Herb Conaway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Herb Conaway
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Andy Kim
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 7th district
In office January 13, 1998 – January 1, 2025
Preceded by	Diane Allen
Succeeded by	Vacant
Personal details
Born	Herbert Clark Hoover Conaway Jr. (1963-01-30) January 30, 1963 (age 62) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Princeton University (BA) Thomas Jefferson University (MD) Rutgers University, Newark (JD)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1992–1996
Rank	Captain

Herbert Clark Hoover Conaway Jr. (born January 30, 1963) is an American physician and politician currently serving as the U.S. Representative from New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district. Previously, 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. 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 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. He grew up in Bordentown, attending high school there. Conaway graduated with an A.B. in politics from Princeton University in 1985 after completing a 67-page long senior thesis titled "Black Political Strategy." He then received an M.D. degree from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and was awarded a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law—Newark. He is the only member of the legislature to hold both an M.D. degree and a J.D. degree.

Conaway served in the United States Air Force Medical Corps from 1992 to 1996, reaching the rank of Captain. He served at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County as general medical officer and as assistant director of the primary care clinic. 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. Formerly a resident of Delanco Township, he now lives in Moorestown.

New Jersey 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. 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. In 2019, Conaway supported legislation eliminating religious exemptions from mandatory vaccination requirements for students to be eligible to attend school.

Committee assignments

Committee assignments for the current session are:

• 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. The representatives from the 7th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:

• Senator Troy Singleton (D)
• Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D)
• Assemblywoman Carol A. Murphy (D)

U.S. House of Representatives

Conaway ran for the United States House of Representatives for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the 2004 election, losing to Republican Jim Saxton Conway considered another run for the 3rd district in the 2024 election after incumbent Democrat Andy Kim decided to run for Senate, before officially deciding to enter in December 2023 after winning re-election. Conaway became the Democratic candidate to succeed Kim in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election after defeating his legislative district-mate, Carol A. Murphy, in a primary in June.

Caucus membership

New Democrat Coalition

Electoral history

Congress

Assembly

New Jersey general election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Conaway	39,879	33.1	2.5
	Democratic	Carol Murphy	38,819	32.3	2.4
	Republican	Octavia Scott	20,941	17.4	1.9
	Republican	Robert Thibault	20,726	17.2	1.7
Total votes			120,365	100.0

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

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

New Jersey general election, 2009
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Conaway	36,127	31.9	3.7
	Democratic	Jack Conners	35,156	31.0	3.0
	Republican	Leah J. Arter	21,332	18.8	3.2
	Republican	Harry Adams	20,763	18.3	3.5
	Write-In	Personal choice	20	0.02	N/A
Total votes			113,398	100.0

New Jersey general election, 2007
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Conaway	22,865	28.2	4.6
	Democratic	Jack Conners	22,760	28.0	4.2
	Republican	Brian Propp	17,843	22.0	4.0
	Republican	Nancy Griffin	17,741	21.8	4.8
Total votes			81,209	100.0

New Jersey general election, 2005
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Conaway	36,221	32.8	6.6
	Democratic	Jack Conners	35,562	32.2	6.1
	Republican	Joe Donnelly	19,902	18.0	6.4
	Republican	Mike Savala	18,718	17.0	6.3
Total votes			110,403	100.0

New Jersey general election, 2003
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Conaway	22,161	26.2	3.3
	Democratic	Jack Conners	22,059	26.1	3.6
	Republican	Jean Stanfield	20,600	24.4	4.1
	Republican	Mike Savala	19,727	23.3	3.6
Total votes			84,547	100.0

New Jersey general election, 1999
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jack Conners	20,667	27.7	3.1
	Democratic	Herb Conaway, MD	20,517	27.5	2.9
	Republican	Gary Daniels	16,086	21.6	2.9
	Republican	Clara Ruvolo	15,338	20.6	1.9
	Conservative	Norman E. Wahner	1,025	1.4	0.4
	Conservative	Hosey Best	896	1.2	0.1
Total votes			74,529	100.0

New Jersey general election, 1997
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herbert C. Conaway Jr.	27,447	24.63	3.2
	Democratic	Jack Conners	27,402	24.59	3.4
	Republican	Ken Faulkner	27,335	24.53	3.2
	Republican	George Williams	25,122	22.5	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	0.7
Total votes			111,434	100.0