Jay Vaingankar

Jay Vaingankar (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 2, 2026.

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Campaign websiteVaingankar's campaign website stated the following:MY PRIORITIESCLEAN & AFFORDABLE ENERGYClean energy is the key to lowering costs, creating good union jobs, and strengthening New Jersey’s energy future. Central Jersey families pay some of the highest utility bills in the nation because we haven’t built enough power to meet demand. Expanding clean energy at scale is the fastest way to bring prices down, grow the middle class, and protect our climate.Today’s energy system is holding working families back, and grid operators keeping supply low boosts their profits while driving up your bills. PJM Interconnection controls the flow of electricity into New Jersey, yet its structure rewards scarcity and slow investment instead of increased supply. In a monopolized system, the federal government must step in to hold grid operators accountable and require investment in new clean energy and transmission. I’ve worked on the solutions we need to scale. I helped implement the clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act to unlock private investment, create high-quality union jobs, and accelerate clean power built in America. After that, I went to work in community solar, helping expand local clean energy projects that lower utility bills by increasing supply and ensuring renters and working families can benefit.Donald Trump’s policies moved us backward, and we have to undo his mistakes. His administration tried to block renewable projects and rolled back clean energy incentives, slowing job creation and keeping energy prices high. We need faster, smarter permitting that protects workers and the environment, expanded community solar and distributed generation, and a requirement that new demand comes with new clean supply and grid investment. Clean energy should lower bills, create union jobs, and work for communities over fossil fuel interests.HEALTH CAREHealth care is a human right, and Medicare for All remains the clearest way to guarantee it. A universal system would ensure that everyone can get the care they need without fear of cost, coverage gaps, or job loss. Working families in Central Jersey are counting on us to continue pushing the ball toward that goal.I support Medicare for All, and would proudly vote for it on the floor, but while we build toward a Medicare for All majority, here’s my vision on how to make real progress toward universal coverage: We should complete what the Affordable Care Act left unfinished by introducing a public option on healthcare exchanges and lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 55. We should also allow young adults to stay on their parents’ health plans until age 30, reflecting today’s uncertain job market and economic realities.Universal coverage must also mean comprehensive benefits. Medicare should include dental, vision, and hearing care, and every health plan should fully cover mental health and substance-use treatment. We must also extend maternal and postpartum coverage to a full 12 months, because health outcomes for parents and children depend on care that doesn’t abruptly end.Affordable care is impossible without affordable prescription drugs. Building on reforms that allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, we should cap insulin costs for everyone, expand access to generic drugs, allow safe importation from trusted allies, and limit out-of-pocket costs. We need a health system that prioritizes patients over profits, because your broken leg shouldn't mean someone else's five-figure payday.GUN CONTROLRights come with responsibilities, and with firearm technology improving in lethality every day, the right to bear arms must keep up with the times. No parent should ever have to receive a text from their child writing what might be their final words from inside a classroom. Here’s my vision for reining in the crisis of gun violence and mass shootings.Universal Background ChecksClose private sale and gun show loopholesClose loopholes for private transfersDedicated ATF enforcement fundingModernized Federal assault weapons banBan sale, manufacture, and import of military-style assault weaponsThis includes future-proofing for weapon modifications (like bump stocks, ghost gun kids) National high-capacity magazine banCap magazines at 10 roundsFederal buyback program for existing magazinesNational red flag lawsEmergency removal of weapons when a judge determines someone poses a clear riskMandatory removal upon domestic violence restraining ordersClose the boyfriend loophole nationally Federal ban on ghost gunsRequire serial numbers and registration for all gun partsMake gun trafficking a distinct federal crimeRepeal the gun industry’s legal immunity We did this with tobacco and opioidsCommunity-based violence preventionGrants for community mediation, evidence  based and locally led Mental health and trauma care for survivors Job training for all ages and paid jobs for at-risk youth After school activities for childrenHOUSINGWe have a crisis of unaffordable housing driven by a lack of supply. Central Jersey has the nation's highest rate of young people aged 25-35 who are living with their parents. In NJ-12, we are simply not building enough homes to keep up with demand, and families are paying the price through higher rents and home prices. The contrast is clear: rents are falling in fast-growing cities like Austin and Houston, while housing costs continue to climb here in New Jersey because we make it so hard to build.Donald Trump’s policies made this problem worse. His tariffs on lumber and steel drove up construction costs, and his indiscriminate deportations and visa restrictions gutted the construction workforce. Those higher costs don’t disappear – it's a tax on construction that gets passed on directly to renters and homebuyers in Central Jersey.Federal permitting rules also stand in the way of building the housing we need, and the rules are too often abused to delay or block housing and clean energy projects. I support bipartisan permitting reform that protects our environment and upholds strong labor standards, while making it easier to build housing in high-cost states like New Jersey instead of pushing growth elsewhere.Tackling affordability means increasing supply, not just subsidizing demand. Targeted programs like down-payment assistance can help when they are paid for fairly and paired with new construction, but subsidies alone only drive prices higher. I support repealing the Faircloth Amendment to allow federal investment in public housing and building a system that prioritizes stable, affordable homes over scarcity and speculation.Homeownership feels increasingly out of reach for many in my generation, especially in New Jersey. Too many New Jerseyans are watching their children raise grandchildren out of state. We need decisive action to increase housing supply, so New Jerseyans can afford to live in the communities where they grew up and so grandparents don't have to fly to Florida or Texas to see their grandchildren.IMMIGRATIONIt’s time to abolish ICE. At 28 years old, I am older than ICE itself. The agency was created in the wake of 9/11 and reflects a period when fear drove us to militarize immigration enforcement. Local law enforcement already has the authority to pursue violent crime, and what ICE does today goes far beyond that mission. It terrorizes families, destabilizes communities, and undermines trust in public institutions.This is deeply personal for me. I am the child of immigrants, and I saw long before Donald Trump how our broken system tore families apart and kept workers in the shadows. 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.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.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.INNOVATIONOne of America's greatest strengths is innovation. When we empower people to build, experiment, and solve problems, we grow the middle class and maintain our leadership in science, technology, and industry.Innovation has long been at the heart of the economy of New Jersey’s 12th District. From world-class life sciences research and advanced manufacturing to cutting-edge clean energy and data-driven industries, Central Jersey has helped power American growth for generations. Our district proves that when talent, capital, and ideas come together, we create good jobs and real opportunity.In today’s global economy, competitiveness is not optional. Europe, the Gulf States, and East Asia are actively investing in emerging industries and writing the rules that will shape the next generation of growth. If we want innovation to happen here and create jobs for American workers, we must ensure the United States remains the best place in the world to build and scale new technologies.Clear rules of the road are essential to a healthy innovation ecosystem in the 21st century. Too often, innovators are bogged down by confusing, inconsistent, or outdated regulations that reward litigation over progress. As a Member of Congress, I will advocate for clarity and smart public investment to encourage responsible innovation. I believe growth comes from opportunity and certainty, not roadblocks and guesswork.— Jay Vaingankar's campaign website (April 16, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.