Herb Conaway

Herb Conaway
Official House portrait of Conaway smiling with his arms crossed in front of the U.S. flag, wearing a checkered blue jacket with an Air Force lapel pin, white shirt, and floral blue tie.
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2025
Preceded byAndy Kim
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 7th district
In office
January 13, 1998 – January 1, 2025
Preceded byDiane Allen
Succeeded byBalvir Singh
Personal details
BornHerbert Clark Hoover Conaway Jr.
(1963-01-30) January 30, 1963
Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Education
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service
1992–1996
RankCaptain

Herbert Clark Hoover Conaway Jr.[1] (born January 30, 1963) is an American politician, physician, and former Air Force officer currently serving as the U.S. representative from New Jersey's 3rd congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2025, where he represented the 7th legislative district.

Conaway served in the Assembly as the majority whip from 2014 to 2017, and was the deputy speaker from 2002 to 2005 and again starting in 2022.[2] He won New Jersey's 3rd district in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election, where he ran as the Democratic nominee.

Early life

Conaway in the Princeton University yearbook, 1985

Conaway was born at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton on January 30, 1963, to Eva Christine Conaway (née Godard), a nurse at the hospital, and Herb Conaway Sr., a history teacher at Bordentown Regional High School.[3][4][5] He grew up in Bordentown, attending high school there. Conaway graduated with an Bachelor of Arts in politics from Princeton University in 1985 after completing a 67-page long senior thesis titled "Black Political Strategy."[6] He then received a Doctor of Medicine degree from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and was awarded a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law—Newark.[2] He is the only member of the legislature to hold both an M.D. degree and a J.D. degree.[7]

Conaway served in the United States Air Force Medical Corps from 1992 to 1996, reaching the rank of Captain.[2] He served at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County as general medical officer and as assistant director of the primary care clinic.[7] He continues to practice medicine whilst serving in the legislature. He specializes in internal medicine and currently serves as director of the internal medicine clinic at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. He formerly worked at Cooper University Hospital and had a practice in Willingboro.[5] Formerly a resident of Delanco Township, he now lives in Moorestown.[5][7][8]

New Jersey General Assembly

Conaway was first elected to the General Assembly from the 7th District in 1997 as the top vote getter. The same election saw his running mate and second-place finisher, Jack Conners, be seated then removed due to voting machine issues and replaced in September 1998 by Republican Kenneth William Faulkner.[9] Conners was subsequently elected in a 1998 special election and the two served together from the 7th district from that point until 2011 when Conners resigned. Since late 2011, his Assembly associate from the district was Troy Singleton, until Singleton was elected to the New Jersey Senate. Since 2018, his Assembly associate has been Carol A. Murphy. He served as the Assembly's Deputy Speaker from 2002 to 2005.

Calling the proposed bill a "recipe for disaster" that could result in the spread of disease, Conaway opposed legislation proposed by Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk that would give parents the right to exclude their children from mandatory vaccinations, after hearings held in March 2011 by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee.[10] In 2019, Conaway supported legislation eliminating religious exemptions from mandatory vaccination requirements for students to be eligible to attend school.[11]

Committee assignments

Committee assignments for the current session are:[12]

  • Health, Chair
  • Budget
  • Military and Veterans' Affairs

District 7

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.[13] The representatives from the 7th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[14]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Conaway first ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2004, challenging Republican incumbent Jim Saxton in New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. Saxton defeated Conaway by approximately 63 percent to 35 percent.[15]

After Democratic incumbent Andy Kim announced that he would run for the U.S. Senate, Conaway entered the 2024 race for the 3rd congressional district.[16] He defeated fellow state assemblymember Carol A. Murphy and three other candidates in the Democratic primary.[17] Conaway then defeated Republican nominee Rajesh Mohan in the November general election, receiving 53.2 percent of the vote to Mohan's 44.6 percent.[18] He took office on January 3, 2025.

2026

Conaway ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for reelection in 2026.[19] Republican Michael McGuire, a former New York City police officer and military veteran, won the Republican primary and advanced to face Conaway in the November general election.[20]

Tenure

In July 2026, Conaway and Republican Representative Greg Murphy, both physicians, introduced the bipartisan Protecting Patients from Automated Denials Act.[21] The bill would require physician review and approval of artificial-intelligence-assisted prior-authorization denials by Medicare Advantage plans and would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to audit insurers' use of artificial intelligence in those decisions. The American Medical Association supported the legislation, saying physician oversight should remain part of Medicare Advantage prior-authorization decisions involving artificial intelligence.[22]

Committee assignments

Conaway initially served on the House Committee on Small Business during the 119th Congress, but resigned from the committee on February 2, 2026.[23] As of 2026, his committee assignments are:[24]

Committee on Armed Services
Committee on Veterans' Affairs (Vice Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships

Among Conaway's caucus memberships are:[24]

Electoral history

Congress

New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, 2024[25][26]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Herb Conaway 27,528 49.62
Democratic Carol A. Murphy 14,049 25.32
Democratic Joe Cohn 6,517 11.75
Democratic Sarah Schoengood 5,524 9.96
Democratic Brian Schkeeper 1,862 3.36
Total votes 55,480 100.00
General election
Democratic Herb Conaway 202,034 53.2
Republican Rajesh Mohan 169,454 44.6
Green Steven Welzer 3,478 0.9
Libertarian Chris Russomanno 1,951 0.5
Independent Douglas Wynn 1,332 0.3
Independent Justin Barbera 1,235 0.3
Total votes 379,484 100.00
New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, 2004[27][28]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Herb Conaway 11,731 100.00
Total votes 11,731 100.00
General election
Republican Jim Saxton (incumbent) 195,938 63.44
Democratic Herb Conaway 107,034 34.65
U.S. Marijuana Party R. Edward Forchion 4,914 1.59
Libertarian Frank Orland 976 0.32
Total votes 308,862 100.00

Assembly

7th Legislative District General Election, 2023[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Herbert C. Conaway Jr. (incumbent) 32,608 33.5
Democratic Carol Murphy (incumbent) 31,936 32.8
Republican Douglas Dillon 16,368 16.8
Republican Eileen Bleistine 16,350 16.8
Total votes 97,262 100.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey general election, 2021
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Herb Conaway 45,728 30.98%
Democratic Carol Murphy 45,170 30.60%
Republican Douglas Dillon 28,579 19.36%
Republican Joseph Jesuele 28,139 19.06%
Total votes 147,616 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2017[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 39,879 33.1 Increase 2.5
Democratic Carol Murphy 38,819 32.3 Increase 2.4
Republican Octavia Scott 20,941 17.4 Decrease 1.9
Republican Robert Thibault 20,726 17.2 Decrease 1.7
Total votes 120,365 100.0

[31]

New Jersey general election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 22,559 30.6 Increase 2.6
Democratic Troy Singleton 22,056 29.9 Increase 2.1
Republican Bill Conley 14,272 19.3 Decrease 3.1
Republican Rob Prisco 13,949 18.9 Decrease 2.9
Total votes 72,836 100.0

[32]

New Jersey general election, 2013
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 34,978 28.0 Increase 1.8
Democratic Troy Singleton 34,772 27.8 Increase 2.2
Republican Anthony Ogozalek 27,991 22.4 Decrease 1.9
Republican Jeff Banasz 27,233 21.8 Decrease 2.1
Total votes 124,974 100.0

[33]

New Jersey general election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Herb Conaway 23,908 26.2
Democratic Troy Singleton 23,403 25.6
Republican James "Jim" Keenan 22,144 24.3
Republican Christopher Halgas 21,828 23.9
Total votes 91,283 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2009[34]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 36,127 31.9 Increase 3.7
Democratic Jack Conners 35,156 31.0 Increase 3.0
Republican Leah J. Arter 21,332 18.8 Decrease 3.2
Republican Harry Adams 20,763 18.3 Decrease 3.5
Write-In Personal choice 20 0.02 N/A
Total votes 113,398 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2007[35]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 22,865 28.2 Decrease 4.6
Democratic Jack Conners 22,760 28.0 Decrease 4.2
Republican Brian Propp 17,843 22.0 Increase 4.0
Republican Nancy Griffin 17,741 21.8 Increase 4.8
Total votes 81,209 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2005[36]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 36,221 32.8 Increase 6.6
Democratic Jack Conners 35,562 32.2 Increase 6.1
Republican Joe Donnelly 19,902 18.0 Decrease 6.4
Republican Mike Savala 18,718 17.0 Decrease 6.3
Total votes 110,403 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2003[37]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Conaway 22,161 26.2 Decrease 3.3
Democratic Jack Conners 22,059 26.1 Decrease 3.6
Republican Jean Stanfield 20,600 24.4 Increase 4.1
Republican Mike Savala 19,727 23.3 Increase 3.6
Total votes 84,547 100.0
New Jersey general election, 2001[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jack Conners 31,703 29.7
Democratic Herb Conaway 31,547 29.5
Republican Clara Ruvolo 21,740 20.3
Republican Aubrey A. Fenton 21,066 19.7
Conservative Hosey Best 850 0.8
Total votes 106,906 100.0
New Jersey general election, 1999[39]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jack Conners 20,667 27.7 Increase 3.1
Democratic Herb Conaway, MD 20,517 27.5 Increase 2.9
Republican Gary Daniels 16,086 21.6 Decrease 2.9
Republican Clara Ruvolo 15,338 20.6 Decrease 1.9
Conservative Norman E. Wahner 1,025 1.4 Increase 0.4
Conservative Hosey Best 896 1.2 Increase 0.1
Total votes 74,529 100.0
New Jersey general election, 1997[40]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herbert C. Conaway Jr. 27,447 24.63 Increase 3.2
Democratic Jack Conners 27,402 24.59 Increase 3.4
Republican Ken Faulkner 27,335 24.53 Decrease 3.2
Republican George Williams 25,122 22.5 Decrease 3.0
Conservative Hosey Best 1,257 1.1 N/A
Conservative Raymond Hellings 1,091 1.0 N/A
Reform Carmen S. Zarrelli 900 0.8 N/A
Reform George Guzdek 880 0.8 Decrease 0.7
Total votes 111,434 100.0

References

  1. ↑ "Rep. Herb Conaway - D New Jersey, 3rd - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Assemblyman Conaway's legislative web page Archived January 24, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr., M.D. Bio Page". NJ Assembly Majority Office. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  4. ↑ Staff (July 25, 2014). "Rest in Peace: Eva Christine Conaway". Politicker NJ. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Kitchenman, Andrew (May 20, 2015). "Profile: Assemblyman Brings Physician's Perspective to Healthcare Issues". NJ Spotlight. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  6. ↑ Conaway, Herbert (1985). "Black Political Strategy". Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. 1 2 3 Herb Conaway, M.D. profile, Denison for State Senate / Conaway & Conners for State Assembly. Accessed August 8, 2007. Archived July 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Assembly Member Herbert C. 'Herb' Conaway Jr. Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 8, 2007.
  9. ↑ Staff. "Conners Ordered To Leave Assembly \ A Disputed Election Led To A Ruling That A Republican Must Take His Seat, Setting Stage For Rematch With Ken Faulkner." Archived July 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 3, 1998. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  10. ↑ Friedman, Matt. "N.J. Assemblyman rejects parents' plea for more say on kids' vaccinations" Archived March 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Star-Ledger, March 8, 2011. Accessed March 17, 2011.
  11. ↑ Floor Statement - Assembly January 31, 2019 by Herb Conaway Archived December 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed December 11, 2019.
  12. ↑ Carol A. Murphy (D) Archived May 20, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2022.
  13. ↑ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II Archived February 5, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ Legislative Roster for District 7 Archived January 13, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 22, 2024.
  15. ↑ Wildstein, David (October 14, 2023). "Conaway appears likely to run for Congress in NJ-3". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Wildstein, David (December 7, 2023). "Herb Conaway enters race for Andy Kim's House seat". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ Burns, P. Kenneth (June 4, 2024). "Conaway wins Democratic primary in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District". WHYY. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  18. ↑ "New Jersey Election Results 2024: Live Updates". NPR. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  19. ↑ "New Jersey Primary Election Results 2026". NPR. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  20. ↑ DiFilippo, Dana (June 2, 2026). "Michael McGuire wins GOP nod to challenge Rep. Herb Conaway". New Jersey Monitor. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  21. ↑ "H.R. 9734 – Protecting Patients from Automated Denials Act". GovInfo. U.S. Government Publishing Office. July 16, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  22. ↑ "July 31, 2026: National Advocacy Update". American Medical Association. July 31, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Resignation as Member of Committee on Small Business". Congressional Record. United States Congress. February 2, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Committees and Caucuses". U.S. Representative Herb Conaway. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  25. ↑ Secretary of State of New Jersey (December 5, 2024). "Official General Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  26. ↑ Secretary of State of New Jersey (July 2, 2024). "Official Primary Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  27. ↑ Secretary of State of New Jersey (November 30, 2004). "Official General Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  28. ↑ Secretary of State of New Jersey (June 9, 2024). "Primary Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  30. ↑ "2017-official-general-election-results-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  31. ↑ "2015-official-ge-results-nj-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  32. ↑ "2013-official-general-election-results-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  33. ↑ "2011-official-gen-elect-gen-assembly-results-121411.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  34. ↑ "2009-official-gen-elect-gen-assembly-tallies-120109.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  35. ↑ "2007-official-general-election-tallies(ga)-12.12.07.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  36. ↑ "05831236.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  37. ↑ "2003g_a_candidate_tally.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  38. ↑ "2001-general-elect-gen-assembly-tallies.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  39. ↑ "1999-general-elect-gen-assembly-candidate-tallies.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  40. ↑ "1997-general-election-results-state-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
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