Indian-American physician Dr Tina Shah has made several headlines in New Jersey after he entered the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District. As per local reports, Shah, an ICU doctor, raised over one million dollars in less than a year for her campaign.
Seeking to unseat Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr, Dr Shah shared on X that her campaign in 2025 raised over a million dollars, of which none were from corporate PACs.
Who is Dr Tina Shah?
Dr Tina Shah is a practicing physician and former Obama and Biden administration appointee. As per her campaign website, Shah decided to run for Congress as “America is in critical condition and enough is enough.”
Born and raised in New Jersey, Shah is triple board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonology, and critical care medicine, practicing at RWJ Barnabas Health.
During the Biden administration, she served as a senior advisor to the US Surgeon General and developed a national strategy to address worker burnout in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Obama, she served as a White House Fellow and a special advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Why is she running?
Speaking about her wish to run, she highlighted the need for a better healthcare system.
“We’re in an unprecedented time. We’ve gutted medical research. We’ve gutted things that keep people alive. I’m a doctor and I’m going to prosecute the case against Tom Kean, Jr. No one else can do this,” Shah told the New Jersey Globe.
“As a physician I took an oath to first do no harm, but when I go to work in the Intensive Care Unit, I’m up against a system that is designed to make patients broke and sicker, prioritize insurance companies’ profits above all else, and burn out a workforce trying to save lives,” Shah said on her campaign website.