NJ 3rd Congressional District: 2 doctors competing to replace Rep. Andy Kim

With U.S. Rep. Andy Kim not seeking reelection to his House seat in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District to run for the Senate this year, the race to succeed him on Tuesday is primarily a battle between two physicians.

When the congressional map was redrawn after the 2020 Census, Ocean County was eliminated entirely from the 3rd District. However, several western Monmouth County towns were moved into the district, including: Allentown, Englishtown, Freehold, part of Freehold Township, Holmdel, Manalapan, Marlboro, Millstone, Roosevelt and Upper Freehold.

The effect is that the district is far more Democratic-leaning in its demographics today than it was when half of it was in the Republican bastion of Ocean County.

The Democratic candidate hoping to succeed Kim is Dr. Herb Conaway, who currently represents the 7th Legislative District in the state Assembly where he is deputy speaker. A medical doctor, Conaway is also director of the Burlington County Health Department.

The Republican candidate is Dr. Rajesh Mohan, a cardiologist from Holmdel, and president and managing partner of a multi-specialty medical practice. Mohan is affiliated with Community Medical Center in Toms River and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood.

There are also independent candidates on the ballot: Green Party candidate Steve Welzer, Libertarian Party candidate Chris Russomanno, Justin Barbera of the self-styled “Join the Revolution Party” (a self-described “God/Family/Country candidate”) and government transparency advocate Douglas Wynn of the also originally-titled “Why Not Wynn Party.”

The Issues

On the economy, Conaway supports expanding the child tax credit and the state and local tax (SALT) deduction to help middle-class families. He also favors legislation that would prohibit corporations “from deceptively decreasing the sizes of their products without lowering the price commensurately,” which he argues would help to further ease inflation, according to the Conaway campaign.

Mohan supports policies and legislation that would incentivize businesses to keep jobs in the United States, by providing tax breaks and ease regulatory burdens to companies that “invest in American workers and facilities, strengthening our economy and bolstering national security.” He also would advocate for small business through targeted support programs, access to capital, and streamlined regulations, according to the Mohan campaign.

Reproductive rights are also major issues for both candidates, with Conaway supporting legislation that would protect a woman’s right to choose on the issue of abortion and protect access to contraception.

“As a doctor who has made women’s health a priority throughout my 25 years in the state Assembly, I was appalled when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of 2022,” Conaway said. “Now, the stakes have never been higher. With some Republicans in Congress vowing to pass a national abortion ban, it is imperative that we elect someone with a proven record of defending reproductive health.”

While Mohan does not endorse codifying a woman’s right to choose in his campaign platform, he writes that “government, politicians, lawyers, judges and non-medical organizations should not interfere in medical care provided by doctors that is based on medical science and is evidence-based, whether it is between a man and his doctor or a woman and her doctor.” Moreover, he said he is against punishing women or their doctors for any decisions they make in regard to healthcare.

On other issues, Conaway said better safeguards are needed to protect democracy in America and he would support passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act that would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were restricted by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Shelby v. Holder decision. “In order to ensure complete democratic stability, I will pursue further efforts to establish Election Day as a federal holiday and conduct research into the utilization of blockchain technology to secure our election information,” he said.

Mohan, who has a gun license, described himself as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment with some caveats. Mohan “believes that criminals, terrorists, people with mental health disorders who could put themselves or others in danger must not be allowed to own firearms.” He also believes that people should not be able to own “rocket launchers, machine guns or grenades” and supports “background checks done efficiently and, in a time-bound manner, cross checked with national and statewide database(s) should be a minimum before any gun purchase.”

As doctors, both men have strong opinions on the state of healthcare in America.

“As a doctor, I find it outrageous that the prices of prescription drugs in the United States are exponentially higher than they are anywhere else in the world,” Conaway said. “The manufacturer price for any given type of insulin in the US is at $98.70 per vial, five to 10 times higher than in any other developed and high-income country. Insulin is a medical necessity for many Americans who live with diabetes.”

Mohan argues for a need to streamline access to care. He would support measures to remove bureaucratic barriers that hinder patients from accessing essential healthcare services. “This includes eliminating the corrupt system of pre-certification and pre-authorization imposed by insurance companies, which prioritizes profits over patient well-being,” he said. “Individuals should not be denied necessary treatments or tests due to administrative red tape, and those responsible for such denials must be held accountable for any adverse consequences.”

Conaway regards environmental protection as a major issue. If elected to Congress, he said he would support funding research aimed at maintaining sustainable environmental practices and legislation expanding access to electric vehicle charging facilities in the district.

Mohan regards illegal immigration as a major issue. If elected to Congress, he said he supports an “impervious” border wall, with innovative technologies, increased surveillance, a stronger border patrol force and swift deportations for those who enter the United States illegally.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 2 doctors competing to replace Andy Kim in NJ 3rd Congressional race