Our Bureau
Edison, NJ
Rik Mehta, who unsuccessfully ran against Sen. Cory Booker for his U.S. Senate seat in 2020, and had announced in February 2021 that he will run for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th district this year, now plans to run against Democrat Frank Pallone in Congressional District 6.
According to insidernj.com, after making plans to run against Democrat Tom Malinowski in CD-7, Mehta, a Republican, now says he wants to run against Pallone, in the wake of a new congressional redistricting map last month. Mehta, who has been living in Chester, Morris County, said he is relocating to Iselin in Middlesex County, according to the report.
Record voter turnout in the 2020 general election caused Booker to become the highest vote-getter for statewide office in New Jersey history, the New Jersey Globe had reported. At the same time, Mehta received more votes than any other Republican statewide candidate in history after breaking a record set by U.S. Senator Clifford P. Case in 1972, the report said.
Mehta received 1,817,052 votes in his race against Booker, a total that outperformed Republican statewide victors like former governors Chris Christie, Christine Todd Whitman, and Thomas H. Kean, it said.
Mehta, a former official with the Food and Drug Administration, earlier had launched his “Made in America” medicines campaign that will require companies to disclose the country of origin of their prescription drugs, according to an earlier India-West report.
Americans have a right to know where their medicine comes from especially when nearly all other products are labeled with the country it was made in,” Mehta had said in a press release. “Americans have a right to know whether their medicine was ‘Made in America’ or ‘Made in China’ and should be labeled as such.”
Earlier, Mehta had announced his bid against Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in February 2021. A former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official, Mehta lost to Booker by 724,126 votes, 57%-41%.
Record voter turnout in the 2020 general election caused Booker to become the highest vote-getter for statewide office in New Jersey history. At the same time, Mehta received more votes than any other Republican statewide candidate in history after breaking a record set by U.S. Senator Clifford P. Case in 1972.
He received 1,817,052 in his race against Booker, a vote total that outperformed Republican statewide victors like former governors Chris Christie, Christine Todd Whitman, and Thomas H. Kean.
Now, Mehta is seeking to become the first South Asian American to win a House seat in New Jersey, in a district that has the state’s largest percentage of Asian American voters. As a U.S. Senate candidate, he won the organization lines in Middlesex and Monmouth counties.
On Monday, January 10, a statement from Mehta said: “Out of touch politicians who think the Bill of Rights is above their pay grade don’t understand what it’s like to lose a business. My father came to this country with only $100 in his pocket. We didn’t have much, but we found the American Dream. It’s time that our communities and small businesses, from Oak Tree Road to Ocean Avenue, get the right representation in Washington.” “I’m ready to be the voice for the people and work to create economic freedom, make effective testing and treatment options to COVID available, bring medical innovation and manufacturing back to New Jersey, stand up for small business owners and protect our beautiful shores and beaches. For over 30 years, Rep. Pallone built his career off the backs of our proud immigrant communities while turning his back on our small businesses when they needed him the most. He’s not one of us and I plan to retire him in November,” he said.
