Tom Malinowski

Tomasz Pobóg Malinowski ( MAL-in-OW-skee, Polish: [ˈtɔmaʂ ˈpɔbuk maliˈnɔfskʲi]; born September 23, 1965) is an American politician and former diplomat who served from 2019 to 2023 as the U.S. representative from New Jersey's 7th congressional district. A Democrat, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Obama administration. A vocal opponent of Donald Trump, Malinowski was first elected in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Leonard Lance by five points. He was reelected in 2020 by a narrow margin over State Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean Jr. In a 2022 rematch with redrawn congressional maps favoring Republicans in the district, Kean beat Malinowski by nearly two points. On April 26, 2024, Malinowski announced that he would run for chair of the Hunterdon County Democratic Party. On June 23, 2024, Malinowski won the election. He resigned as chair on November 6, 2025. In November 2025, Malinowski announced his campaign for the 2026 special election in New Jersey's 11th congressional district to succeed Mikie Sherrill, who resigned after being elected governor. He narrowly lost the Democratic primary to Analilia Mejia in an upset.