Former congressman and diplomat Tom Malinowski, now a visiting scholar in Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations, has entered the congressional race to fill governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s seat in New Jersey’s 11th district.
Malinowski is currently teaching a course on ethics, morality and American foreign policy at SHU.
Sherrill announced she will resign from Congress this week, two months before she is sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor on Jan. 20. Her resignation allows incumbent governor Phil Murphy to call a special election to replace her, expected to take place in January or February.
Malinowski brings extensive political experience to the race. He served as a senior director on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council from 1998 to 2001, then spent more than a decade as the Washington Director at Human Rights Watch, where he “oversaw efforts by prominent NGOs to influence policies on human rights,” according to a School of Diplomacy press release. From 2014 to 2017, he served as the assistant secretary of state for Democracy and Human rights under the Obama administration.
Most recently, Malinowski represented New Jersey’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House from 2019 to 2023. In an interview with The Setonian, he said he ran for Congress because he “felt that the values I advocated for on behalf of America…including respect for human rights and the rule of law, were being threatened at home.”
During his first term, Malinowski served as vice chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and sat on the transportation and infrastructure and homeland security committees. His campaign website highlights a range of accomplishments, including directing emergency aid to small businesses, securing pandemic relief for municipal governments to prevent property tax increases, leading efforts to restore federal funding to combat domestic terrorism and extremism and strengthening protections against foreign corruption.
Malinowski lost his 2022 re-election bid to Republican Tom Kean Jr., a defeat he attributes to redistricting.
“Some of my most supportive communities were moved out of the district and more heavily Republican communities were moved into it,” he said.
Now running in the 11th district, Malinowski noted that it includes several towns he previously represented in the 7th. Although Malinowski does not currently reside in the 11th district, he plans on moving there soon, according to the New Jersey Globe.
“The special election in the 11th district is the first fight of the midterms,” he said. “It’s my fastest way back into the fight for democracy that has always been my life’s work.”
Malinowski said his campaign will center on healthcare accessibility, rolling back tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and strengthening tech regulation.
On healthcare, he said ensuring access and accessibility is a priority.
“Healthcare has to be a priority for any member of Congress at a time when health insurance premiums are skyrocketing for millions of Americans,” Malinowski said.
He also spoke about Medicaid, which faced nearly $1 trillion in cuts when President Donald Trump signed the One Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4.
“I want to make sure that access to Medicaid is guaranteed for people who are eligible for it without massive bureaucratic burdens that are designed to kick people off,” Malinowski said, adding that he’d like to introduce a system where Americans can buy into public health systems such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Additionally, Malinowski called for Congress to repeal Trump’s tariffs.
“Tariffs are the stupidest economic policy that any president of my lifetime has ever imposed,” he said, arguing that they raise “not only increase the cost of everyday goods, but also “[make] it harder for companies to manufacture goods in the United States and…hurt our relationships with our allies.”
Beyond trade policy, Malinowski is concerned about the regulatory gaps shaping the modern economy. He said the lack of comprehensive tech regulation is the “most unaddressed issue in Washington,” linking social media algorithms to increasing polarization.
“The fact that we get all of our information from social media is one reason why Americans are so divided and unable to agree with each other, even on what reality is,” he said.
Malinowski said companies should be forced to change how their algorithms amplify content and that they should no longer be protected from liability.
“There’s a law that says that if you’re harmed by information that’s being amplified by these social media algorithms, you can’t sue them,” he explained. “I think that should change.”
Shifting from social media to emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools, he said their creations should be clearly labeled “so that we can at least know what’s real and what isn’t.”
Malinowski added that creators whose work is used to train AI models should be compensated and that AI companies should be required to pay for the energy they consume, which he said is “one reason electricity prices are going up for every American.”
Looking ahead to the campaign, Malinowski emphasized voter engagement.
“In the four years that I served in Congress, I held over 140 public town hall meetings in the communities that I represented,” he said. “I look forward to doing that again, to being very present in every community, to listen to the concerns of the voters who engage with me.”
He added that he hopes his platform will resonate with younger voters “who are concerned about where our democracy is heading, who want politicians who will answer their questions directly and authentically.”
Malinowski’s campaign website states he will not accept corporate PAC money. Instead, he told The Setonian he is running his campaign “grassroots up,” relying entirely on volunteers and community donations.
“I’m the only one…who would be battle ready the day I’m elected,” Malinowski said.
Megan Pitt is the head editor for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at megan.pitt@student.shu.edu.
