The Indian American Impact Fund, which supports candidates running for public office, announced March 10, 2026, it is endorsing Jay Vaingankar for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th District. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 2, with 18 Democrats in the field, Ballotpedia shows.
Vaingankar is running in the second-most South Asian American congressional district in the country, Impact noted. If elected, he would become the first South Asian American to represent New Jersey in Congress, “marking a historic milestone for a state with one of the largest and fastest-growing South Asian populations in the country,” the PAC added.
Twenty eight year-old former White House and Department of Energy official, Vaingankar is the son of immigrants from Mumbai. He was raised in Hightstown, NJ, which he points out on his campaign website jayvaingankar,com, is a community of 63 languages, and where he became fluent in Spanish. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania, he became a community organizer, and spent the next four years working in the White House and Department of Energy. He has worked in the solar industry on returning to his NJ home. “I’m running for Congress to bring new energy to our politics,” he says.
Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact Fund, said Vaingankar “represents a new generation of leadership grounded in service and the courage to stand up for our communities amidst an unprecedented rise in hate and costs of living.”
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Vaingankar worked in the Biden Administration, which, according to Patel, equips him with firsthand experience in how federal policy can lower energy costs, expand economic opportunity, and strengthen local communities.
“Families across Central Jersey are feeling the pressure of rising housing and utility costs, and Jay understands that affordability must be front and center in Washington,” Patel said, adding that Vaingankar would stand against any effort to target immigrant communities or roll back the rights and freedoms.
“Growing up as the son of Indian immigrants, I didn’t have elected representatives who looked like me, but I know how important it is for communities like ours to have a voice in Washington. I’m grateful to the Indian American Impact Fund for their endorsement and for the work they’ve done to uplift South Asian Americans in our democracy,” Vaingankar said, quoted in the press release. “The cost of living crisis and the daily attacks from the Trump Administration remind us that no matter where our parents came from, our destinies are intertwined,” the Indian American candidate sai, adding that he would build a broad coalition that ensures a seat at the policy-making table “to guarantee health care as a human right, lower our utility bills, and keep our schools and our streets safe.”
Since its inception in 2016, Indian American Impact Fund has endorsed and supported 200+ candidates across the country, and marshaled upwards of $20 million for candidates, voter mobilization and policy advocacy efforts, Impact said.