Several South Asian Americans Listed Among Top 100 Millennial Leaders in New Jersey
- Among the top 10 in the list are State Sen. Vin Gopal, ranked third; Sam Joshi, Democratic candidate for Edison mayor, at 9th spot; followed by Sadaf Jaffer, the first Muslim-American female mayor in the state.
At least eight South Asian American leaders in New Jersey are among âInsider 100: Millennial Power List,â âa group that has truly come into its own during the COVID-19 pandemic.â The millennials listed include elected officials, those contesting, as well as those who are working on both gubernatorial campaigns. Insider NJ, which culled the list, says that two decades after the 9/11 attacks, âmillennials found themselves confronted with new structures and new crises, compelled to live and operate within a world other than the cold one in which the earlier generation came of age. Within a grimness reaffirmed by COVID, the Delta variant, the savage divisions of politics, and the lurid concatenations of social media, millennials persisted, with generational sure-footedness now, somehow still young enough to be vivid and romantic, and maybe sufficiently wise to bridge certain heartbreaking lunatic divides.â
Leading the list of South Asian Americans at the third spot is State Sen.Vin Gopal. âNow a veteran and impactful senator, still in his 30s,â Insider NJ says âthe perpetually rising Monmouth County star surrounds himself with young political and policy talent. The youngest member of the Senate, Gopal is routinely mentioned in insider conversations as a future candidate for higher office.â
Joining Gopal at the 9th spot is Sam Joshi, who handily won the Edison Democratic mayoral primary in June. Currently the council vice president, âthe policy-driven Joshi is on his way to becoming the youngest Edison mayor in recent memory,â Insider NJ says in its profile on Joshi.
Ranked tenth on the list is Sadaf Jaffer, the first Muslim American female mayor in the state. A two-term mayor of Montgomery Township, Jaffer is currently seeking a LD16 Assembly seat. âShould she win, sheâll make history again as the first South-Asian female legislator, in addition to being one of the youngest female voices in the legislature,â according to Insider NJ.
Parimal Garg, chief counsel to Governor Phil Murphy, is at number 13 on the list. Garg, who replaced Matt Platkin, âwields tremendous influence in the shaping of Governor Murphyâs executive orders.â
On the 28th spot is Intashan Chowdhury, who became the youngest business administrator in the state two years ago/ A mentee of Prospect Park Mayor Khairullah, Chowdhury âworks non-stop, and is tapped into the millennial power structure of the state.â
Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, who represents the 33rd Legislative District, is ranked 39th on the list. The Majority Whip of the New Jersey General Assembly, he chairs the Assembly Judiciary Committee and is among the youngest lawmakers in the state. He was first elected to serve as a state assemblyman in 2013.
Listed at number 47 is Sabeen Masih, who serves as a member of State Sen. Loretta Weinbergâs panel to address sexual harassment. Vice president of the Capital Impact Group, Masih was an instrumental and young voice in crafting the panelâs recommendations.
On the 90th spot is India-born Robert Field, a senior aide to Gov. Murphy. He started in New Jersey politics with the Somerset Democrats in 2011, and has worked on various campaigns,