Indian American to challenge New Jersey's US Sen. Corey Booker

Rik Mehta wins close Senate primary contest in New Jersey.

This November, Republican Rik Mehta will challenge incumbent Sen. Corey Booker in New Jersey.

In race that wasn't decided until Thursday, Mehta ended up with 90,518 votes (39.2%) to barely beat out fellow Indian American Hirsch Singh, who garnered 80,221 votes (34.7%).

Mehta is a vice president at Aquestive Therapeutics and an adviser of Licentiam Inc., a firm focused on reducing regulation in the healthcare industry.

He previously served as Pfizer Consumer Health’s head of regulatory policy and was deputy director for the Division of Medical Policy Programs for the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Medical Policy.

Singh, an Indian American engineer from Atlantic County who works in the aerospace and defense industries, is making his third bid for public office. He lost the GOP primaries for governor in 2017 and Congress in 2018.

Mehta, a first-generation immigrant from India, will face Booker, who earlier this year campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination before dropping out. New Jersey hasn't elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.

More broadly, Mehta said he wants to fight New Jersey’s high taxes and reputation for “corruption.”  And to make the state a place people want to live in, not move away from.

Mehta says Booker, who he calls “out of touch,” can’t do that.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, Democrat Rep. Andy Kim ran unopposed in the 3rd  Congressional District. He will face Republican David Richter, the former CEO of a construction company.

“I’m running for reelection to continue serving my hometown community,” said Kim, the only Korean American in Congress. “My parents taught me that service isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.” “Every day, whether you voted for me or not, I go to work for you. That’s how I serve, and that’s how I intend on getting reelected- not by being handed anything, but by earning your support.”

In a Congressional race in the 5th District, progressive Indian American Arati Kreibich lost in her bid to upset incumbent Rep. Josh Gottheimer. 

“Josh Gottheimer will be our Democratic nominee, and I intend to vote for him and Democrats up and down the ballot in November. Trump and the GOP must be defeated,” Kreibich said in an email to her supporters.

“This fight is more important than ever—we’ve seen time and time again the damage done to immigrants, women, and people of color when our party is undermined by conservative forces,” she said. “That’s why we must elect real Democrats who go to battle for working families rather than the machine.”