New Jersey Exit Interviews

In this episode of New Jersey Exit Interviews, I sit down with Dr. Brad Cohen — the current mayor of East Brunswick, New Jersey and a candidate in the Democratic primary for NJ's 12th Congressional District — for a wide-ranging conversation about New Jersey, public service, affordability, health care, immigration, science, and the future of the district.We talk about Dr. Cohen’s path from medicine into public life, how he got involved in school board politics during the Christie era, and how he thinks about local government as a problem-solving job rather than a performative one. We also get into housing and redevelopment in East Brunswick, the tension between local control and state housing reforms, first-time homeownership, health care reform, physician shortages, immigration, ICE, vaccines, life sciences in Central New Jersey, and what kind of Democrat he believes can actually win and govern.If you care about New Jersey politics, the NJ-12 primary, or the bigger policy debates shaping the state and the country, I think you’ll enjoy this one.Topics include:Dr. Cohen’s New Jersey roots and medical careerWhy he ran for school board and then mayorRedevelopment, affordability, and housing in East BrunswickLocal control vs. state mandatesFederal ideas to improve affordabilityHealth care reform, single-payer, and physician shortagesImmigration reform and ICEVaccines, science, and New Jersey’s life-sciences economyThe crowded NJ-12 Democratic primary and his lane in the raceSubscribe for more long-form conversations with New Jersey candidates, officials, thinkers, builders, and organizers.

Episode 6: Eric Conner: Better Blocks NJ, Housing Supply, and the Fight for a More Livable Jersey CityEric Conner is a downtown Jersey City resident, co-founder of Better Blocks New Jersey, and a true believer that evidence-based policy can meaningfully improve people's lives. In this episode, Eric breaks down why Jersey City became one of the most interesting urban growth stories in the Northeast and what it will take to keep it that way.We cover the history of development from Newport to Journal Square, why building more housing actually protects low-income residents, and how PILOTs really work (and why the "giveaway" narrative gets it wrong). We also get into the Mount Laurel Doctrine, Abbott districts, and the surprising way New Jersey's school funding formula can sometimes punish cities for their own success.We also discuss how to improve PATH and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and consider why the protected bike lane network downtown is only half-finished. We close on ADUs, single stair reform, and what the state legislature could do right now to unlock more housing supply.

In this episode of New Jersey Exit Interviews, host David Piegaro speaks with Joey Fox, the Washington DC correspondent for the New Jersey Globe. They discuss Joey's journey from New York City to covering New Jersey politics, the dynamics of journalism in the state, and the unique access journalists have in Trenton. The conversation also touches on the recent election dynamics in New Jersey, the impact of the county line abolition, and the future of the NJ-12 primary race. Joey shares his insight into the New Jersey media landscape and opines on what he believes the cultural differences between New Jersey and New York are. The conversation ends with food recommendations from his time in Trenton.

In our fourth episode, we sit down with Jay Vaingankar, a 28-year-old congressional candidate running for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. The son of Indian immigrants who grew up in Mercer County, Jay's journey took him from community organizing in his high school to the Biden White House and the Department of Energy before returning home to run for Congress.Jay discusses how growing up in one of the most diverse communities in the country shaped his worldview, his time working on COVID operations in the White House, his work on clean energy policy at the Department of Energy, and why he believes a new generation needs to step up to make New Jersey more affordable.Topics CoveredGrowing up in Mercer County as the son of Indian immigrantsCommunity organizing and political awakening at PennWorking in the Biden White House on COVID operationsClean energy investment at the Department of EnergyNew Jersey's housing affordability crisis and the generational divideEnergy costs, PJM, and the case for local clean energyThe Gateway Tunnel and the future of NJ TransitRunning for Congress at 28 in a crowded NJ-12 primaryAbout the GuestJay Vaingankar is a congressional candidate for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. Born and raised in the Hightstown-East Windsor area of Mercer County, Jay attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a B.S. in Economics. After organizing volunteers from New Jersey to help flip Pennsylvania in the 2020 election, he was appointed to the Biden White House, where he worked on COVID operations and management. He later served at the Department of Energy, focusing on clean energy investment and policy.At 28, Jay is the youngest candidate in the NJ-12 race and the only one with federal agency experience. He is running on a platform centered on housing affordability, clean energy, healthcare, and transit investment. A fluent Spanish speaker who grew up in a community of 63 languages, Jay describes himself as a proud son of Central Jersey, living off Exit 8 on the Turnpike."New Jersey has the highest rate in the country of people our age still living with our parents. 43% of us aged 25 to 35 are living with our parents. It's twice the national average."

Rabbi Shlomo Schorr has one of the most interesting career paths in all of New Jersey political media. He spent years as a reporter covering Trenton and the Shore region for outlets ranging from The Lakewood Shopper and Mishpacha Magazine to The New York Times.In January 2023, he made the jump from covering politics to participating in it, joining Agudath Israel of America as Director of Legislative Affairs for the New Jersey office. If you follow New Jersey politics on Twitter/X, you probably already know Shlomo's account @OneJerseyShore, which has become essential reading for breaking news on everything from NJ Transit updates to gubernatorial politics.Topics We CoverGrowing up in Lakewood, New Jersey in Ocean CountyHis journalism career from The Lakewood Shopper to The New York TimesThe transition from reporting on politics to advocacy and lobbyingHow the New Jersey legislature works and the bill-making processEducation funding for non-public schools in New JerseyThe Jackson Township lawsuit and religious rights advocacyGovernor Mikie Sherrill's landslide victory and legislative prioritiesThe state of New Jersey local journalism and hope for its futureNew Jersey's unique political culture and regional differences

Tyler Cowen is an economist at George Mason University. He is also on his way to becoming the world's first information trillionaire, the host of the extraordinary podcast Conversations with Tyler, and a co-author of the MarginalRevolution blog. He is also, of course, from The Great New Jersey.He grew up in Hillsdale, Bergen County, but was born in the working-class Scots-Irish town of Kearney in Hudson County. In this conversation, Tyler and David explore what makes New Jersey a uniquely powerful incubator of social scientists, why the state's fragmented "boroughitis" politics created a natural laboratory for understanding economics and governance, and how surviving between New York and Philadelphia makes the Garden State into America's greatest exporter of human capital. They cover the gritty charm of North Jersey downtowns, the under appreciated walkability of old Jersey suburbs, shore town architecture, the Sopranos as social commentary, Philip Roth, what the state loses if it builds more high-rises along the Hudson, and whether AI will fix or break state government. Listen to learn why Tyler's one word description of New Jersey culture is "location-dependent".

Former Governor Chris Christie holds nothing back in the debut episode of New Jersey Exit Interviews hosted by David Piegaro.In this conversation, Christie discusses:→ Why he thinks New Jersey is "about to come in for another spate of bad conduct" on corruption→ His blunt assessment of Jack Ciattarelli's campaign ("ill-advised and ill devised... devastating loss")→ What went wrong with NJ's energy policy under Murphy→ The one thing Murphy actually got right→ His advice to Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill on her first 18 months→ Why Morris County went blue for the first time in his lifetime→ The real reason the county line mattered—and what replaces it