Indian-American re-elected as NJ State Senator for third time

Washington, Nov 8

Indian-American Vin Gopal has been re-elected as New Jersey state senator for a third time in a row, beating his Republican challenger in the US state's 11th Congressional district.

With a total of 32,772 votes, 38-year-old Gopal garnered 58 per cent of the vote over Steve Dnistrian, thus keeping a key swing seat under Democrat's control.

“I think voters are tired of the political bickering,” Gopal said on Tuesday ahead of his victory, the PBS News Hour reported.

“They want people to bring them together. There needs to be discussion and debate and decorum back in government.”

Gopal's campaign trail focused on abortion, tax relief, and increased school funding for local districts. In addition, the campaign was among the most heavily contested this year, and saw more political spending than any other race, PBS reported, quoting October figures from the state’s campaign finance watchdog.

During his first term in the State Senate, Gopal served as Senate Majority Conference Leader and Chairman of the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

He has also had a number of tax relief and shared-services bills signed into law and successfully fought party leadership from instituting a shore rental tax, according to his campaign website.

A lifelong resident of Monmouth County, Gopal holds a Masters in Public Administration from Rutgers University.

He previously served on the Board of Directors for the then-Monmouth County Chamber of Commerce, and was also President of the Hazlet Township Business Owners Association.

The New Jersey’s legislature is made up of the state Senate and Assembly and has 120 members from 40 districts.

Each district has one representative in the Senate, and two in the Assembly that serve four- and two-year terms.