PRESS RELEASE: Jay Vaingankar raises $154K in first three weeks of campaign for Congress in NJ-12
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2025
Media Contact:
Jay Vaingankar raises $154K in first three weeks of campaign for Congress in NJ-12
Progressive Gen Z candidate doubles fundraising of establishment opponents
Princeton Junction, NJ (February 2, 2026) – Today, Gen Z congressional candidate and former Biden Administration official Jay Vaingankar announced that he raised over $154,000 in just the first three weeks of his campaign in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, with an average online contribution of $38.52.
Despite declaring his candidacy just three weeks before the end-of-quarter filing, Vaingankar's campaign outraised almost every candidate in the crowded field. The end-of-quarter fundraising numbers are a metric of grassroots enthusiasm, the strength of the campaigns’ internal operations, and the ability to secure the resources that it will take to win this race.
“I came up as a community organizer, and this grassroots fundraising is just the first step in building a movement to bring new energy to our politics,” said Gen Z congressional candidate Jay Vaingankar. “I'm running to tackle the high cost of living in New Jersey, so the next generation can actually afford to live in the communities where they grew up.”
“When we announced our initial grassroots fundraising, our opponents went running to corporate donors and special interest groups,” said campaign manager Devontae Freeland. “We aren’t taking corporate PAC money – our contributions came from grassroots supporters who feel the urgent need for a new generation of leadership. No $1,000-per-plate dinners, no backroom deals with dark-money PACs, no horse-trading with special interest groups.”
The youngest candidate in the race, Vaingankar is also the candidate with the most federal experience in Washington, D.C. A son of immigrants from India, Vaingankar's journey from Hightstown High School to the Biden White House and Department of Energy prepares him to fight for economic opportunity in Central Jersey, stand up to the Trump Administration's efforts to terrorize our communities, and tackle the high cost of housing and utility bills.
If elected, Vaingankar would be New Jersey's first Gen Z member of Congress and the first South Asian to represent New Jersey in federal office.
For more information about the campaign, visit www.JayVaingankar.com or follow @JayforJersey on all social media.
###
