Galloway Township resident Wayne Lewis, a Democrat, announced his candidacy for the New Jersey General Assembly in the 9th Legislative District, covering Galloway Township and Port Republic in Atlantic County and much of Ocean County.

“Since Galloway Township and Port Republic were taken out of the Second District in 2011, our residents have felt a severe lack of representation in Trenton. If we want to meet with our legislators, we have to travel 40 minutes to Forked River. It’s about time we had a Galloway Township person fighting for our interests at the state level,” said Lewis.

Lewis is a professor, entrepreneur, and activist who has lived in South Jersey for the past 12 years.  Wayne graduated summa cum laude from Temple University with a degree in biochemistry/biophysics and obtained two graduate degrees from Penn State University. Lewis previously taught in the mathematics department at Penn State and is collaborating on a number of research projects related to economics and is currently working on a book. He became interested in politics in 2014 when he became fully aware of the climate crisis and the crisis of democracy here and abroad. He is running for the General Assembly because he recognizes that income and wealth inequality, jobs, and the environment are the the most pressing issues facing the residents of Ocean and Atlantic counties.

“Atlantic and Ocean counties are greatly impacted by the negative effects of climate change, with rising sea levels damaging property and more catastrophic weather hurting small businesses. We need smarter planning at the state level to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create good-paying jobs for our residents,” said Lewis.

Lewis received the endorsement of both the Ocean County and Atlantic County Democratic Committee this past weekend. His running mate is Sarah “Sally” Collins of Ocean County.