Herbert Conaway

Herbert "Herb" Conaway Jr. is an American physician, attorney, and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 and assumed office in January 2025. Conaway holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Princeton University (1985), a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College (1989), and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School (1996). Before entering politics, he served as a captain in the United States Air Force Medical Corps, where he was a general medical officer and assistant director of the primary care clinic at McGuire Air Force Base. Prior to his election to Congress, Conaway served in the New Jersey General Assembly for 27 years, representing the 7th legislative district from 1998 to 2025. During his tenure, he chaired the Health Committee for over two decades, sponsoring landmark legislation such as the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act and measures to expand medical marijuana access. Throughout his state legislative career, he continued to practice medicine, serving as the director of the internal medicine clinic at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Conaway focuses on healthcare, veterans' affairs, and economic policy. He succeeded Andy Kim, who vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Conaway is noted for being one of the few individuals in the history of the U.S. Congress to hold both an M.D. and a J.D. degree, a background he utilizes to address complex regulatory and public health issues.

Conaway’s policy platform is centered on healthcare reform, where he advocates for treating healthcare as a fundamental right by expanding the Affordable Care Act and pursuing universal coverage. He is a strong supporter of reproductive rights, pledging to codify abortion access into federal law and supporting the Right to Contraception Act. His economic agenda includes raising the federal minimum wage, protecting collective bargaining rights, and addressing consumer costs through measures like the Shrinkflation Reduction Act. On environmental issues, he supports a transition to renewable energy and federal investments in green technology to combat climate change. Additionally, he has expressed support for bipartisan border security legislation and favors gun control measures such as universal background checks and bans on certain types of semi-automatic firearms.