Zwicker runs for New Jersey state assembly

Andrew Zwicker, head of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Science Education Department, is running for New Jersey state assembly.

The election takes place on Nov. 3.

Of New Jersey’s 40 legislative districts, Zwicker will be running in District 16, which includes Princeton and towns in Hunterdon County, Middlesex County and Somerset County. Zwicker lives in Kingston, New Jersey, which lies in the 16th district.

Zwicker, 51, is a physicist by training who came to Princeton in 1994 for his post-doctoral work on fusion energy at the PPPL. Zwicker is also an American Physical Society fellow, writing seminar lecturer and President of the Princeton Chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

“I congratulate Mr. Zwicker on his candidacy,” Jack Ciattarelli, one of Zwicker’s Republican opponents, said."I believe competition makes us better and I look forward to a spirited issues-based campaign."

Maureen Vella, Zwicker’s Democratic opponent, and Donna Simon, one of Zwicker's Republican opponents, did not respond to requests for comment.

Zwicker said that his platform is data-driven and evidence-based. Policy-making is not about hearty rhetoric, he said, but rather about what previous studies have shown and how to think like a scientist to come to conclusions.

“I want to take a scientific approach to policy-making,” he said. “What that means in the end is using evidence to make decisions.”

For him, Zwicker said, politics, public service and his work with education and outreach are all parts of the same whole.

One of the problems state assemblymen will be facing, he said, is New Jersey’s local economy, which has not recovered from the recession. Compared nationally and to neighboring states, New Jersey is behind in every indicator from employment to economic growth, he noted.

However, he added, New Jersey has a history of science and innovation and one of the best public school educations in the country. He noted that New Jersey currently has the highest density of scientists and engineers in the world, and said he hopes to bring both of those worlds, science and education, together.

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“My strengths and my background get at the heart of what I believe, really, is the path forward for New Jersey,” Zwicker said.

He also said that he has the largest number of doctorate scientists in the history of all political campaigns on his staff.

“The scientist in me loves this,” he said.

Zwicker explained that he decided to run for Congress last yearwhen former U.S. congressman Rush Holt announced hisretirement. Heultimately lost to Bonnie Watson Coleman,but he decided, with the support of various Democratic Party state leaders, to try running at the state level in District 16.

There have only been three physicists in Congress andRushHolt, the formerrepresentative for New Jersey’s 12th districtwas the second, Zwicker said. He added thatfor 16 years from 1998 to 2014, Holt showed what a physicist could do in public service as an elected official.

“Rush Holt showed me what was possible,” Zwicker said,adding that Holt was incredibly encouraging.

The Princeton College Democrats are also heavily involved in Zwicker’s campaign, Sam Russell ’18, campaign chair of the Princeton College Democrats, said.

“We have a lot of politicians that do whatever their party tells them because that’s what their party tells them,” he said. “Zwicker gives off an image of someone who legitimately enjoys what he’s doing, who legitimately enjoys science and technology, and he’s really honest about it.”

The College Democrats canvassed town this past weekend, knocking on doors and reminding supporters to vote, Russell said. He added that he hopes that students are aware that there is an election coming up, especially since it is incredibly difficult to get college students to vote.

Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, a New Jersey political expert, said that he thinks the election this time would not be close. Even after Princeton and South Brunswick were added in 2011, the 16th district remains a solidly Republican district, he said.

“Real politics doesn’t play out like you learn in ‘Intro to American Government,’ ” he said. “It is not an equal playing field, particularly in legislative races.”

Regardless of how attractive a challenger’s platform may be, if the district is solidly Republican, the only thing he could think of that would take out an incumbent would be a scandal, he explained. Noting that this year’s general election will have a record-low turnout, Murray said the people voting will most likely be divided between die-hard Republicans and die-hard Democrats, with a skew towards the Republicans.

Murray said that there is not much Zwicker can do about it, adding that this is a problem other challengers around the state have to face.

“It really isn’t a rejection of Zwicker’s platform; it’s just that there aren’t enough interested people to look at it,” Murray said.

Democrats have a hard time because elections always happen on the off-season in New Jersey and people do not remember to vote, Russell said.

Zwicker said he knows to expect a very low turnout election due to all the attention focused on the presidential campaign. He also noted that although District 16 has never seen a Democratic winner in its entire history, Democratic candidates have gotten closer and closer each time.

Zwicker said he believes every student should vote, because every vote counts.

“I would challenge students to vote,” Zwicker said.