Democrat Vin Gopal has announced he will seek the state Senate seat representing New Jersey’s 11th Legislative District, which includes 18 municipalities in Monmouth County.
If Gopal earns his party’s nomination in the June primary election, he will seek the four-year term as a senator in the November general election.
The 11th Legislative District covers Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls and West Long Branch.
Republican state Sen. Jennifer Beck, who represents the 11th Legislative District in Trenton, has said she will seek her party’s nomination and attempt to win another term in the state Legislature.
In a statement he released on Jan. 3, Gopal said he will step down from his volunteer position as head of the Monmouth County Democratic Party to devote his energy to seek a state Senate seat.
Gopal described himself as a small business owner who was raised in Freehold Township. He said it is time for new leadership to tackle what he called New Jersey’s “grave fiscal problems.”
“As a small business owner, I know what it is like to build a business from the ground up and to create jobs, to go without taking a paycheck in order to make payroll. I know what Monmouth County residents are going through.
“I have felt the impact that Trenton’s over-regulation, suffocating taxation and red tape has on the Monmouth County economy and on the ability of families to make ends meet.
“Monmouth County needs a senator who will battle with the insiders in Trenton, not just show up and act like a puppet. We need a senator who will spend every day fighting to lower property taxes, one who will work constantly to eliminate the red tape imposed on small businesses,” he said.
Gopal is a past president of the Hazlet Township Business Owners Association and a past board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County.
He previously served as a volunteer emergency medical technician for the Colts Neck and Freehold first aid squads. Gopal currently volunteers with the Long Branch Fire Department, according to the press release.
