A Neuroscientist Runs for Congress

Neuroscientist and Princeton professor Sam Wang is running for Congress in New Jersey's 12th district — a rare move for an academic with a PhD from Stanford and a career dedicated to electoral reform. In this candid conversation with Andrew Yang, Wang reveals how his decades of data-driven work on gerrymandering, the Electoral College, and nonpartisan primaries led him to conclude that systemic change can't wait: it must be enacted from within. He argues that the current system systematically disenfranchises voters — with one vote in Pennsylvania worth 1,000 in California — and that reforms like open primaries and citizen redistricting commissions are proven by simulation to increase fairness and competition. Wang’s decision to run stems from frustration with slow progress, especially amid recent backsliding in redistricting reforms across states like Texas and Florida. Despite a 13-candidate Democratic primary, he believes his unique profile — a data-savvy scientist with a diverse, high-Asian population district — gives him a real shot. Yang praises his approach as a 'reluctant politician do-gooder' who brings rare scientific rigor to democracy, and calls on listeners to support him not just for policy, but for the symbolic shift: a scientist in Congress who understands how to build systems that work. Wang’s campaign is built on authenticity — from petting dogs at grocery stores to tasting banh mi in Trenton.