to struggle alone or in silence. That means meeting people where they are and through outreach efforts and trusted community spaces. This also means ensuring that Asian American families know how to access the legal support and protections they deserve. It is critical that our AAPI community members know that there are always resources available to them.
The rise in xenophobic language, the unfair targeting of Asian-Americans, and the ugly calls to revive discriminatory land ownership laws are in no way compatible with our nation’s values, and I strongly oppose them. The Trump Administration has encouraged a focus on competition and security to devolve into stigmatizing rhetoric and policies that directly harm Chinese-Americans and the broader AAPI community. Diversity has been the strength of our country for generations, and it is our obligation to ensure that the AAPI community, and all communities, are protected and made to feel welcome. It is my promise to work together and engage stakeholders to promote robust civil rights protections, transparency, and accountability.
Carmen Bucco
(Republican)(CD10)
Your voices have been sidelined. That ends now. It is time that we focus truly on public safety and the hate, we need to cut the red tape and help get our small businesses open. We need to stop hindering the ability for generational wealth, and also focus on educational excellence. This is about the children and grandchildren. I will not allow a legacy of failure to fail the young generation any longer.
I want to build a permanent relationship with AAPI I am not a master to all the issues so we need to truly communicate and stop treating the issues and finally fix them.
New Jersey is unaffordable because your tax dollars are being treated like a private piggy bank. To lower the cost of living, we start by stopping the theft. I will launch federal audits of local school boards to end the frivolous spending and corruption that steals from our children’s future. No more blank checks for administrators while families struggle to buy groceries. I will pass legislation establishing a strict fiduciary responsibility for all elected officials. If you mismanage or pocket public funds, you face immediate removal and criminal prosecution. No exceptions… By cutting the waste and holding every official personally accountable for every cent, we can finally provide real property tax relief and lower the cost of living for New Jersey families. I’m not here to play politics; I’m here to protect your paycheck.
Steps are being implemented to curb some issues. There are always 2 sides to a story. They say there are abductions and violations. There is no one or solution that will ever be perfect. If you are taken for breaking the law, everyone deserves due process. That does not mean letting the person on the street. We found this to be an issue of them not coming back. I am all for immigration reform, again we keep treating the problem without solving the problem. This to me is used as rhetoric for both sides. It is time to stop and come up with legislation that actually solves the problem. We should not be scaring people into staying and hiding in their homes. We need to humanize this and have heart.
Our neighbors are being targeted at record levels, and ‘thoughts and prayers’ from Washington won’t stop it. I will act. Mandatory Federal Funding for Victims: I will fight for direct federal grants to organizations like AAPI New Jersey that provide culturally competent mental health care and legal aid.
Zero-Tolerance Prosecution we will hunt down and convict anyone who harasses people in our communities. Education as Defense. so we can strip away the ignorance that fuels hate.
Direct Reporting Access: We must expand the NJ Bias Incident Dashboard into a fully-funded federal model that offers anonymous, multilingual reporting to break down the trust barriers currently preventing.
I’m not looking for a photo op; I’m looking to protect our people. If you attack one of us, you attack all of New Jersey.
Let’s be blunt: targeting people based on their heritage isn’t a security strategy, it’s a civil rights violation. Using ‘national security’ as a cover for xenophobia makes no one safer and only tears our communities apart. I will reject racial profiling, we must focus on actions not identity, and most of all politicians must stop using China as a punching bag. I will not let Washington’s rhetoric put a target on your back.
Joseph Lewis
(Democrat)(CD11)
I’ve knocked on doors all over NJ-11, speaking with voters from various demographic groups including the diverse AAPI community. I’ve found that the AAPI community is experiencing similar challenges that other Americans are facing around cost of living, affordability and healthcare. With multigenerational households, even for high income earners, economic issues are top of mind.
Our country is in an economic crisis. The uber rich are getting richer while the middle class is disappearing and the poor see no way out of poverty. Rising costs of necessities like food, clothing, and shelter are making life more challenging for too many NJ-11 residents.
We also have a healthcare crisis. Republicans allowed Obamacare subsidies to expire. A family of four in Morris County earning $144,000 will see premiums more than double to $19,069 a year. For multigenerational AAPI family households in NJ-11, higher premiums are particularly untenable.
We have a constitutional crisis. ICE agents are shooting Americans in the streets, and in NJ-11, detaining the undocumented without due process. Asian Americans have experienced a rise in xenophobia and hate crimes, due to scapegoating escalated by the Trump administration during Covid-19, and the fear based rhetoric has continued. This is not who we are.
For 20 years, I have worked in technology with diverse teams to find practical solutions to complex problems, and I will use that approach to address the urgent priorities of NJ-11 residents. I will repeal Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and reinvest in middle-class tax cuts and healthcare. I will reduce ICE’s $28B bloated budget back to 2024 levels, and ensure the Constitution is upheld, for we are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. I will be present and accessible, working with AAPI community leaders to ensure that programs and policies are best serving your needs.
Too many NJ-11 families are working overtime for the basics of everyday living: food, clothing, shelter and quality healthcare. I will repeal Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, providing long term economic stability for NJ-11 families by:
Eliminating Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy, saving $2.3T over ten years. I will reinvest these savings into tax cuts for households making less than $150K annually revitalizing the middle class, as the median house income is $134K in the district and 65% of households make less than $200K.
Owning a home is key to building long-term wealth, but the dream of buying a home is a dream deferred for too many NJ-11 residents. I propose a $50,000 refundable tax credit for first time home buyers helping the 28% of NJ-11 residents who don’t own a home purchase one.
To alleviate the rising costs of healthcare, I propose legislation to make the Obamacare subsidies permanent, at a cost of $350B over 10 years , a mere fraction of the $2.3T in savings gained by repealing Trump’s bill.
I know there is deep anxiety within the AAPI community right now. People are being snatched off the streets without due process, including right here in NJ-11. The potential for a detention center in nearby Roxbury is also very concerning.
Immigration has been used as a wedge issue. You are either anti-immigrant or pro open borders. These narratives score with the base, but they do not solve the problem. I believe our government can secure our borders without trampling over the rights of its citizens and the undocumented.
Trump is violating the constitution and we must not stand idly by. I would repeal Trump’s bill depriving ICE the funds to flood our streets with unqualified, untrained agents. Incompetent agents will be removed and unlawful ones prosecuted.
Immigrants are the lifeblood of this country. Those who immigrate to the United States should do so legally and I would reinvest the savings from repealing Trump’s bill into programs to reduce the long wait times for visas and green cards, making it easier to do so.
America is a nation of immigrants. The hate being fomented against the AAPI community by the Trump administration is not who we are as a country, and if you send me to Congress, I’ll do everything in my power to fight against this hate.
The goal is to prevent hate crimes against the AAPI community through education via community-based advocacy programs. In prior years, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, under the Justice Department, had funded grants focused on community-based approaches to reporting and prevention, but in 2026 the emphasis has been placed on partnerships with local law enforcement for investigation and prosecution only. As a member of Congress, I would use our fiscal oversight authority to ensure dollars are funneled directly to AAPI communities in NJ-11 for prevention programs.
The AAPI community is often the least likely to report such crimes. When the unthinkable happens, these dollars could also be used to support the victims via encouragement to report the incidents to local authorities and for resources to help with the language barriers between victims and local law enforcement. To further help victims, as a member of Congress, I would hold the Attorney General of the United States accountable to ensure that existing federal law, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, is enforced. This act criminalizes acts of violence when committed because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin of any person.
China is the third largest trade partner to the United States behind Mexico and Canada, so as a country, we need to continue to find ways to work together, when it is mutually beneficial. However, as a matter of national security, we should be concerned if any foreign agent were to purchase companies that would allow them to control key technology and infrastructure or our food supply. However, a group of disjointed state level so-called “alien land laws”, that explicitly target the Chinese is not the answer as these laws are too open to interpretation and can lead to racial bias against Chinese Americans and immigrants. In addition, focusing on China exclusively, distracts from the potential activities of any other governments that could present security risks. I propose legislation that would negate state level “alien land laws” and require Congressional oversight and approval of the purchase of any large corporation or significant acres of farmland by any foreign agent.
The AAPI community has had, and continues to have, many great contributions to the United States. The China Initiative was a failure because it only focused on China and ignored the possible activities of other nations, which unintentionally caused authorities to exclusively look for crimes committed by Chinese actors rather than simply following the evidence wherever it led. This stifled research and innovation and ensnared innocent Chinese Americans and immigrants, and this is why it was abandoned as a policy under the prior presidential administration. We already have federal laws on the books to deal with economic espionage by any foreign governments or their actors: The Economic Espionage Act of 1996 and Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. Therefore, we should continue to enforce existing laws.
Analilia Mejia
(Democrat)(CD11)
*These responses were initially submitted for the CD11 Special Election
Affordability will be the number one issue driving the Asian American community here in New Jersey, because it’s the issue facing every family in the state. I’m proud to have met with hundreds of NJ-11 residents and community leaders all across the district, including the Asian American community, and everyone is saying the same thing: The cost of living is becoming untenable. Meanwhile, corporations and billionaires rake in record profits year after year – and it’s working families all over the NJ-11 that get left behind. How is that acceptable? I’m running for Congress to bring that issue to the forefront of Congress, delivering an economy that works for everyone by ensuring we’re fairly taxing our billionaires and corporations, ending corruption, reining in private equity and big tech, and lowering costs by passing universal childcare and healthcare.
In the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, it is absolutely unacceptable that families cannot afford to live. Childcare has become almost like a second rent, and families worry day after day that one medical bill could bankrupt them; as a parent and sandwich-generation caregiver, I know exactly what that feels like. So the fight for Medicare for All and universal childcare is personal to me. Our country should know that our children and our health are an intrinsic, public good – and we should invest accordingly.
I am proud that the New Jersey State Legislature has advanced a legislative package that would protect immigrants from the worst of ICE’s abuses – but we cannot stop there. The murder of Renee Good is all the proof we need that ICE is beyond control and must be abolished. That in turn will allow us to repair the community trust that has completely eroded, and it will lay the groundwork for a fair immigration process that respects the dignity of every person seeking to live here.
That means closing Delaney Hall and all facilities like it, which have been reported to be rife with human rights abuses.
Furthermore, we need to ensure that immigration courts are actually adjudicated by a federal judge and not within the executive branch, allowing for independence and impartiality. We need more resources to address the backlog of immigration cases. And we must provide fair pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, who have built lives here and paid into our tax system already.
I support federal hate crimes legislation, and as Congresswoman, will bring in new investments in community support services, youth education, and legal assistance programs for anyone facing racist hate crimes.
I am also, very critically, not afraid at all. Not of Trump or the movement of white supremacy that fueled his rise. I will use my voice as Congresswoman to unequivocally stand up for the Asian American community and all marginalized communities against racism.
There is a very clear difference between encouraging fair global competition and putting forth legislation and a foreign policy doctrine that all but declares a Cold War against China. That does not make our country safe, nor does the recent spate of anti-Asian policies that target students, research, and our immigration process. If we’re not welcoming the world’s best and brightest into our universities to succeed on our soil, then we cannot hope to lead the world – furthermore, these policies and Trump’s recent violent deportation of 200 South Korean auto workers on the job are simply two sides of the same coin.
Justin Strickland
(Democrat)(CD11)
Our district is privileged to have a significant Asian American community, and as my constituents, our Asian-American neighbors will always find in me a listener ready to hear their concerns — something I’ve valued and maintained as a councilman. I will commit to holding a quarterly town hall with AAPI to hear your concerns and share progress on our legislative priorities. Like many in our district, members of the Asian American community struggle with the high costs of healthcare, housing, childcare, and college tuition. Our campaign offers concrete policies to address these concerns in Congress.
Our signature policy proposals seek to lower the cost of living for families in our district. To address the exorbitant cost of healthcare, we will introduce Universal Healthcare legislation to create a public healthcare option available to all Americans. To address the housing crisis, we will eliminate the need for a 20% down payment by creating a federally backed home loan program for first-time, bank-qualified homebuyers, thus also eliminating the need for PMI. To support working parents, we will create a “childcare coupon” program to cover families’ childcare and daycare costs up to $25,000 per year. To support folks pursuing a college education, we will cap tuition for public colleges and universities to ensure that Americans don’t finish college with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. To end predatory financial practices, we will eliminate unnecessary fees for checking and savings accounts and cap credit card interest rates (APR) at 15%. For Seniors, a two year period that allows widows/widowers to continue collecting the social security of their deceased spouse. These policies will protect Americans from paying banks a tax to simply hold our money. Our goal is simple: making life easier for everyday Americans.
As someone who has served our country in the military, and took several oaths to defend the Constitution, guaranteeing due process to all regardless of immigration status, is a paramount concern for me. The current administration has abused our institutions, denigrated the Constitution, and deprived immigrants of their dignity and their freedom from fear. In Congress, I will defend these principles and coordinate with state authorities to ensure that the current administration and federal authorities do not terrorize our streets and our neighbors. ICE was created in 2002 to protect American citizens from terrorist attacks, not to terrorize American communities and commit acts of terror against U.S. Citizens. It is time to abolish ICE because it clearly does not serve the purpose that was intended. We must also provide a path for the undocumented immigrants in our communities to access citizenship and receive the rights for which they have worked for and earned. Regardless of immigration status, and outlined in the Constitution, Congress needs to do more to guarantee due process to all in the United States and restrict executive overreach, including when it pertains to immigration. The actions taken by the NJ Legislature and Governor Sherrill to codify the Immigrant Trust Directive have been incredible for New Jersey. They serve to strengthen the trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities.
Hate crimes have no place in our society. To ensure that the AAPI community receives the support services it needs, I will build strong relationships with community organizations, fight for funding for DOJ and FBI reporting on hate crimes against the AAPI community (which was severely slashed by the Republican party), and ensure the public is educated on the seriousness of attacks against the AAPI community. In Congress, I will remain committed to acting in a way that honors the position entrusted to me by voters. Unfortunately, many of our politicians, including our commander-in-chief, have provided bad examples and contributed to creating a more violent, hostile, and hateful political discourse that too often translates into awful acts, including against the AAPI community.
While we must fight to ensure our national security is not jeopardized by foreign interests, we cannot do so by vilifying the citizens of foreign countries. Targeting China and Chinese citizens is wrong and discriminatory. We will always oppose discriminatory legislation. As a combat veteran, I understand the importance of standing up to nations that threaten America’s national security and economic standing in the world. As China will undoubtedly be one of America’s biggest economic competitors as the century unfolds, the U.S. will have to remain economically competitive while pursuing diplomacy and strategic cooperation to the greatest extent possible.
Susan Altman
(Democrat)(CD12)
It is important to note that the AAPI community in NJ-12, and across New Jersey overall, is not a monolith and a one size fits all approach should not be used to address these issues. With that in mind, there are still several overarching themes that seem to be impacting the broader AAPI community. I have heard from AAPI community members that the rise in anti-Asian biases, the cruelty of Trump’s immigration policies, and the difficulty in fully accessing government programs and services they are entitled to are among the top issues impacting their families and neighbors.
At the same time, AAPI New Jerseyans are struggling just like everyone else to make ends meet through our current cost of lying crisis and that is while I will fight against Trump’s disastrous trade wars, take on his rampant corruption, and end the illegal war in Iran that is driving up our costs.
Moving into the final weeks of the primary election, our campaign plans to engage AAPI voters through direct voter contact, at their doors and over the phone, and by hosting community based meet and greets to ensure they hear Sue’s background/campaign message and we hear directly from them what their concerns are and what they hope to see in their next member of Congress.
We must reverse the tax cuts for billionaires in Trump’s OBBB and reform the tax code to benefit working families, not the 1%. We should also reinstate the full child tax credit, restore Trump’s disastrous Medicaid cuts, pass Medicare for All, and fight for tax cuts to working people while closing tax loopholes that benefit the ultra-wealthy. We also need stronger anti-trust enforcement and to rein in the corporations price gouging consumers through skyrocketing prices.
Billionaires and corporations are treating our economy like their personal playground. I’ve seen it up close in Washington and here in New Jersey, from monopolies crushing small businesses to private equity buying up houses and monetizing public goods (like our healthcare and utilities) to tech companies using AI and algorithms to rot our kids’ brains and stoke partisan fires. Technological progress should serve our needs and build a fair economy, which is why I’ll fight to create laws that keep oligarchs accountable and oriented towards truth and the greater good.
We must also fix the broken political system that got us here in the first place and build a government that works for the people. That starts by getting big money out of politics, ending the influence of corporate PACs, banning congressional stock trading, passing Supreme Court ethics reform, and holding this administration accountable, while still getting things done. I’ve never taken a dime from corporate PACs – even when party leaders in DC pressured me to – and I never will.
And finally, we must build smarter, stronger communities to improve people’s quality of life. That means more housing, better transit, walkable towns, and redevelopment that does not infringe on our treasured open spaces. How we build communities matters: everyone deserves a real shot at owning a home in a community they love.
We have to win a Democratic majority this year in order to start holding this administration accountable. What is happening right now is outrageous. The overmilitarization of DHS, terrorization of immigrants, and murder of American citizens by the Trump administration is abhorrent and an affront to our civil liberties and the rule of law. We need to make sure our border is secure, but that does NOT mean masked ICE agents, the National Guard, the Marines, or any branch of the federal government should be reeking violent havoc in our cities or sending people to foreign prisons without due process. We should, finally, recognize the ways in which American foreign policy has contributed to the migration patterns of not only the Americas but across the world, and look to avoid making the same mistakes again while also recognizing the fact immigrants have long been, and long will be, the backbone of our communities and our economy.
Our immigration system has been broken since the early 2000s, probably long before that. And again, we must recognize the ways in which American foreign policy has contributed to the migration patterns of not only the Americas but across the world.
Both parties use immigration as a political football, while immigrants, local communities, and our country suffer. ICE is irredeemable – we must abolish it holistically and rebuild a humane, well-resourced immigration system that is designed to positively engage people and allow them to enter our country in an efficient and welcoming manner.
Our immigration system must: allow for asylum cases to be heard by a well-resourced court, offer a path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants, and create an efficient and timely visa process. And, we must codify DACA and pass the American Dream and Promise Act immediately.
Beyond that, we must also end the practice of private prisons and detention centers while also working with local law enforcement agencies to ensure they have the training and resources necessary to ensure community safety and build lasting relationships with the people they serve. I support the 10 demands made in current DHS funding negotiations as an important first step to restoring common sense to our immigration and law enforcement practices. We also need to protect and support the judiciary as an important final check on the administration as it violates our rights.
We have seen this administration turn discrimination enforcement on its head, instead focusing on perceived unfairness to white people at the expense of any other group. We must restore the Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights to its prior purpose to ensure Americans are not discriminated against simply for being who they are and protected from violence. No matter who perpetuates acts of violence or hatred, I will always call it out and demand those responsible be held accountable.
It is fundamentally wrong when we conflate legitimate criticism of the CCP with racist attacks on an entire group of people. We’ve seen significant increases in hate crimes and violence towards the AAPI community since COVID and this is simply unacceptable. I promise to build an office in DC and in NJ that reflects the diversity of NJ-12 and makes clear there is no place for hate in our state or Washington.
We can protect our national security and economic interests without demonizing specific groups of people or fearmongering. Russia is just as serious of a geopolitical threat as China, and yet no one seems to be calling for bans on Russians owning land next to military bases.
Brad Cohen
(Democrat)(CD12)
Asian American communities across New Jersey, specifically the 12th Congressional District, are incredibly diverse and something we should be really proud of, but there are several common issues that I hear consistently.
First is economic opportunity and small business support. Many Asian American families are entrepreneurs. They are running restaurants, retail shops, and professional services. Rising costs, access to capital, and navigating regulations are real challenges, and we need to make sure government is a partner, not a barrier.
Second is education and opportunity for the next generation. Families move to New Jersey because of our emphasis on public education and a welcoming community. Families are deeply invested in strong public schools, access to higher education, and pathways into careers in fields like healthcare, technology, and life science. All of which we have in the 12th Congressional District.
Third is healthcare access and cultural competency. As an OB-GYN, I’ve seen how language barriers and lack of culturally competent care can make it harder for families to get the services they need. We need to ensure our healthcare system works for everyone, and doesn’t single out specific parts of our community.
And we can’t ignore safety and inclusion. No one should feel targeted or unseen in their own community. We have to stand firmly against hate and ensure that every family feels respected and protected. Everyone needs to have a seat at the table.
We need practical solutions that actually lowers costs. Not just talk about them.
First, housing affordability.
We need to increase housing supply in a smart, responsible way. This means cutting red tape, supporting transit-oriented development across our major corridors, and investing in infrastructure so communities can grow without losing what makes them special. More supply is key to bringing down costs. This is about keeping an eye on redevelopment projects that can be transformational.
Second, healthcare costs.
As an OB/GYN, I’ve seen how expensive and confusing our system can be. I’ll fight to stand up to insurance companies, increase transparency in pricing, and push for reforms that lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs for families.
Third, childcare and family costs.
Childcare in New Jersey can cost as much as college tuition. We need to expand tax credits, support working families, and invest in early childhood programs so parents aren’t forced to choose between a paycheck and care for their kids.
Fourth, taxes and affordability.
At the local level, I’ve kept municipal tax increases to under 1% as Mayor. In Washington, that means fighting to protect and expand tax relief for middle-class families and making sure federal policies don’t add to the burden.
Fifth, energy and transportation costs.
We need an all-of-the-above approach to energy that keeps costs down while investing in the future, and we need to invest in infrastructure and public transit to reduce commuting costs and improve quality of life. We can invest in clean energy, and we need to do it now, before it’s too late.
First, we must protect due process.
That means ensuring individuals have access to legal representation, clear information about their rights, and fair hearings before any major action is taken. No one should be detained or removed without proper legal procedures being followed.
Second, we need oversight and accountability.
Congress has a responsibility to ensure that federal agencies are operating within the law. That includes stronger oversight, clear standards for enforcement, and consequences when those standards aren’t met. I will fight for appropriate oversight and putting the necessary people in the appropriate positions.
Third, we need to fix our broken immigration system by defunding ICE.
Right now, delays and backlogs create uncertainty for families and make enforcement more chaotic. We need a system that is orderly, efficient, and fair, one that secures our borders while also providing a realistic pathway for people who are contributing members of our communities.
At the end of the day, this is about who we are as a Country – with a capital “C.” We can have secure borders and uphold the law while still respecting human dignity and protecting families.
We don’t have to choose between safety and fairness. We can and must do both.
The rise in hate targeting Asian American communities, including the alarming increase in harassment against Indian Americans, is deeply concerning. And sadly, it’s part of a broader pattern we’re seeing across the country, including rising antisemitism.
Hate doesn’t exist in silos. When one community is targeted, it affects all of us.
We need to respond with both urgency and unity by ensuring victims have access to mental health support, legal resources, and community-based organizations that understand their needs and can respond quickly.
But just as important is how we stand together. Combating hate means building coalitions across communities, speaking out clearly against bias in all forms, and making sure people feel safe reporting incidents and seeking help.
At the end of the day, this is about protecting the fundamental promise that everyone, no matter their background or faith, can live safely and with dignity.
That’s the kind of leadership I’ll bring. One that stands up to hate, supports those impacted, and brings communities together rather than dividing them.
I take our national security concerns seriously, but we cannot allow those concerns to turn into policies or rhetoric that unfairly target people based on their background or ancestry.
So-called “alien land laws” are deeply troubling. We’ve seen this before in our country’s history, and it’s not something we should repeat. Policies that single out individuals based on national origin risk fueling discrimination and fear, especially for Chinese Americans and the broader AAPI community.
Similarly, efforts like the China Initiative raised legitimate concerns about protecting intellectual property, but they also led to profiling and a chilling effect on researchers, students, and professionals who contribute enormously to our economy and innovation. We need to learn from that and do better.
We cannot let innovation stall because we do not have a policy. We need to work with the tools and must protect our national security and economic competitiveness without targeting entire communities.
That means focusing on behavior, not background. Strengthening enforcement against actual wrongdoing like intellectual property theft, investing in domestic innovation, and ensuring our research institutions and businesses have the tools to stay competitive globally.
It also means being mindful of how rhetoric shapes reality. When leaders use broad or inflammatory language, it can have real consequences for people here at home.
My approach is straightforward: be tough and smart on national security, while being equally clear that Asian American communities are valued, respected, and an essential part of our country’s success.
We don’t have to choose between security and our values. We can protect both and we must.
Adam Hamawy
(Democrat)(CD12)
Access to appropriate medical care and mental health treatments is a major concern, especially when stigma or language difficulties restrict treatment. Small business support is also an important issue because many AAPI families rely on local businesses for economic stability. Public safety and education are important, now more than ever, especially in light of anti-Asian sentiment and the requirement for secure and encouraging learning environments. Many households are still impacted by immigration laws, such as those pertaining to family reunification and visa procedures. I would prioritize focusing on consistent outreach and building solid relationships with community organizations, advocacy groups, and faith leaders in order to engage with the community in all areas successfully. In addition, I would guarantee language access in all constituent services. Another issue that Asian American communities deal with is transnational repression by governments of their countries of origin, such as India or China, where those governments may seek to punish dissidents even when they move abroad. I would support the Transnational Repression Policy Act to help protect individuals from being targeted or intimidated by foreign governments of which they are critical.
The cost of living in New Jersey and around the country is skyrocketing. From groceries, to transit, to energy, we need to bring costs down to alleviate pressures on working families who are struggling to get by. We need to be investing in expanding public transit and ensuring accessibility for everyone, especially elderly and disabled people. We must also fight to lower the cost of health care by taking on insurance companies and passing Medicare for All. As a physician, I am committed to making sure my patients, their families, and their communities aren’t bankrupted by medical debt and outrageous insurance costs.
With the cost of electricity skyrocketing due to the proliferation of data centers we must also hold large corporate energy loads and utility companies accountable for passing on costs to consumers as energy demand grows and Trump-aligned fossil fuel interests dominate our economy.
Upholding equal protection and due process means guaranteeing that everyone in New Jersey, regardless of immigration status, has access to just treatment under the law. Policies that restrict excessive engagement with federal enforcement initiatives that violate civil liberties and undermine community trust are ones that I would support. Increasing the availability of legal assistance and guaranteeing language access are essential for people to comprehend and protect their rights. Additionally, I favor funding neighborhood-based groups that offer immigrant families dependable assistance. We must promote an equitable immigration system that maintains family unity and provides a path to legal status.
I support an approach that ensures victims of hate and bias incidents have access to the resources they need to feel safe and supported. This would consist of supporting an increase of funding to mental health services and partnering up with community organizations that AAPI communities trust. Furthermore, I would support initiatives that assist victims in navigating reporting procedures and pursuing justice in order to promote increased access to legal representation. In order for people to completely comprehend and utilize the help that is available, it is imperative that language access be strengthened throughout these services. And, to combat incidents of hate, there must be interfaith and intercultural dialogue to help communities educate one another on cultural similarities and build relationships.
I oppose these laws, which run the risk of profiling individuals in our community based on their race or nationality. These tactics violate civil liberties and encourage xenophobia. In addition, these approaches come with serious repercussions for Asian American groups, such as economic marginalization, harassment, and discrimination. Our economic and national security interests are crucial, but they must be pursued in a way that is supported by facts and compliant with constitutional protections. I am in favor of laws that provide effective defenses against racial profiling and discrimination while addressing security threats without targeting entire communities.
Kyle Little
(Democrat)(CD12)
Some key issues that affect Asian Americans in New Jersey include being profiled and prejudged, often through the lens of the model minority myth. Many Asian Americans are automatically assumed to be successful or without struggle, which ignores the real challenges they face and can limit access to support, resources, and opportunities.
The model minority myth is real, and it places unfair expectations on individuals while also masking economic and social disparities within the community. Asian Americans, like all groups, are not a monolith, and their experiences deserve to be fully recognized and understood.
I have also seen Asian American communities impacted by immigration enforcement and ICE raids, particularly in recent years. I believe we must move toward a more just and humane immigration system, and I support policies that prioritize dignity, fairness, and due process.
The cost of living is another major issue affecting Asian Americans, as it is impacting families across New Jersey and the entire country. The rising costs of housing, gas, food, education, and everyday necessities are making it harder for people to get ahead.
I will work to make life more affordable by addressing these rising costs and by advocating for universal health care for all Americans, including the Asian community, because everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care.
To address the cost of living in New Jersey, I will put forward real solutions that meet people where they are. I will implement a $25,000 grant for first-time homebuyers because homeownership should not feel out of reach for working people. I will fight for free childcare by expanding programs like Head Start and Early Head Start so families do not have to choose between going to work and taking care of their children.
This issue is personal for me. When I graduated with my master’s degree, I had $75,000 in student loan debt. When my husband and I tried to buy our first home, I was told not to even be on the mortgage because of that debt. That is not just my story, it is the reality for millions of Americans. That is why I will prioritize student loan forgiveness so people can build wealth, buy homes, and move forward in life.
I also support raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour because in today’s economy, no one working full time should be unable to afford a one bedroom apartment. I am ready to tackle these issues head on because working people in New Jersey deserve more than survival. They deserve stability, opportunity, and a future.
For one, we must protect the 14th Amendment because every person in this country deserves the right to due process. We must also abolish ICE because the way it has been treating communities of color is unacceptable. ICE has become an agency that is no longer operating in a way that reflects fairness, accountability, or humanity.
Finally, we must create an immigration system that makes it easier for people to gain citizenship when they come to America seeking a better life. This is a country built by immigrants, and our policies should reflect that truth by treating people with dignity and respect.
Anyone who commits a hate crime against any group of people should be charged to the fullest extent possible. There must be real accountability when individuals target others based on race, religion, gender, or identity.
When it comes to mental health, for Asian Americans and for all communities, I want to ensure that access to care is a priority. I support expanding mental health services so that every neighborhood has access to the resources people need. Every individual, regardless of race, gender, religion, or creed, may be facing mental health challenges, and that is something we cannot afford to overlook.
We must be inclusive in our advocacy, especially in a place like New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, which is one of the most diverse in the country. Everyone deserves the opportunity to feel safe, supported, and seen. We should be celebrating each other’s cultures and differences, because that is how we move our state and our country forward in the right direction.
The targeting of Chinese Americans and racial discrimination should never be tolerated. We saw a rise in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have always been a strong advocate for standing up against that hate.
As we address our nation’s security and economic well-being, we must also be mindful of the impact on our local communities. No one should be made to feel unsafe because of who they are. Anyone who targets a group of people with hate or violence should be charged to the fullest extent of the law.
This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and it should never be tolerated in our state or anywhere in our country.
Shanel Robinson
(Democrat)(CD12)
I have been honored to engage closely with the Asian American community across my district and state. I’ve presented official proclamations recognizing the vital cultural, civic, and economic contributions of Asian Americans and have regularly attended and supported community celebrations, and observances. For me, these relationships are not symbolic but they reflect a commitment to partnership, mutual respect, and ensuring that the voices of Asian Americans are represented and valued in public life.
There are many policies that I would propose including providing a real minimum wage indexed with inflation. In addition, we must address the cost of childcare and healthcare with universal programs. There is also a Universal Basic Income bill that has been piloted in 16 states. We need to be #17
Reshape immigration enforcement with accountability and humanity by supporting the New Way Forward Act. We must also oppose mass deportation and provide pathways to citizenship while protecting due process at every cost.
Prioritize dedicated federal and state funding for victim support services. That includes expanding access to trauma-informed mental health care, with providers who understand the cultural and linguistic needs of AAPI communities. Also invest in community-based clinics, multilingual hotlines, and partnerships with trusted organizations so that victims feel safe seeking help.
Secondly, strengthen legal assistance and reporting pathways.
Third, support expanding and fully implementing initiatives like the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which improves hate crime reporting and response. But legislation alone isn’t enough, we must ensure these laws are enforced effectively and that local law enforcement agencies are properly trained to respond to hate incidents with sensitivity and accountability.
I stand against alien land laws because it is rooted in racism and xenophobia.
This country is built on the backs of immigrants who come to this country for a better life. Land laws disproportionately affected Asian immigrants, reinforcing racial inequality and exclusion.
Alien land laws undermine the principle of equal property rights, which is unjust and discourages long-term settlement for non-citizens who live, work, and pay taxes in our country.
National security concerns should be addressed through targeted, data-driven mechanisms instead of blanket restrictions. Policies to address concerns must work to protect local communities and require robust safeguards against displacement and inequality.
Squire Servance
(Democrat)(CD12)
Asian American communities in New Jersey are incredibly diverse, but several key issues consistently emerge: affordability, access to culturally competent healthcare, language barriers, small business support, immigration backlogs, and rising incidents of hate and bias. Through our campaign, we have knocked on thousands of doors and engaged with tens of thousands of voters across the district, including many AAPI residents. These direct conversations have helped shape my understanding of the challenges families are facing and have informed my approach to these issues.
In my own life, I see the strength and contributions of AAPI communities firsthand. I live in a multigenerational household with my in-laws, including family from the Philippines, and I understand both the opportunities and challenges that immigrant families experience. In my professional work in the life sciences sector, I have also worked closely with diverse, global teams, including many across Asia, and have seen how critical AAPI talent and entrepreneurship are to innovation and economic growth.
To address these issues, I will prioritize expanding access to affordable healthcare, including culturally competent care and language access services, supporting small businesses with better access to capital and technical assistance, and addressing immigration backlogs that impact many AAPI families. I will also support investments in mental health services, stronger protections against hate crimes, and policies that make housing and childcare more affordable.
Engagement is just as important as policy. I will actively partner with AAPI community organizations, faith-based institutions, and small business networks, and ensure AAPI representation in my staff and advisory teams. I am committed to ongoing, direct engagement, not just during election cycles, but as a core part of governing, so that AAPI voices are consistently heard, respected, and reflected in the decisions we make.
New Jersey families are being squeezed by rising housing, healthcare, and everyday costs, and AAPI communities, many of whom are multigenerational and small business–driven, feel this pressure acutely. I feel it personally as part of the sandwich generation, balancing the needs of both children and aging loved ones in one of the most expensive states in the country.
To lower the cost of living, I will focus on increasing the supply of affordable housing by expanding federal tax incentives and financing tools to accelerate construction, especially near transit and job centers. I support targeted tax relief for working families, including expanding the Child Tax Credit and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which are critical for households managing childcare and elder care.
Healthcare costs are a major driver of financial strain, so I will work to cap prescription drug prices, strengthen the Affordable Care Act, and expand access to culturally competent care. I also support investments in public transit and infrastructure to reduce commuting costs, and policies that help small businesses thrive, including improving access to capital and reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers.
My goal is simple: make it possible for families to not just get by, but build stability and opportunity right here in New Jersey.
New Jersey’s strength is its diversity, and our immigrant communities, including AAPI families, are central to our economy, culture, and future. I see this firsthand in my own home. I live with my in-laws, immigrants from Liberia and the Philippines, and I have a front-row view of both the challenges they have faced and the immense value they bring to our country. That experience shapes my commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every family.
I am deeply concerned by enforcement actions that undermine due process and create fear in our communities. No one should be detained or removed without full access to their constitutional rights. I will work to ensure due process and equal protection by supporting federal legislation that establishes clear standards for immigration enforcement, including transparency, accountability, and guaranteed access to legal counsel. I support restoring and codifying protections that limit enforcement in sensitive locations like hospitals, schools, and places of worship, so families can seek care, education, and community without fear. Congress must also exercise strong oversight to prevent abuses and ensure enforcement aligns with our laws and values.
At the same time, we need a fair and functional immigration system. That means creating a pathway to citizenship for long-standing, law-abiding residents, reducing visa backlogs that disproportionately impact AAPI families, and modernizing our legal immigration system so it reflects the needs of our economy and communities. I also support expanding language access and investing in community-based legal services so individuals understand their rights and can navigate the system.
We can be both a nation of laws and a nation that treats people with dignity. Protecting due process and building a fair immigration system are essential to both, and to the future of New Jersey.
The rise in hate and bias incidents targeting Asian Americans, including the alarming increase in harassment against Indian Americans, is unacceptable. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, and we must respond with both urgency and sustained investment.
I will support increased federal funding for community-based organizations that provide culturally competent mental health services, legal assistance, and victim support tailored to AAPI communities. This includes expanding grants through programs like the Department of Justice’s hate crimes prevention initiatives and ensuring resources reach trusted, local organizations that are best positioned to serve victims.
We must also strengthen enforcement and accountability. I support full implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, improving data collection and reporting, and ensuring law enforcement agencies are trained to properly identify and respond to hate crimes. Language access is critical, so victims can report incidents and access services without barriers.
Beyond response, we need prevention. I will advocate for investments in education, public awareness, and community-based safety programs that build trust and counter misinformation and bias. I also believe in supporting small businesses and community institutions that are often targeted, ensuring they have access to security resources and recovery support.
This is also personal to me. I live in a multigenerational household with my in-laws, including family from the Philippines, and I understand the fear and concern that incidents like these create. My commitment is to ensure that every family, regardless of background, feels protected, supported, and able to thrive in New Jersey.
I oppose so-called alien land laws and any policy that treats people differently based on national origin or ancestry. These laws echo a troubling history of discrimination against Asian immigrants and risk fueling fear and bias in our communities.
I also support the decision to end the China Initiative, which raised serious concerns about racial profiling and had a chilling effect on researchers, students, and professionals of Chinese descent. At the same time, we must be clear-eyed about real national security and economic threats, including espionage, intellectual property theft, and unfair trade practices by the Chinese government. Through my work in the life sciences sector, I understand firsthand the importance of protecting innovation, safeguarding sensitive research, and ensuring America remains globally competitive.
The right approach is to focus on conduct, not ethnicity. I support targeted, evidence-based policies to address national security risks, paired with strong civil rights protections, anti-profiling safeguards, and oversight to prevent discriminatory enforcement. We must also ensure that policies do not unintentionally undermine scientific collaboration or discourage talented researchers and entrepreneurs from contributing to our economy.
In a state as diverse as New Jersey, our AAPI communities should never be made to feel like outsiders. We can protect our national security and economic interests while also upholding civil liberties and rejecting xenophobia.
Sujit Singh
(Democrat)(CD12)
Asian American communities are one of the fastest-growing and most diverse populations in New Jersey, and their concerns reflect both shared challenges and unique experiences.
As a first-generation Asian American, I understand both cultures and the real challenges immigrant and minority communities face. I have lived that experience, balancing opportunity with obstacles, and it shapes how I listen, engage, and lead.
From my conversations across NJ-12, several key issues consistently come up:
Affordability is the top concern.
Families are facing rising housing costs, high utility bills, and increasing everyday expenses. Many Asian American households are multigenerational, which makes affordable housing even more important.
Small business support is critical.
Asian American entrepreneurs are a backbone of our local economy, running restaurants, retail stores, healthcare practices, and technology ventures. They often face challenges accessing capital, navigating regulations, and sustaining growth in an uncertain economy.
Education and economic opportunity matter deeply.
Families prioritize strong public schools, access to higher education, and pathways to good-paying jobs, especially in STEM and innovation-driven industries.
Public safety and rising hate incidents are serious concerns.
There is a need for stronger protections, better reporting systems, and community engagement to ensure people feel safe and respected.
Immigration and family stability remain important.
Many families deal with visa backlogs and immigration uncertainty that affect their ability to plan their future and fully participate in our economy.
My approach is grounded in listening, partnership, and action.
First, direct and continuous engagement.
I will continue meeting residents where they are through community conversations, cultural events, and faith-based gatherings. I am committed to ensuring that people have real opportunities to share their priorities and that those voices directly shape the agenda I bring to Washington.
Second, practical, results-driven policies.
I will advance solutions to reduce housing costs, lower utility expenses, and expand affordable and efficient public transit. I will support small businesses by improving access to capital and reducing barriers. By partnering with industry, universities, and research institutions, we can create good-paying jobs and strengthen economic opportunity across our communities.
Third, strong advocacy and protection.
I will push for stronger hate crime prevention laws, expand community education and outreach, and work closely with community and faith leaders to reduce hate and build understanding.
At the core of my campaign is a simple belief:
Your voice, your ideas, and your concerns must shape the policies that represent you.
As someone who has lived the immigrant experience, I am committed to ensuring Asian American communities are not just heard, but fully represented and supported with real results in Washington.
New Jersey families are facing real financial pressure every day. From housing and utilities to healthcare and transportation, the cost of living continues to rise, and too many families feel like they are falling behind.
My focus is on practical, results-driven solutions that directly reduce everyday costs and expand economic opportunity.
First, lowering housing costs through technology and innovation.
Housing is the biggest expense for most families. We need to think differently about how we build and deliver housing. I will support the use of modern construction technologies, data-driven planning, and innovative building methods that can reduce construction costs and timelines. By encouraging smart zoning, transit-oriented development, and leveraging technology to improve efficiency in permitting and development, we can increase supply and make housing more affordable. I will also support expanding access to affordable housing programs and first-time homebuyer assistance so more families can achieve stability.
Second, reducing utility and energy expenses.
Energy bills are a growing burden. I will support investments in clean and efficient energy solutions, modernize infrastructure, and promote technologies that help families lower their monthly costs. Expanding energy efficiency programs for homes and small businesses can deliver immediate savings.
Third, expanding affordable and efficient public transit.
Transportation costs add up quickly. By strengthening partnerships with agencies like NJ Transit and investing in reliable, modern transit systems, we can reduce commuting costs, save time, and improve quality of life. Better transit also supports economic growth and reduces congestion.
Fourth, supporting small businesses and job creation.
We need to grow good-paying jobs here in New Jersey. I will work to support small businesses by improving access to capital, reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, and fostering innovation. By partnering with industry, universities, and research institutions, we can build a model innovation district that creates jobs and drives long-term affordability.
Fifth, addressing healthcare costs.
Healthcare remains a major expense for families. I will support policies that increase transparency, reduce prescription drug costs, and expand access to affordable care so families are not forced to choose between their health and their finances.
My approach is grounded in real experience.
As a first-generation Asian American who has lived the immigrant journey, I understand the financial pressures families face and the importance of opportunity, stability, and upward mobility.
At the core of my campaign is a simple belief:
Your voice, your ideas, and your concerns must shape the policies that represent you.
I will continue listening to residents across NJ-12 and advancing practical solutions that bring real relief, strengthen our economy, and make New Jersey more affordable for every family.
New Jersey’s strength comes from its diversity. As one of the most diverse states in the country, with a high percentage of new Americans, we must ensure that our laws protect everyone fairly and uphold the core values of due process and equal protection.
As a first-generation Asian American, I understand the immigrant experience and the importance of dignity, stability, and opportunity. Families should never have to live in fear or uncertainty, and our system must reflect both the rule of law and our shared humanity.
First, safeguarding due process and constitutional protections.
No one should be deprived of liberty without due process. I will advocate for strong federal oversight to ensure that enforcement actions follow the law, respect civil liberties, and are carried out with transparency and accountability. That includes access to legal representation, timely hearings, and clear communication with families.
Second, ensuring accountability and humane enforcement.
We need clear standards that prevent abuses and protect individuals from unlawful detention or separation from their families. Enforcement must be targeted, fair, and consistent with our constitutional values, not driven by fear or uncertainty.
Third, reforming enforcement agencies to restore trust.
I will support comprehensive reform of immigration enforcement agencies, including ICE, because it has lost credibility in many communities. We need to rebuild trust through transparency, accountability, and clear standards that prioritize public safety while respecting civil rights and human dignity.
Fourth, building trust with communities.
Public safety depends on trust. When immigrant communities feel safe reporting crimes, cooperating with law enforcement, and participating in civic life, our entire society is stronger. We must strengthen community engagement and partnerships with local leaders, faith organizations, and advocacy groups.
At the same time, we need a fair, modern immigration system.
The rise in hate incidents targeting Asian Americans, including Indian Americans, is deeply concerning and unacceptable. No one should feel unsafe because of who they are. This is not just a public safety issue, it is about protecting dignity, civil rights, and the basic promise of equal protection under the law.
As a first-generation Indian American and Asian American, I understand how these experiences impact families, not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically. I have lived that experience, and I know how fear and uncertainty can affect daily life. We must respond with urgency, compassion, and real resources.
First, expanding support services for victims.
I will advocate for increased federal funding for culturally competent mental health services, crisis support, and trauma-informed care tailored to AAPI communities. Many victims do not seek help due to stigma or language barriers, so services must be accessible, multilingual, and community-based.
Second, strengthening legal assistance and reporting access.
Victims need clear pathways to report incidents and access justice. I will support funding for legal aid organizations that help victims navigate the system, protect their rights, and pursue accountability. We must also improve reporting systems so incidents are documented accurately and acted upon.
Third, investing in community-based organizations.
Local community and advocacy groups are often the first line of support. I will work to ensure they receive sustained federal support to provide outreach, education, victim services, and prevention programs tailored to the needs of diverse AAPI communities.
Fourth, prevention through education and awareness.
We must address hate at its roots. I will support initiatives that expand community education, promote cross-cultural understanding, and work with schools, workplaces, and local organizations to reduce bias and discrimination.
Fifth, stronger enforcement and coordination.
I will support strengthening hate crime enforcement, improving coordination between federal, state, and local agencies, and ensuring that these crimes are taken seriously and prosecuted appropriately.
At the core of my approach is a simple belief:
Every community deserves to feel safe, respected, and protected.
I will work to ensure that Asian American communities, and all communities, have the resources, support, and protection they need, not just in policy, but in real, meaningful action.
My position is clear: we should protect America’s national security and economic interests without reviving policies or rhetoric that treat people of Chinese descent, or any Asian American community, as suspect by association.
I oppose alien land laws. Historically, those laws were written to target Asians by labeling them “aliens ineligible for citizenship” and denying them the right to own land. The National Park Service notes that California’s 1913 Alien Land Law used that framework and that similar laws spread to other states. That history matters, because it shows how national-security language can be used to justify racial exclusion.
I also believe the China Initiative was a mistake. The Justice Department itself acknowledged civil-rights concerns and said in February 2022 that it had heard concerns that the initiative “fueled a narrative of intolerance and bias” toward people from China or of Chinese descent. DOJ later confirmed the initiative formally ended in February 2022.
On legislation framed around strategic competition, my view is that Congress should focus on specific conduct and real security risks, not write broad policies that single out people based on ancestry, ethnicity, or national origin. We absolutely must confront espionage, intellectual-property theft, cyber threats, data exploitation, and unfair trade practices. But the right standard is behavior, control, ownership, and risk, not race or ethnicity. A good example is the Justice Department’s current data-security framework under Executive Order 14117, which targets defined transactions involving countries of concern and covered persons, rather than treating Chinese Americans or Asian Americans as a proxy for risk.
As a first-generation Indian American and Asian American, I understand how quickly overheated rhetoric abroad can create fear at home. When leaders use sweeping language about “China” without precision, communities here in New Jersey often pay the price, including Chinese Americans, Indian Americans, and other Asian Americans who face suspicion, harassment, or bias even when they have nothing to do with the policy issue being debated.
So my approach would be:
First, be tough and precise on national security.
I will support strong action against espionage, cyberattacks, theft of research, foreign interference, and unlawful acquisition of sensitive data. But those efforts must be evidence-based, narrowly tailored, and rooted in due process.
Second, reject laws that revive exclusion by another name.
I would oppose alien land laws and any measure that broadly restricts property rights, academic participation, or business activity based primarily on nationality or ethnicity rather than proven security risk.
Third, insist on civil-rights guardrails.
Any strategic-competition legislation should include clear anti-discrimination protections, oversight, transparency, and reporting so communities are not unfairly profiled. We should require agencies to measure civil-rights impacts, not just security outcomes.
Fourth, protect research and innovation without encouraging racial profiling.
We can strengthen university research security, export controls, and conflict-of-interest disclosure rules while making clear that collaboration, scholarship, and lawful immigration are assets to America, not liabilities.
Fifth, engage affected communities directly.
Asian American organizations, civil-rights advocates, researchers, and small-business leaders should have a seat at the table before Congress advances major legislation in this area. Policy is stronger when communities most affected are heard early, not after the damage is done.
At the core of my position is a simple principle: America is strongest when we defend both our security and our constitutional values. We do not have to choose between them. We can be firm against real threats from the Chinese government or any foreign adversary while also being absolutely clear that Chinese Americans are Americans, Asian Americans are Americans, and no community should be treated as a stand-in for a foreign government.
Jay Vaingankar
(Democrat)(CD12)
New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District is over one-fifth Asian American, partly because of the promise of America that draws so many immigrants from the AANHPI community, my parents included. And it’s no surprise why – New Jersey generally excels in so many domains. But the cost of living has skyrocketed, placing the promise of the middle class out of reach for so many families and young people.
Some of the steps I will take to fulfill this promise include supporting legislation to end Trump’s irrational tariffs, many of which have targeted AANHPI-owned businesses that are the cornerstone of NJ-12’s economy. We also need to halt Trump’s draconian immigration restrictions, which have targeted innocent undocumented AANHPI families in our community and deterred other AANHPI immigrants from bringing their talents to America because of H1-B visa restrictions. These attacks not only threaten our community’s safety, they also slow our economy and prevent the development of new housing, clean energy construction, and caregiving.
I’m also proud to tackle anti-Asian hate head on, and I didn’t back down when Trump confidant Laura Loomer called my campaign “un-American” and her lackeys sent me death threats for campaigning in Hindi. I’ll also fight for ethnic and religious minorities, whether Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh. All immigrant communities suffer when one community faces bigotry, discrimination, or violence. Rather than hyperfunding ICE’s deportations, we should be funding law enforcement practices that go after domestic violent extremism, or funding our schools and health care system.
Central Jersey families are being squeezed by rising costs, especially housing and energy. The housing crisis is largely a supply crisis. We simply are not building enough homes, which is why more young adults in New Jersey are living with their parents than anywhere else in the country. I’ll vote to stop Trump’s tariffs on lumber and steel, vote for responsible permitting reform that makes it easier to build housing in high-cost states while protecting the environment, and vote to end the draconian immigration raids that decimate the construction labor force.
Lowering costs also means bringing down utility bills. Scaling up clean energy supply can reduce utility costs, create union jobs, and strengthen energy independence while protecting the environment. By expanding housing supply, investing in affordable clean energy, and pursuing policies that strengthen economic growth and innovation, we can lower everyday costs and ensure Central Jersey remains a place where working families can live, work, and build a future.
Central Jersey deserves leadership that sees affordability as more than just a policy exercise. My parents raised me paycheck to paycheck. I grew up in the Great Recession and graduated from college in a pandemic. Now, it’s unattainable for too many in my generation to afford to buy a home. While many of my opponents sit in their mansions and fund their campaigns by writing themselves $100,000 checks, my campaign is the story of New Jersey: a new generation that wants to be able to afford to live in the community we grew up in.
Donald Trump’s immigration agenda moved us backward. We need comprehensive immigration reform grounded in both humanity and economic reality. I support a path to citizenship for people who have built lives here and committed no serious crimes, and I’ll vote to codify DACA into law so Dreamers and their families can plan for the future. It also means ending self-defeating visa restrictions that prevent American employers from hiring the talent they need. In health care, for example, H-1B visas are a lifeline for staffing rural hospitals, clinics, and underserved communities. Whether doctors and nurses, researchers, construction workers, small business owners and home health aides, immigrants are essential to Central Jersey’s growth and stability.
This is deeply personal for me. I am the child of immigrants, and I grew up in a sanctuary town with classmates on DACA who feared every day that our broken system would tear apart families and keep workers in the shadows, long before Donald Trump became President. Today, parents in New Jersey send their children to school carrying birth certificates or passport cards out of fear that an ICE agent could stop them based on their accent or appearance. Cosmetic reforms like marking ICE agents’ vans or prohibiting the use of face coverings do not fix an agency that is fundamentally not keeping us safe. It’s time to abolish ICE.
ICE’s indiscriminate raids under Trump tear apart families and spread fear across entire communities. People stop showing up to work, parents keep their children home from school, people avoid houses of worship and public events, and local businesses lose both employees and customers almost overnight. Border security should be orderly and humane, but local police should never be forced to act as immigration agents, and communities should not be governed by fear. I will fight for an immigration system that welcomes talent, protects families, supports employers, and allows Central Jersey to grow and thrive.
I have also been on the record supporting policies that expand access to government services to limited proficiency speakers of English. And I’ve modeled this in my campaign, recording videos in Hindi and Spanish – some of which have been subject to racist backlash from MAGA loyalists. But as a son of immigrants, I stand firmly in support of immigrant communities and will protect and fight for them at all costs.
As someone who has experienced anti-Indian harassment and intimidation efforts firsthand, this issue is personal to me. In a district with more South Asians than any Congressional district on the East Coast, we need leaders who can represent and speak directly to the experiences of our neighbors. We need to undo Trump’s cuts to essential DHS offices like the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, designed to combat domestic violent extremism. I’m running to represent Central Jersey families, regardless of where their parents immigrated from or what language they speak at home. When people attack our communities and try to divide us, I’ll be the loudest voice calling out violence and bigotry. I’ll use my platform as a Member of Congress to direct resources and efforts towards community-based support, know your rights training, and legal aid. No one deserves to experience violence or harassment when all of us are already struggling to handle the high cost of living in Trump’s economy.
As mentioned in my response to the first question, I am the only candidate in this race who is fighting back against anti-Asian and anti-immigrant hate right now. While I recognize the importance of U.S. competitiveness and the need to calibrate our economic growth and security with powers like the PRC, I firmly reject language and policies that fearmonger or deal in cheap stereotypes. And I will be the first person to speak out if colleagues on either side of the aisle attempt to throw Chinese Americans under the bus.
Samuel Wang
(Democrat)(CD12)
I come from an immigrant family. My parents fled mainland China in 1949, rebuilt their lives in Taiwan, and came to the United States in the early 1960s. They raised three children on modest means and emphasized education above all else. That experience shaped how I see opportunity in this country.
NJ-12 has the largest percentage of AAPIs in New Jersey. Asian American communities are a central part of the district. The issues I hear most often are cost of living, access to strong public education, and safety, especially at a time when anti-Asian incidents have increased.
The AAPI community is not a monolith. In NJ-12, we have large numbers of Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Pakistani, and Vietnamese residents. Engagement has to be ongoing, not cyclical. I plan to be present in these communities, listen directly, and ensure that their concerns are reflected in policy. That includes education, public safety, and economic stability, but also something more basic: making sure people feel that their government sees them and takes them seriously.
Cost of living in New Jersey is being driven by a few major systems that are not working properly, basically, healthcare, housing, and childcare.
On healthcare, I support protecting ACA subsidies in the short term, moving toward a public option in the medium term, and ultimately Medicare for All. Costs are too high because the system is fragmented and profit-driven.
On housing, I have worked locally through Princeton For All to advocate for more affordable housing. At the federal level, we need to expand housing supply, invest in affordable housing, and address practices like algorithmic rent-setting that distort the market.
More broadly, the tax system has been tilted toward the wealthy for decades. Fixing that imbalance is part of making everyday life more affordable for working families.
I stand by due process being a constitutional requirement. I oppose enforcement actions that bypass the courts or deny people access to legal representation. That includes detention practices that do not meet basic standards of law and human dignity.
At the same time, the immigration system itself is broken. I support a clear pathway to citizenship, a humane asylum process that follows international law, and reforms that make the system consistent and predictable. I also support abolishing ICE and replacing it with a civilian agency that carries out enforcement without the paramilitary culture that currently exists.
We can have a system that is both lawful and humane. Right now, we have neither.
Hate incidents reflect a breakdown in how safe people feel in their own communities.
We need to fund community-based organizations that provide direct support, including mental health services, and legal assistance. Reporting systems also need to be improved so incidents are actually captured and addressed.
But prevention matters just as much. When political rhetoric targets entire groups, it has real consequences. Leadership needs to be clear and consistent in rejecting that. Communities also need to know that institutions will respond when something happens, not ignore it.
We need to be precise when we talk about national security. Broad policies that single out China often end up targeting Chinese Americans and Asian Americans more broadly, regardless of their actual conduct.
We have seen this with past initiatives that led to wrongful investigations and damaged careers. That approach is ineffective.
Over the years as a professor at Princeton University, I have advised and mentored dozens of Asian students. Recently I was dismayed when a promising Chinese student decided to leave graduate school, not because of any problems with his excellent research, but because he no longer felt comfortable studying here.
Another good friend came to the US from China 25 years ago and became a leading neuroscientist. But unwarranted intrusion by the US State Department led his university in New York to abandon him. He now leads a thriving research group in Shanghai.
I support addressing real national security risks through evidence-based, targeted policy. That means focusing on specific actions and behaviors, not identity. We shouldn’t be repeating mistakes where entire communities are treated as suspects based on how they look.
NO RESPONSE RECEIVED:
CD2 – Jeff Van Drew (Republican)
CD3 – Herbert C. Conaway Jr. (Democrat), Michael McGuire (Republican)
CD4 – Chris Smith (Republican)
CD5 – Josh Gottheimer (Democrat), Sean Kirrane (Republican)
CD6 – Frank Pallone Jr. (Democrat)
CD7 – Thomas Kean Jr. (Republican)
CD9 – Nellie Pou (Democrat), Rosemary Pino (Republican)
CD10 – LaMonica Mclver (Democrat)
CD11 – Joe Hathaway (Republican)
CD12 – Gregg Mele (Republican)
Cory Booker
(Democrat)
New Jersey’s AAPI communities are growing, vibrant, and a defining part of what makes us the most dynamic state in the nation. These communities are also navigating serious challenges that demand our urgent attention. Among them, anti-Asian hate surged during the pandemic and hasn’t fully receded. Many AAPI families are also living in fear of ICE, a reckless agency that is violating the Constitution and terrorizing our neighborhoods. Language access barriers block too many New Jerseyans with limited English proficiency from accessing government services and voting information, as the New Jersey Asian American Pacific Islander Commission rightly noted. And Asian Americans remain chronically underrepresented in elected and appointed offices in our state.
I deeply value my relationships with members of AAPI communities across New Jersey, and I’m proud to be a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in the U.S. Senate. I’ll keep fighting to ensure these communities are heard, represented, respected, and supported.
The costs of basic necessities are soaring—rent, mortgages, gas, utilities, groceries, child care, elder care, and more. Trump and congressional Republicans promised to lower costs. Instead, they’ve made things worse. I’m fighting for affordability on every front. I’ve introduced legislation to exempt the first $75,000 of household income from federal taxes. I’m co-leading legislation to take on the energy grid operators that are driving up our monthly electricity bills. I’ve led legislation to crack down on agriculture monopolies that are causing prices to skyrocket at the grocery store. I’ve been one of the Senate’s leading champions for expanding the child tax credit. And I’m pushing to build more homes so that homeownership can be a reality for more New Jerseyans. Daily life is too expensive for too many in our state—we need to be relentlessly focused on bringing down costs and putting more money in people’s pockets.
The Trump administration’s immigration policies are unconstitutional and a moral stain on our nation. ICE is snatching people off the streets, raiding homes without warrants, separating kids from their parents, and detaining American citizens. Here in New Jersey, ICE has purchased warehouses to detain immigrants over the objections of local communities. They’ve carried out raids outside of churches and near school bus stops that have caused elementary school children to run away in fear. It’s shameful, and it must stop. I’ve led the introduction of multiple bills to hold this administration accountable, including the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act and the Federal Law Enforcement Standards and Accountability Act. I have also made clear that I will not approve any more federal funding for an ICE agency that is operating in this reckless, out of control manner.
We are long overdue for comprehensive, structural reforms to our immigration system. That means, among other things, creating real pathways to citizenship for the families who’ve built their lives here, protecting DREAMers, and modernizing our antiquated technology and visa processing systems so people aren’t waiting years for their applications to be adjudicated. We are a nation of immigrants—our diversity is a source of strength—and our federal policies must reflect that, with an immigration system that is safe, humane, lawful, orderly, and fair.
The rise in violence and harassment toward our AAPI neighbors is alarming and demands immediate, sustained action. It starts with calling out the problem directly. I co-sponsored a resolution condemning anti-Asian hate and “all manifestations and expressions of racism, xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, scapegoating, and ethnic or religious intolerance.” I also supported legislation, which was signed into law, that requires the U.S. Department of Justice to designate a leader to expedite review of hate crimes against Asian Americans.
We need sustained funding for local resources—mental health support, legal assistance, and community-based advocacy programs tailored to AAPI communities. We need elected officials who stand against hate rather than traffic in it. And we need to model for young people that hate has no place in our state.
Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans should never be scapegoated for the actions of the Chinese government. Too many policymakers and commentators—some deliberately, some carelessly—continue to do so, and it has contributed to the surge of anti-Asian bias across the country.
We need to defend our strategic, economic, and national security interests against threats from China and any other nation. Addressing strategic competition and rejecting xenophobia are not mutually exclusive, and anyone who suggests otherwise is severely misguided.
The China Initiative is a cautionary tale. It was plagued by misconduct and had the effect of destroying careers, chilling legitimate scientific research, and casting suspicion on entire communities. We’ve also seen certain land law proposals put forth that have nothing to do with genuine security concerns and everything to do with political opportunism.
We must be strong in defending our national interests. Using national security as a pretext for racial profiling or as a justification for other forms of discrimination is wrong and I will fight it wherever it appears.
NO RESPONSE RECEIVED:
Chris Fields (Democrat)
Lisa McCormick (Democrat)
Michael Misseri (Independent)
Robert Lebovics (Republican)
Justin Murphy (Republican)
Natalie Rivera (Republican)
Richard Tabor (Republican)
Alex Zdan (Republican)
Join AAPI New Jersey as we ensure AAPIs are making their voices heard during this election cycle!
In 2023, we formally changed our name to AAPI New Jersey to reflect the statewide priorities and activities that this group of committed community members and advocates now supports.
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