Andrew Zwicker is exactly the kind of person you wish were in elected office but almost never is. He’s not only a physicist, he’s the Head of Science Education at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Unlike the Republicans who treat science as a four-letter word, Zwicker, a Democrat, is a proud advocate of the STEM fields.

In 2015, when he ran for the New Jersey General Assembly, he beat a Republican incumbent by one of the narrowest margins you’ll ever see: less than 100 votes. But it was enough to put him in office.

He just ran for re-election yesterday, and the voters rewarded him with another term, this time with a much more comfortable margin of victory.

Why mention him on this site? Because Zwicker is an open atheist who was endorsed by the Freethought Equality Fund PAC.

As a scientist, Andrew promotes public policy using evidence based decision making, not ideology, and is focused on rebuilding the state’s infrastructure and economy, protecting the environment, and enhancing public education and making college affordable.

It’s great to see another non-religious person in elected office since there are only a handful of them at the state level (and none who are open about it beyond that). But it’s even better to know he’s smart. He bases policy decisions on evidence and reason, not religion or political correctness.

Imagine the nation we’d be in if more politicians followed his lead.

And with a newly elected Democrat in the Governor’s mansion, and Democratic majorities in both the Assembly and Senate, there’s no telling what they’ll be able to accomplish now. Let’s hope they make the most of the incredible opportunity.

