Rajesh Mohan wins Republican primary for US House seat in NJ

Rajesh Mohan created history as the first Indian-American to win Republican nomination for US Congress from New Jersey

By Arun Kumar

Indian American physician Rajesh Mohan has won the Republican primary in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District in a bid to flip the House seat Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) is leaving behind to run for Senate.

Mohan led Shirley Maia-Cusick, a businesswoman and immigration consultant, 39%-30% in last Tuesday’s primary, New Jersey Globe reported. Two other candidates, Mike Faccone and Greg Sobocinski, received 17% and 14%, respectively.

With his victory, Mohan created history as the first Indian American as well as the first physician to have won the Republican nomination from New Jersey for US Congress.

“I am honored and grateful for the support I have received from the residents of NJ’s 3rd Congressional District. I am determined to bring solutions to our nation’s critical issues,” Mohan stated after his win.

“I believe in the profound strength of empathy and that the power of good grows exponentially. I am more than ready for the big fights ahead for the good of the people. I invite all residents of Burlington, Monmouth and Mercer counties in NJ’s 3rd District to join us in the good fight, the big fight and help build a brighter future for our children and grandchildren,” he added.

Mohan, whose one run for office prior to this year was as an independent for Holmdel Township Committee in 2022, was the Republican establishment favorite for the 3rd district, which covers parts of Burlington, Mercer, and Monmouth Counties, according to the Globe.

He overcame serious a challenge from Maia-Cusick, who used self-funding to raise nearly three times as much as Mohan, though much of that money went towards consultants and staff rather than towards actual campaigning.

In the end, Mohan’s institutional backing proved to be enough to win the nomination. He has 52% of the vote in Monmouth County and 51% in Mercer County, both of which designed their GOP ballots as usual, but Maia-Cusick leads him 34%-30% in Burlington County.

Mohan will now head to a general election against Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D-Delran), who won the Democratic primary for the seat.

While the 3rd district was once highly competitive – Kim flipped it from Republicans by only around 4,000 votes in 2018 – it was redrawn prior to the 2022 elections to be much more Democratic, and Conaway starts out as the clear favorite, according to the Globe.