Peter Jacob runs for Congress from New Jersey's 7th District

Thirty year old Peter Jacob is running for Congress from the 7^th District in New Jersey seeking to replace Republican incumbent Rep Leonard Lance.

Progressive and a supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders in the presidential election, Jacob, a Democrat from Union, says that it is not power or a craving for recognition which attracts him to politics, but a genuine desire to work for public. “I am not a career politician. What I am looking for is public service,” Jacob a social worker by profession said.

‘My parents came to the United States from Kerala in 1986. They arrived with $20 in their pockets, hearts full of hope, and a 6 month old (me) in their arms. They were able to establish a small business, purchase a beautiful home, and send their children to college,’ he noted, adding that many people are not able to realize their American dream due to the manipulations in the economy and greed of the Wall Street.

‘The top 0.1% of Americans has almost as much wealth as bottom 90% in this country. Hundreds of the wealthiest corporations have stashed away over $2.1 trillion in offshore tax havens to dodge paying their share of the costs to maintain our society.

‘These Fortune 500 companies have gone years paying $0.00 in taxes. Meanwhile, it is us, the working class people, that pay the price these corporations behave recklessly. This was the case in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh over 30 years ago and now in Flint, Michigan.  It was the taxpayers on Main Street that bailed out the banks on Wall Street,’ he points out on his web site.

The rich becomes richer and the poor turns poorer. Only changes in the national policy will make a difference.

He says Senator Sanders is a person who consistently followed a progressive agenda, be it Iraq war or relations with the Wall Street. He believes that Sanders is electable as president and people are rallying behind him in spite of all the odds. “He did not get much media coverage or endorsements. The debates were virtually rigged and pushed to insignificant timing. Yet people came out for him in Iowa and New Hampshire. It will happen elsewhere too.”

“People are frustrated with politics. It is the reason why Sanders and Donald Trump, though ideologically at different poles, are getting more support.” At the same time, he noted that Trump is the product of the monstrous ideology created by the Republican Party. None of the current Republican candidates has the real values needed for the country.

He says he is seeking the Congressional seat rather than run for any local election because of the dysfunction at the national level.

The 7^th District has a majority of Republican voters due to redistricting and gerrymandering, he notes. “It is bad that the representative selects his own electorate rather than the other way.

People from different professions like social work are needed in the Congress comparing the number of attorneys who are in the Congress.

“I would like congratulate Peter Jacob for taking a bold step of running for congress in District 7,” Upendra Chivukula, Commissioner of Public Utilities, who once contested from the seat, said.

“Asian American population is the fastest growing in New Jersey while it has no Asian American representation. Also, we are at the crossroads in this nation where status quo needs to be challenged and is evidenced by the presidential primary election process and the non-establishment candidates.”

Vin Gopal, Chairman, Monmouth County Democrats too welcomed his candidacy. “Its great to see people in the South-Asian Community getting more involved in politics. Young, fresh faces is what this country needs.”

The Primary is scheduled for June, and so far he is the only candidate from the Democratic Party. Rep Lance  faces two challengers in the Republican primary.

Jacob says he has dedicated a group of younger supporters and they are out campaigning door to door. Yet he calculates expenses of about a $100,000 for the primary and another $500,000 for the election. He plans to collect money through fundraisers.

‘My parents raised my sister and I with values such as compassion, integrity, and service to our community.  My socio-political activism began as a student leader.  I worked with the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-International, the YWCA, and the International Institute.

‘Through these and other community organizations, I had the honor of fighting the ongoing scourges of child abuse, modern-day slavery, and the disastrous Iraq War, while campaigning proudly for healthcare reform, environmental sustainability, and immigrant integration.’
‘Following my MSW, I returned to New Jersey and began work as a community organizer, developing and maintaining a homeless shelter program through a coalition made of churches, businesses, schools, hospitals, and individuals. I witnessed firsthand how the financial crisis caused by incessant greed impacted countless families who lost their homes, jobs, and health coverage.

‘The experiences of aiding the most vulnerable among us sticks with me to this day; our neighbors who battle severe psychiatric disabilities, alcohol and drug abuse, to senior citizens having to choose between medicine and food, to working class families and children seeking life-saving assistance. We served so that those seeking a way out of poverty would have the opportunities to do so.’
‘It is for these reasons that I’ve decided to apply my knowledge and skill sets to create a democracy and economy that works for all of us. 
‘I believe I am the right candidate for the seventh district because I believe in economy and democracy that works for every citizen of our great nation. I am not running to climb a political ladder. I am not a career politician. What I will do is ensure that my fellow citizens and future generations are able to thrive in the same American Dream that my family was able to.’

The most important issue of our lifetime, perhaps the issue that my generation will have to answer is climate change.

He opposes fracking which involves pumping water and chemicals into the ground during the removal of gas from underground. ‘There isn’t anything natural about injecting toxic chemicals into the ground and being able to light your tap water on fire. We don’t need cancer-causing chemicals in our water,’ Jacob told the media earlier. ‘My congressman supported legislation to make it easier to build such natural gas pipelines. The fracking industry has been able to procure exceptions for their extraction methods. Lance had his chance in my opinion.’

‘What we are hearing so much now-a-days from the Republican Party is fear. We are hearing from the demagogues like Donald Trump and reiterated by my own congressman is fear. Fear of immigrants, fear of ISIS, fear of the American people. Fear is not a value of a nation that prides itself on being the home of the brave. We have a name for those that use fear as a weapon and they are called terrorists.’

‘Our democracy has been seized by the big business, special interests who only have allegiance to their bottom lines and not to the people of the nation.

‘How will the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk start their new businesses if they are forced to work tirelessly at a low-wage job or hang on to a job because of health care? How can we be free if we are lying awake every single night worrying about how our bills are going to be paid tomorrow," he asks.

www.peterforcongress.com