Squire Servance officially enters NJ-12 race

Squire Servance, a patent and life sciences attorney who launched an exploratory committee for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district in November, has now officially joined the race, bringing the number of Democrats running to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) up to 13.

In talking to local residents during the weeks he spent exploring a campaign, Servance said, he got a good sense of what Central Jersey voters are looking for out of their next member of Congress.

“I’ve spoken to barbershops in Trenton, small businesses in Pennington, churches in Somerset and in Plainfield,” he said. “And honestly, the message was consistent: people wanted new, fresh leadership. They wanted someone who will stand up unapologetically when our values are under threat, including and specifically holding the Trump administration accountable… I felt a responsibility to step up and help deliver that kind of leadership.”

Servance is originally from South Jersey, which is where he waged what was his only campaign for public office until this year; in 2011, he went up against the Camden County Democratic Party in the race for mayor of Winslow Township, ultimately losing the Democratic primary by a 53%-47% margin.

He’s since moved to Pennington in Mercer County, and now holds positions at a technology and science-focused law firm and at a life sciences firm he founded. A Rutgers alum, he’s also a member of the Rutgers Board of Trustees.

“My goal is to bring healthy and more affordable communities to New Jersey and hopefully beyond,” Servance said of his congressional campaign. “The aim is: make an economy that works for everybody, not just for the privileged few that have the networks and have the relationships.”

Servance will be going up against a huge number of other Democrats, including several who already hold local elected office in the 12th district. He said he expects he’ll be able to keep up with his more established opponents, though, on a financial front: “From a fundraising side of things, I think we’ll be competitive,” he said.

Also in the race for the district are Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton), Somerset County Commissioner Shanel Robinson (D-Franklin), former Army combat surgeon Adam Hamawy, former Energy Department official Jay Vaingankar, East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen, Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp, Millstone Mayor Raymond Heck, entrepreneur Elijah Dixon, housing policy researcher Iziah Thompson, community activist Mike Anderson, former West Windsor mayoral candidate Sujit Singh, and fitness studio owner Kyle Little; Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D-Hamilton) and former NJ-7 candidate Sue Altman are potential candidates as well.