Peter Jacob (born September 16, 1985) is as an Indian-American social worker and Democratic Party political candidate.
He was the 2016 Democratic Party candidate in New Jersey's 7th congressional district who ran against incumbent Leonard Lance. Jacob garnered 43% of the vote; Lance was re-elected with 55%. Jacob is a candidate for the Democratic nomination to represent the district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 election.
Video Peter Jacob
Early life and education
Jacob was born September 16, 1985, in Vazhoor in the Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. He was raised in Union, New Jersey, in an Indian-American family who had emigrated to the U.S. in 1985 when he was an infant. He attended Union County College. He has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Kean University and a Master of Social Work from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
Maps Peter Jacob
Social work career
Jacob's time studying was accompanied with working with the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, the YWCA, and the International Institute.
Jacob began his professional career as a social worker after receiving his master's degree. His work history includes being the coordinator of Operation Warm Heart, which provides meals and shelter for the homeless during the winter. He said that his campaign "is a continuation of my social service [for the community]."
U.S. House campaigns
2016
In 2016, Jacob ran in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District against Republican incumbent Leonard Lance. Jacob decided to run after witnessing through his social work the "challenges that many marginalized communities faced." He saw the main problem as being "special, corporate, corrupt interests being put above the people's..."
Jacob was endorsed on the preferred list of candidates on Senator Bernie Sanders's Our Revolution website. The Friends of Bernie Sanders also assisted with fundraising.
During the campaign, his home was twice vandalized with swastikas. The vandalism became a political point of conflict in the election. Jacob called it a result of "rhetoric that we are hearing nationally..."
Jacob received 45,272 votes, which was more votes than any other candidate had ever received in a primary in the 7th Congressional District.
In the general election on November 8, 2016, Jacob lost with 43% of the vote, the most votes for a Democrat in the district's history; Lance won with 54% of the vote (Jacob received 148,188 votes, and Lance received 185,850 votes).
2018
On February 22, 2017, Jacob said that he was "pretty positive" he would run in the 2018 United States House of Representatives election. On June 20, 2017, he announced the launch of an exploratory committee for a potential campaign. In the primary he will face David Pringle, Tom Malinowski, and activist attorney Goutam Jois.
Lance has called Jacob a "socialist".
Jacob was endorsed by the Justice Democrats. He also received the endorsement of the PAC Brand New Congress.
References
External links
- Official website
- Peter Jacob at Ballotpedia
Source of article : Wikipedia
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