Raj Mukherji

Raj Mukherji
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 32nd District
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2024
Preceded byNicholas Sacco
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 33rd District
In office
January 14, 2014 – January 9, 2024
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey
In office
March 2, 2012 – June 30, 2013
Preceded byLeona Beldini
Succeeded byJohn Thieroff
In office
October 22, 2008 – January 8, 2024
Preceded byLori Serrano
Succeeded byJeffrey Dublin
Personal details
Born (1984-07-15) July 15, 1984 (age 40)
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Jersey City, New Jersey
Alma mater
WebsiteLegislative webpage
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service2001–2009

Raj Mukherji (born July 15, 1984) is a senator representing New Jersey's 32nd District and an American businessman and lawyer. He previously served five terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, during which tenure he served as majority whip and deputy speaker.[1] He is a former healthcare and information technology CEO, former deputy mayor of Jersey City, former local prosecutor, and law professor.[2][3][4] Mukherji was first elected to the General Assembly in 2013 and reelected in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, and first elected to the Senate in 2023.[5][6][7][8] He is a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who enlisted two weeks following the September 11 terrorist attacks.[1] Mukherji serves as vice chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and as a member of the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens and Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committees.[4] In the assembly, he served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.[4][9][10]

Mukherji started multiple successful businesses before completing his teenage years[11][12] and was sworn into his first public office at age 24.[13]

At 28, Mukherji – as a running-mate of longtime Senator Brian P. Stack – won a six-way Democratic primary election for the state assembly by a 36-point margin in 2013 and won the November general election by a 20-point margin,[12][14][15] becoming the second South Asian legislator in state history.[14][16] In 2016 and 2017, Mukherji was identified by POLITICO as the most prolific lawmaker in the state because of his primary sponsorship of more bills signed into law than any other legislator.[17][18]

The 32nd district includes the Hudson County municipalities of Jersey City and Hoboken.[19]

  1. ^ a b “Mukherji Appointed Assembly Majority Whip in 218th Legislative Session.” Insider NJ, 01-12-2018.
  2. ^ Political bio of Senator Raj Mukherji.
  3. ^ LinkedIn profile of Raj Mukherji, Esq.
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference NJLEG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Fox, Joey (November 7, 2023). "Dems sweep three Hudson legislative districts; McKnight, Mukherji, Stack win". New Jersey Globe.
  6. ^ Fox, Joey (November 2, 2021). "Stack, Chaparro, Mukherji win in the 33rd district". New Jersey Globe.
  7. ^ "2021 General Election Results - 33rd Legislative District" (PDF). NJ Division of Elections.
  8. ^ Desai, Ronak D. "Why Indian Americans Were Among The Biggest Winners In U.S. State & Local Elections". Forbes. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  9. ^ “Press Release: Mukherji Appointed...” Assembly Democrats, 02-06-2014.
  10. ^ “Mukherji Appointed to Budget, Commerce, and Labor Panels.” Mile Square View, 02-06-2014.
  11. ^ Lim, Jeremiah. “Assemblyman Talks Business Development, Sick Leave.” TAPinto, 09-10-2014.
  12. ^ a b “Why a Young New Jersey State Assemblyman Is Working to Protect One of the Earth’s Oldest Animals.” The Dodo, 06-02-2014.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference shulaw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b “Indian-American Political Star Rises in NJ.” Voices of NY, 11-12-2013.
  15. ^ “Indian-American Raj Mukherji Wins Local Body Polls in New Jersey.” Archived 2014-10-14 at archive.today Jan Darpan, 11-08-2013.
  16. ^ Kabita Sonowal. “The Rise of Indian-American Leaders in the American Political Scene.” USINPAC, 11-28-2013.
  17. ^ “Mukherji was most prolific N.J. lawmaker of 2016.” POLITICO, 12-30-2016.
  18. ^ “Democrat Mukherji was last session's most prolific legislator.” POLITICO, 01-31-2018.
  19. ^ Legislative Roster, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2024.