The Democratic incumbent Senator Cory Booker with 60.6% votes with 1,714,375 made Indian-American Republican candidate Rik Mehta to lose his New Jersey Senate election bid gathering 37.9% of the votes at 1,071,726, in the November 3 election. Rik Mehta had become the first Indian-American to win the Republican primary for the Senate seat from the US state of New Jersey in July.
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Mehta was a former US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official and had defeated his nearest rival Hirsh Singh, also an Indian-American, by a margin of approximately 13,743 votes in the Republican primaries held in July. Mehta is a biotech entrepreneur, innovator, healthcare policy expert and a licensed pharmacist and attorney. His profile said, “As a small business owner and a first generation American, he’s a staunch advocate for defending our Constitutional rights, fighting against illegal immigration and Sanctuary Cities, an affordable, accessible healthcare system that’s built for generations to come, and building New Jersey’s economy for the future".
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In the history of New Jersey senatorial race, this was the first time, the race had candidates of colour nominees from both the parties. Booker, an African-American, had won the Democratic primary with 89 per cent of the votes. New Jersey, with high concentrations of Indian-Americans, is considered to be a Democratic party bastion. The state has elected a Republican as a Senator after 48 years.
