Raj Mukherji is a State Assemblyman in the New Jersey Legislature, who was first elected in 2013 and represents the 33rd Legislative District. Since 2022, he serves in the Assembly as Deputy Speaker and formerly served as

Majority Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...

of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

.“Mukherji Appointed Assembly Majority Whip in 218th Legislative Session.”
''Insider NJ'', 01-12-2018. He is also a lawyer, former healthcare and information technology CEO, former Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, former municipal prosecutor, and political science professor.Political bio of Assemblyman Raj Mukherji.
/ref>LinkedIn profile of Raj Mukherji, Esq.
/ref> Mukherji was reelected in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, most recently by a 4-to-1 margin. In February 2022, following the adoption of a new 10-year legislative map by the New Jersey Legislative Apportionment Commission, Mukherji announced his candidacy for an open seat in the New Jersey Senate in a reconfigured 32nd Legislative District and was rapidly endorsed by local and statewide officials such as New Jersey Governor

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

and Jersey City Mayor

Steven Fulop Steven Michael Fulop (born February 28, 1977) is an American politician serving as the 49th and current mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. A Democrat, he was formerly the Councilman for Jersey City's Ward E. On May 14, 2013, Fulop defeated incumbe ...

. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who enlisted two weeks following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Mukherji serves as Chairman of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and Vice Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. He previously served as Vice Chair of the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.“Press Release: Mukherji Appointed...”
Assembly Democrats, 02-06-2014.
''Mile Square View'', 02-06-2014. Mukherji started multiple successful businesses before completing his teenage yearsLim, Jeremiah
“Assemblyman Talks Business Development, Sick Leave.”
''The Alternative Press'', 09-10-2014.
''The Dodo'', 06-02-2014. and was sworn into his first public office at age 24. At 28, Mukherji - as a running-mate of longtime State Senator Brian P. Stack - won a six-way Democratic primary election for the Assembly by a 36-point margin in 2013 and won the November general election by a 20-point margin,“Indian-American Political Star Rises in NJ.”
''Voices of NY'', 11-12-2013.
''Jan Darpan'', 11-08-2013. becoming the second South Asian legislator in state history (after Upendra J. Chivukula).Kabita Sonowal. “The Rise of Indian-American Leaders in the American Political Scene.”
USINPAC, 11-28-2013. 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.“Mukherji was most prolific N.J. lawmaker of 2016.”
''POLITICO'', 12-30-2016.“Democrat Mukherji was last session's most prolific legislator.”
''POLITICO'', 01-31-2018. The 33rd district includes the Hudson County municipalities of

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

, Jersey City, Union City and

Weehawken Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,197.

. It is the most densely populated legislative district in the state. Mukherji's newly drawn 32nd legislative district, as of January 2024, will comprise Hoboken and Jersey City.

Early life, education, and career

Mukherji is the son of Indian American immigrants who arrived from

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in 1970.Singh, Yoshita
“Want to see more Indian faces in US government: Raj Mukherji”
''rediff News'', 11-27-2013.“Indian-Americans enhance political footprints in US”
''Pravasi Herald'', 11-10-2013. According to news accounts, he supported himself through high school, college, and grad school as an emancipated minor when economic circumstances forced his parents to return to their native India. “Seton Hall Law at Work: Raj Mukherji and Michael Murphy”
''Alumni Features'', Seton Hall University School of Law, retrieved 10-14-2014. After suffering a

pituitary tumor Pituitary adenomas are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland. Most pituitary tumors are benign, approximately 35% are invasive and just 0.1% to 0.2% are carcinomas.“Condolences to Raj Mukherji and family.”
''

Politicker The Politicker Network, or Politicker.com, was a national network of fifty state-based political websites operated by the '' New York Observer''. Origins The network had its origins in journalist Ben Smith's '' New York Observer'' blog, "''The Po ...

'', 03-14-2013. – could no longer work as a result of his health but could not afford health coverage without employment.“Want to see more Indian faces in US government: Raj Mukherji”
''Deccan Herald'', 11-27-2013. Labeled a "wunderkind" by the media,Bishop, Brad
“Owner of Dean Oil site eager to break ground.”
''The Record Press'', 02-11-2005.Quinn, William T

''Business News NJ'', 10-02-2001. Mukherji was previously the CEO of an Internet consulting and software development company that he founded while in the sixth grade. Mukherji later sold the company to a federal contractor to enlist in the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

two weeks after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

at age 17, where he served as a reservist in military intelligence.Karsnak, Mike
At 20, he’s done it all: Lobbyist is college grad, Marine vet, and real estate whiz.
''Star-Ledger'', 06-09-2005.Bresswein, Kurt

''

The Express-Times ''The Express-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provides national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855, ''The Express-Times'' is the lon ...

'', 06-23-2014. The young entrepreneur withdrew from high school at 15 to enroll in an early college program at

Bard College at Simon's Rock Bard College at Simon's Rock (more commonly known as Simon's Rock) is a private residential liberal arts college in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It is a unit of Bard College, which is located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The school ...

, eventually earning his bachelor's degree from Thomas A. Edison State University. He also holds a masters from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and a Juris Doctor, ''cum laude'', from

Seton Hall Law School Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey, and, according to the ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranki ...

, and he has performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and in motion pictures, as a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Mukherji cofounded and led as CEO companies that achieved an aggregate half billion dollars in enterprise value, spanning healthcare, information technology, medical cannabis, and real estate.“Meet the Impressive Lineup of Speakers...”
''Elephants DC Blog'', 09-18-2014. At 19, he had cofounded a public affairs firmCasselberry, Lauren
“Hudson County Chamber of Commerce's annual Legends Ball.”
''The Jersey Journal'', 12-13-2011. that he grew into the state's third largest lawyer-lobbying firm, reportedly through his ties to New Jersey Democratic establishments and the

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

administration.Video
“Obama’s Re-election Campaign Begins.”
''FOXNews.com'', 04-05-2011. In 2011, he was named an annual "Legends" honoree by the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce.

Prior public service

At 24, Mukherji was appointed by the

Mayor of Jersey City The Mayor of the City of Jersey City is the head of the executive branch of the government of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint depu ...

and confirmed by the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

to replace

Lori Serrano Lori Serrano is the former Commissioner and Chairwoman of the Jersey City Housing Authority, the state's second largest public housing authority. She was an unsuccessful City Council candidate on mayoral candidate Louis Manzo's ticket in the 200 ...

(who had been removed and was later charged with corruption) as the youngest Commissioner and Chairman to ever serve on the

Jersey City Housing Authority In the United States, subsidized housing is administered by federal, state and local agencies to provide subsidy, subsidized rental assistance for low-income households. Public housing is priced much below the market rate, allowing people to li ...

,Koepp, Paul
“Housing Authority replaces chair with young lobbyist.
''The Jersey Journal'', 10-27-2008. the state's second largest public housing authority and a $70 million agency serving over 16,000 residents and over 6,700 households. During Mukherji's tenure, the JCHA was applauded by HUD for attaining the highest score for Section 8 management among similar agencies in the state. The agency was also showered with federal grants and aid from the

administration, which dispatched then- U.S. Secretary of HUD Shaun Donovan to Jersey City on multiple occasions to announce tens of millions in competitive federal grants the agency had won.“HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Visits Communities Impacted by Hurricane Sandy.”

The White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 180 ...

, 11-16-2012. At 27, Mukherji was tapped to fill a vacancy as Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, the state's second largest city with a $500 million operating budget.McDonald, Terrence T
“Lobbyist and chair of the JCHA Raj Mukherji is quietly sworn in as deputy mayor.”
''The Jersey Journal'', 03-05-2012. According to ''The Jersey Journal,'' while Deputy Mayor, Mukherji declined the $110,056 salary and a city-issued car, instead opting to earn one dollar per year due to "the austere economic climate."“Raj Mukherji named Deputy Mayor of Jersey City.”
''India Post'', 03-08-2012. Mukherji was previously appointed by then-U.S. Senator

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

to his Military Academy Board in 2003. In 2004,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 following the revelation of his extramarital affair ...

appointed him to the Governor's Council on Volunteerism and Community Service.“Devineni and Mukherji named on NJ advisory panels.”
''India Abroad'', 08-06-2004. He was also a Superior Court-appointed member of the Juvenile Conference Committee.

Legislative career

In the Assembly, Mukherji has been a primary sponsor of dozens of bills that passed both houses and were signed into law, including: *Enacting a comprehensive, bipartisan overhaul of the state's outdated and ineffective bail system and expanding legal aid for low-income New Jerseyans; *Combating the state's heroin, opiate, and prescription drug addiction epidemic by requiring physicians and pharmacists to access the state's Prescription Monitoring Program to prevent "doctor shopping;" *Making

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

the first state in the United States to enact a ban on

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals i ...

commerce (in an effort to thwart profits for poachers and wildlife traffickers and to protect

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

s and other endangered or threatened species), which effort garnered public support for Mukherji's ivory ban legislation by actress

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

and musician Billy Joel and inspired similar prohibitions in other states;Samuel, Jen
“Opinion: N.J. bill banning domestic ivory, rhino horn sales deserves Gov. Christie's signature.”
''Times of Trenton'', 06-28-2014. *Legislation expanding the state's Drug Court programs and creating a substance abuse recovery housing program at NJ's four-year public colleges and universities with on-campus housing in order to provide a supportive substance-free dormitory environment that recognizes the unique risks and challenges faced by recovering students, along with other legislation expanding access to mental health and substance abuse treatment and recovery services; *Repealing prohibitions on sports betting in New Jersey to help Atlantic City's gaming industry rebound; *"The Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act," a first-in-the-nation law dedicating resources to create a public education and outreach campaign for Parkinson's disease diagnosis and treatment, inspiring a similar effort in Kansas; *Combating bedbugs by requiring sanitation, protective, and labeling procedures in the sale of used mattresses and boxsprings; *Legislation improving prison addiction recovery programs (allowing certain drug treatment programs to operate in state and county jails) to help break the cycle of recidivism; *Creating criminal penalties for fatal hit-and-run boating accidents; *Improving the state's higher education system, develop an advanced cyberinfrastructure plan, and initiate a Big Data consortium; and *Securing state infrastructure investments for his home county of Hudson.

Committees

Committee assignments for the current session are:Assemblyman Raj Mukherji
New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2022. *Judiciary, Chair *Appropriations, Vice-Chair *Budget *Joint State Leasing and Space Utilization Committee

District 33

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the

. The representatives from the 33rd District for the 2022—23 Legislative Session are: * Senator Brian P. Stack (D) * Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro (D) * Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D)

Controversy

Mukherji became embroiled in controversy when he was tapped to be the new Chairman of the Jersey City Housing Authority. Amidst his nomination, critics opposed the Housing Authority's plans to demolish and redevelop a six-tower 549-unit public housing project known as Montgomery Gardens.Martin, Antoinette
“End Nears for Unloved Housing.”
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', 10-10-2008. Later, while under Mukherji's leadership, the agency came under fire for its strict "One-Strike" eviction policy, enabled by federal legislation enacted under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Clinton, allowing housing authorities to evict entire households where a resident is charged with a serious crime (without being convicted).Whiten, Jon
“Housing Authority Holding Public Hearing on ‘One-Strike’ Eviction Rule Next Week.”
''Jersey City Independent'', 08-05-2010.
''The Huffington Post'', 08-05-2010. While defending the legislation, Mukherji convened public hearings prior to ordering an overhaul of the One-Strike policy, telling ''Jersey City Independent'' that the policy had "served as a deterrent and important tool to reduce drug-related and violent criminal activity in public housing (...but) certain revisions may be appropriate to ensure an equitable policy and eviction process... We want to be fair and equitable to criminal defendants, as the presumption of innocence must be sacrosanct, while being mindful that our foremost responsibility is to do all that we can to keep our tenants safe." As a teenager, Mukherji pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a fake identification in 2004 that was used for underage drinking.McDonald, Terrence T

''The Jersey Journal'', 03-14-2012.

References

External links

Legislative webpage
New Jersey Legislature
Assemblyman Raj Mukherji’s political websiteRaj Mukherji’s legislative page at Assembly Democrats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukherji, Raj 1984 births American politicians of Indian descent Asian-American people in New Jersey politics Bengali politicians Living people Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Seton Hall University School of Law alumni Thomas Edison State University alumni United States Marines United States Marine Corps reservists University of Pennsylvania alumni 21st-century American politicians