Hirsh Singh, a 36-year-old engineer of Indian origin, is preparing to run for governor of New Jersey. (Hirsh Singh Facebook photo)
A South Jersey engineer inspired by former President Donald Trump hopes he can win the Republican nomination for governor in his fourth run for office.
Hirsh Singh, 36, is from Linwood. He attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology and earned his engineering degree. He has worked for more than a decade in civil aviation, aviation security, security services, missile defense, satellite navigation and even clinical trials of a gene for retinal schizophrenia.
Singh said, “I was inspired by President Trump, who proved that we can defeat corruption in government.” Singh first ran for governor in 2017, finishing third in the primary with 10 percent of the vote. He originally planned to run for the U.S. Senate in 2018, but then switched to a House race in the 2nd Congressional District and later finished second in the primary with 30 percent of the vote. He ran for Senate last year and finished a close second in the primary with 36 percent of the vote.
Singh is one of two candidates eligible to run in the gubernatorial debate. He raised $527,000, nearly $428,000 of which came from himself and his family.
When asked what sets him apart among the four Republican candidates, he said, “I’m the only candidate who has worked with President Trump from the beginning; I’m the only one who voted for President Trump in both 2016 and 2020; and I’m the only one who has consistently delivered a conservative message to the people.”
Singer said the biggest problems facing New Jersey are election integrity, illegal immigration and high property taxes; tax problems could be better addressed by changing the school funding model and reallocating state aid dollars.
I would take $14.5 billion and distribute it equally to every elementary and middle school student and make sure parents can decide whether to send their children to public schools or to local charter schools, private schools or parochial schools,” he said. No matter where parents send their children, the money will follow the parents.”
He also said schools need to refocus their attention solely on reading, writing, math and critical thinking, rather than on social issues. He would remove “critical race theory” (CRT) and LGBTQ courses from the school curriculum. Singh said, “Any school that promotes propaganda and force-feeds these concepts, I will cut their funding aid.” He also said he would withdraw funding aid from cities that protect illegal immigrants with sanctuary-style policies.
Singh, the youngest candidate in the race, believes voters are “really looking for the next generation of conservative leadership. He said, “In most campaigns, you see candidates my age usually hiding behind the scenes, being manipulated like puppets.” “And we basically only allow people who have the ability to think critically to be candidates.”
Singh’s family immigrated from India, his grandfather settled in Lakewood, his parents moved to Atlantic County from the Springton area, and Singh lived in Galloway and Egg Harbor before moving to Lynnwood. He believes his conservative political leanings are best suited for the Republican primary and that his Indian background could help him communicate better with the New Jersey community, which typically supports Democrats, if he wins in June.
Singh said, “Many community voters are Democrats but have very conservative values. Many of them think Democrats mean democracy and Republicans are racists, but that’s actually the opposite of the base and history of the Republican Party.” He added, “Historically, the only way Democrats have used against Republicans is to call each other racist, but that attack doesn’t apply to me.”
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