New Jersey
Jasal Amin lost race for State Assembly from District 18

Former New Jersey Lottery Commissioner Jasal Amin lost his bid for the State Assembly from the 18th District which includes Edison and East Brunswick Counties. Running for elected office for the first time, Amin, along with the other two Republicans running from this district, narrowed the gap with the Democrats.

Jasal Amin

Assemblyman Peter J. Barnes Jr. of Edison and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. of South Plainfield, all D-Middlesex, were reelected to their seats in the 18th Legislative District defeating Republican Assembly candidates Robert Thuring of Spotswood and Amin of East Brunswick. Barnes, with 17,503 votes, and Diegnan, with 15,779 votes, defeated Thuring, with 13,691 votes, and Amin, with 12,394 votes, according to initial reports.

However, both Thuring and Amin were pleased to have made any dent in the Democratic race considering the District is predominantly Democratic and two years ago in 2001, the two Democrats had accumulated 64 percent of the vote whereas this year they amassed just 56 percent. However, the district does have a significant Indian-American population. Amin, who is a member of the N.J. Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Commission, vice president of the Indian Business Association and an entrepreneur with interests in retail, real estate and the motel industry, had made job creation the focal point of his campaign. The statewide Republican election drive had focused on getting out incumbents and Governor McGreevey’s administration for alleged “shakedown” campaign fund-raising practises of Roger Chugh, former Assistant Secretary of State in the New Jersey Department of State and McGreevey’s campaign activist who is reportedly under investigation by federal law enforcement agencies.