Vin Gopal

Vin Gopal (born May 18, 1985) is an American Democratic politician who took office on January 9, 2018, to represent the 11th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate, which covers portions of Monmouth County.

[8] As Chairman, Gopal led the 2015 campaign for General Assembly, where he helped oust Republican incumbents Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini by newcomers Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey, in what was widely considered a major upset.

[10] In 2017, Gopal resigned the Chairmanship, announcing his intention to run for Senate in the 11th Legislative District against Republican incumbent Jennifer Beck.

[11] Gopal ran alongside first-term Democratic incumbents Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and Assemblywoman Joann Downey.

[17] On April 4, 2018, Gopal was named Senate Majority Conference Leader and Chairman of the Bipartisan Legislative Manufacturing Caucus.

[20] As a result of Houghtaling and Downey's losses, he was also left as the only Democrat representing Monmouth County in the state legislature.

In the 2023 elections, Gopal won by 21 percentage points against Republican Steve Dnistrian, outperforming expectations in what was forecasted to be a competitive race.

Gopal's Democratic running mates for seats in the General Assembly, Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul, defeated Republican incumbents Marilyn Piperno and Kimberly Eulner by smaller margins.

Gopal’s victory was easily enough to get his two running mates, Assemblywomen-elect Margie Donlon (D-Ocean Township) and Luanne Peterpaul (D-Long Branch), elected against incumbent Republicans Marilyn Piperno (R-Colts Neck) and Kim Eulner (R-Shrewsbury).... Donlon and Peterpaul currently have a combined 56.5% of the vote, an extremely robust total against two incumbents."

[26] Gopal was a main sponsor of codifying a constitutional right to freedom of reproductive choice, making one of New Jersey one of the strongest women's healthcare protections states.