Raj Mukherji

A fifth-term state lawmaker in New Jersey, where he serves as Deputy Speaker of the General Assembly (previously as the Majority Whip), Raj was the first Indian-Bengali state legislator elected in American history and the second South Asian American to be elected in New Jersey. He is committed to defending democracy and human rights and providing a voice for vulnerable and marginalized communities. A former healthcare and technology entrepreneur, Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, and local prosecutor, Raj enlisted in the U.S. Marines as a reservist two weeks after the September 11th attacks and served in military intelligence as a Sergeant. He has volunteered for nearly 15 years at the helm of New Jersey’s second largest public housing agency, as Chair of the Jersey City Housing Authority. In the State Legislature, he has been a primary sponsor of numerous enacted laws focused on sustainability and environmental protection; expanding mandatory insurance coverage of healthcare services and prescription benefits; protecting reproductive autonomy; housing affordability and desegregation; infrastructure; veterans’ welfare; criminal justice reform and civil liberties; and myriad other issues. After graduation, he hopes to promote evidence-based analysis in New Jersey’s legislative process and apply his newly honed analytical skills to continue remedying healthcare inequity and improve housing affordability in NJ. Raj spends most of his spare time with his wife Natasha and their two children. He also enjoys running, traveling, attending Billy Joel concerts, and performing mediocre karaoke.