Sam Wang
@samwang
Recent candidate for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. SamForNJ.org. Neurosciencer, democracy reform studier, plotter of data by hand as first step. At Princeton too. Long-form essays at samwang.substack.com.
Wednesday 3pm ET: At Fixing Bugs in Democracy, next we'll get into multimember districts & ranked-choice voting. This nerdy reform is all the rage. It could end gerrymandering. Would it a) decrease competition or b) increase voter leverage? The weird answer: both! open.substack.com/live-stream/...
Wednesday 2pm ET: A dive into the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act, with Nuzhat Chowdhury from N.J. Institute for Social Justice. - Can we fight the loss of the Voting Rights Act? - Can councils become more diverse? - Do closed primaries hurt Asian voters? open.substack.com/live-stream/...
At the Electoral Innovation Lab, our summer fellows have been busy! Tomorrow (Wednesday) join us for **two** Substack Live broadcasts. 2pm ET: New routes to voting rights in New Jersey, thanks to a state law enacted last month! 3pm: A hidden benefit to multimember districts! samwang.substack.com
Your assertion is not supported by survey evidence. DSA voters are extremely motivated to vote this year (66%) compared to other Democrats (57%). Both groups overwhelmingly support Democratic congressional candidates (99% of DSA and 94% of non-DSA). www.cnn.com/2026/07/30/p...
In current polls that asked both Rogers-vs-Stevens and Rogers-vs-El-Sayed questions (n=4), the differential is anywhere from a six-point advantage for nominating Stevens over El-Sayed to a three-point advantage for El-Sayed. The median difference is 2.5 points, at present.
Here's a larger data set. Note that the rank order is pretty good! The correlation coefficient is +0.934, where +1.0 is perfect. And a measure of getting the order right, which is called "rank correlation", is an amazing +0.980. tl;dr we're good at comparing, but we are the pits at quantifying
Well, it's been two weeks and we have already basically forgotten about Platner. And, the first survey's out:
Now the project 2025 crowd wants to set up $1 trillion patronage system. This would subvert how we decide scientific grants, construction projects, education, and public health. To learn how to fight this go to samwang.substack.com. Public comment ends today.
You can help stop the Project 2025 attack on science - but you need to act *today*. Tune in to Fixing Bugs in Democracy. Veteran science policymaker Elizabeth Ginexi will help us make an effective public comment & get Congress to act. Join us today 3pm Eastern: samwang.substack.com/p/fixing-bug...
Ironically, a narrow loss is not "getting slaughtered." It was a narrow loss, in a series of narrow Presidential and Congressional elections since 1994. We must get a grip on the fact that small changes in voting are leading to massive instability. We need to break out of this second Gilded Age.
What's next for primary elections in New Jersey? Tonight at 6:00pm, Princeton Public Library, a public discussion: samwang.substack.com/p/whats-next...
Fastest cleanup ever - the aftermath at Washington Square Park. Thank you city workers and Mamdani administration!
A bit hoarse from too much blowing off steam last night (including a karaoke duet with an opponent!). Thank you friends around the world, around the nation, and here in central New Jersey! More soon, but until then, one friend sent me this:
In Princeton, we’re meeting lots of neighbors who haven’t voted yet. But the primary is where your vote is most powerful! Democrats and unaffiliated voters, cast your ballot by 8pm! SamForNJ.org
Hello East Brunswick! Brad and I are here, thanking poll workers. Vote by 8:00pm!
With state Senator Andrew Zwicker on the platform today. We're two scientists, working to make change!
All gas, no brakes...and stop texting! You have until 8:00pm to vote. AND...unaffiliate voters, you can vote in the Democratic primary! Go there, ask for the ballot, and vote for SamForNJ.org
Hi, I’m Sam Wang. My opponents Jay, Squire, and I say: West Windsor, Plainsboro, Princeton, Hopewell, Pennington – get out there and vote today! SamForNJ.org
Not all Denocrats are the same. Governor Sherrill‘s troopers dispersed protesters with riot gear and tear gas. Call her at 609-292-6000. I’ll stand up for neighbors and human rights, and work to abolish and replace ICE. Vote in the NJ-12 primary, Tuesday June 2. SamForNJ.org
There's no room for Islamophobia, antisemitism, or any form of discrimination in decent American politics. SamForNJ.org
Just three days to the election in N.J.'s 12th District. I'll use my science & Capitol Hill experience to end gerrymandering, restore the Voting Rights Act, & rein in a runaway executive. If you want a democracy reformer in Congress, support my candidacy today! secure.actblue.com/donate/sam4n...
Last weekend to get out the vote - it's all gas, no brakes. Come on out! mobilize.us/samfornj