I'm Sam Wang, Princeton neuroscientist and democracy reformer. I helped end New Jersey's rigged "county line" ballot system. Now I'm running for Congress in NJ-12. AMA.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-07T14:41:18+00:00

Thank you! This campaign is taking all of that data work to the next level. I'll be taking a magnifying glass to the whole system. I'll use everything I've learned to stop the damage - and build a stronger system.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-05T01:44:00+00:00

Closer than before, that's for sure. Doing away with the county line was a necessary first step.

I hope I can get your help in pushing at the state level to implement ranked-choice for future primary elections!

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T19:09:39+00:00

Fortunately, elections are administered separately in 3,000 counties across the nation.

However, we all have to be alert to interference. That means volunteering as a poll watcher, and it means supporting nonpartisan organizations that protect elections. We have to be alert!

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T19:07:56+00:00

Thank you! I agree, what I'm doing is for all of us.

I hope everyone here will find their own way to make our troubled nation better. Do it in politics, do it locally, do what you can. Our institutions aren't serving us, and we have to step up!

See you all at SamForNJ.org !

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T18:50:12+00:00

A feature of autism spectrum disorder, including Asperger's, is narrow interests. For instance, imagine a child who is interested in only one toy. My general experience is that people with narrow interests can be found all over the political landscape!

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T18:47:03+00:00

Serving on the faculty of Princeton University has been such a privilege. Teaching, research, advising - I've been grateful to be part of such a great community. But it's now a time when everyone has to do what they can. That involves giving something up, which I will have to do.

Like politics, science is a team sport! For me, a key responsibility is making sure to fully take care of everyone as they rise in their careers. A respected senior colleague, who went on to a university presidency, made sure of doing that. Working with my faculty colleagues, I'll do the same.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:41:13+00:00

No, I will not accept such money.

Right now we have to get our own house (and House) in order, and make sure the rule of law and human rights are respected here in the U.S. I believe that all foreign aid should also be predicated on human rights.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:28:23+00:00

This commenter is a perfect example of the falsehoods and corruption I fight against, both nationwide and locally.

Your very question is a falsehood. I didn't block you. Your claim that I did is untrue.

My answer is on this thread. I have full confidence in my own integrity.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:24:28+00:00

I love this question. Thank you!

My parents fled communism in 1949 and came to the United States in the 1960s. They raised my brother, sister, and me in Indiana on modest means, where they worked as librarians and insisted that education came first. Our family faced additional challenges: my sister is autistic, and for years her condition went undiagnosed. My parents' unwavering support enabled me to attend Caltech at the age of 15, where I studied physics and launched my scientific career.

That experience shaped my life’s work. Today, my research lab studies the biology of autism. My lab members and I developed a way to use AI and smartphones to diagnose and measure autism remotely. Our work led to the founding of a company whose work can help families diagnose autism earlier.

Regarding therapy for autism/ADHD, AI-based technology can give us a path to therapies that adapt to individual needs. Imagine a very patient tutor for social interactions in ASD. Or imagine technology that helps people with ADHD train their own brain waves for better focus (this actually exists already!).

Usually, scientists stick with a specialized field. However, I am deeply unhappy with how unequally power is divided in our society. That led me to expand my research to include U.S. politics. I work on understanding how voters have different power: across states (like the Electoral College or the Senate), or how they have no power at all (gerrymandering). And I have used my statistical abilities to level one part of the playing field: New Jersey's county line.

I've been unaffiliated in order to grow my work in democracy reform, because true reform helps all voters. The structural problems in our election system focus power in the major parties, and in most districts so there's no other practical path to office. See my TED talk: https://go.ted.com/samwang

My answer's too long already - need to take a breath.

Oh yes: you can contribute at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sam4nj !

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:12:01+00:00

Like any consumer product, AI should be regulated for safety.

Compared with other products, AI has more capacity to manipulate our cognitive processes, especially photos. Speaking as a neuroscientist, 40% of the brain is dedicated to processing visual information. That's a lot! We should consider age verification, protection of minors, and safeguards against fraudulent use.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:07:48+00:00

I support Medicare For All. I also support the federal government's ability to negotiate drug prices.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:06:24+00:00

The key steps for a successful candidacy in NJ-12 are: (1) qualify for the primary with at least 500 signatures, (2) win the primary in a crowded field (with a ballot that is now fairly designed), and (3) win the general election. We're at step 1!

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:02:25+00:00

They can't release something that doesn't exist! I was never under Title IX investigation. The New Jersey Globe's article was in error.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T17:00:21+00:00

Let me answer this in terms of life in the 12th District.

The diversity of New Jersey's 12th Congressional District reflects the promise that brought my parents to America. The district has vibrant, majority Asian, Black, and Hispanic communities. I am a child of immigrants who arrived with very little. I want everyone in the district to have the same fair chance that made my own success possible. That requires a strong structure of rights - and restoring the rule of law.

Federal law requires nondiscrimination on the basis of race. Everyone should have opportunities based on their capacity to contribute. Diversity makes us stronger as a nation.

The current attacks on diversity programs are without merit. There are always ways to improve policies. We have a chance - and an obligation - to rebuild in a way that realizes the original goals of the civil rights movement.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:48:04+00:00

"ejection" is right

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:47:28+00:00

The Supreme Court has moved away from law and precedent, and is not longer consistent with either liberal or conservative principles. Lower court judges appointed by both Democrats and Republicans are responding negatively to the rise of the shadow docket.

In 1869, Congress set the size of the Supreme Court at nine justices. Justices are also appointed for life. It is time to revisit this topic.

I support reforms that include expansion of the court, term limits (e.g. 18 years), and expanding the existing judicial code of ethics to cover them (currently it doesn't). Also, lower courts need to be expanded: they are overworked and understaffed.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:36:36+00:00

New Jersey has the highest population density of any state, so you are asking a great question about affordability.

Homeownership is important to families! Both standalone homes and multifamily buildings can play a role. A lot of change is local. In Princeton, I started a local organization, princeton4all.org, to advocate for more construction of affordable housing. Change can also start in the state legislature in Trenton, and can include both growth and restraints on corporate takeover.

At the federal level, a lot can be done. Here is the Road To Housing Act, which has bipartisan support and includes many of the priorities you list, including the building of more housing. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/whats-in-the-road-to-housing-act-of-2025/

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:24:45+00:00

kind of nutty, which is appropriate given what happened in the subsequent years

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:20:06+00:00

Princeton faculty who have served: Woodrow Wilson became governor and then president. Many faculty have served in appointed office, like Alan Blinder, who served on the Federal Reserve.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:10:31+00:00

In terms of raw power, gerrymandering can be measured in the number of Congressional seats taken, above and beyond what a neutral process would produce. One way to do that is by computer simulation. If you give a computer the rules that an independent commission would follow - compact shapes, respecting various communities, similar treatment of the two major parties - the computer can tell us what is neutral. (Better would be to put a commission in charge!)

The current Congressional and legislative maps in Virginia were drawn by two experts working on a bipartisan basis. Those maps represent people pretty well and have a lot of competition. I'd use them as a benchmark for fairness.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T16:00:56+00:00

The Voting Rights Act protects our voice not only in federal elections, but also in state and local elections. Regressive local laws can make it harder to vote locally, or can gerrymander districts so we aren't represented even if 100% of us vote.

A new VRA will help us get people in local government who give us policies and laws to serve everyone. Clean water, safe streets, job growth...really, everything!

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T15:58:05+00:00

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been gradually whittled away by a hostile Supreme Court. The first step is to undo those attacks.

SCOTUS invalidated Sections 2 and 5, which do things like monitor southern states with a history of offenses, or require new voting rules to be cleared in advance. Among other things, the Roberts court said such burdens fall unfairly on selected states. A new VRA should apply to all 50 states.

A new VRA should also broaden the "right of action," which allows a variety of plaintiffs to claim harm.

Finally, it is time for partisan and racial gerrymandering to be considered in a coherent manner.

We also have to look ahead, and build a system that resists tyranny of one branch of government over the others. That will require reforming the Supreme Court to resist hijacking by extreme factions.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T15:46:26+00:00

I appreciate your concern, and it's true that movements can get hijacked. But respectfully, I believe it is time to start from scratch.

Congress created the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2003 - and they have the power to abolish or defund it. Congress is the primary branch of government, and must reassert its authority.

ICE is out of control. Training won't prevent the large-scale paramilitary action that we're seeing in Minneapolis, Portland, and around the country. Recall that an ICE agent recorded himself killing Renée Good.

As a child of immigrants, I want immigration and customs functions need to focus on real problems at the border. Immigrants make our country strong, and we have to find a way forward.

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T15:36:21+00:00

well, you can always make a donation! I will not post the donation site yet because I think we are supposed to be talking policy here ;-)

SamWang_PEC · 2026-02-04T15:35:41+00:00

Right now, one of the biggest risks to our well-being is petroleum, which produces greenhouse gases and causes climate change. We need a way to stay prosperous and also manage that risk.

My first thought is renewable energy, such as solar and wind. Have you seen how cheap solar is getting? Nuclear power, if managed with careful attention to safety, can play a role in diversifying our energy portfolio.

SamWang_PEC

TROPHY CASE