Herb Conaway Bio
Herbert Clark Hoover Conaway Jr. (born January 30, 1963) is an American politician, physician, and former Air Force officer who has served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he built a long career in state government before reaching Congress, representing the 7th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2025. Conaway is widely noted for combining a medical practice with public service, an uncommon dual career in American politics.
Beyond his legislative work, Conaway continues to practice internal medicine in New Jersey, serving as director of the internal medicine clinic at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. He is the only sitting member of the New Jersey Legislature to hold both a Doctor of Medicine degree and a Juris Doctor degree, a credential combination that has shaped his policy focus on health care and public safety.
Early Life and Background
Conaway was born on January 30, 1963, at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. He is the son of Eva Christine Conaway, a nurse at the hospital, and Herb Conaway Sr., a history teacher at Bordentown Regional High School. Growing up in a household rooted in education and health care gave him early exposure to both public service and medicine, two fields that would later define his professional life.
He was raised in Bordentown, New Jersey, where he attended local schools and completed his high school education. The combination of a teacher father and a nurse mother helped shape his interest in civic life and patient care, and his childhood in Burlington County kept him connected to the central New Jersey region he would later represent.
Path to US Politics
Conaway attended Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in politics in 1985. His 67-page senior thesis, titled “Black Political Strategy,” reflected an early academic interest in political mobilization and representation, themes that would later inform his work in the New Jersey Legislature.
He went on to receive a Doctor of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and later earned a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law–Newark. From 1992 to 1996, he served in the United States Air Force Medical Corps, reaching the rank of Captain and working at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County as a general medical officer and assistant director of the primary care clinic. These experiences in medicine, military service, and legal study prepared him for a transition into elected office in the late 1990s.
Herb Conaway Career
Early Career (1998–2001)
Conaway was first elected to the New Jersey General Assembly from the 7th District in 1997, taking his seat as the top vote-getter in the race. His initial years in Trenton were spent learning the routines of the state legislature and building relationships with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
He quickly established a reputation as a detail-oriented lawmaker with a focus on health care policy, an area where his medical training gave him unusual credibility. During this period, he also maintained his internal medicine practice, balancing clinical work with the demands of a part-time legislature.
New Jersey Assembly Breakthrough (2002–2024)
In 2002, Conaway was named Deputy Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, a position he held until 2005. The role elevated his profile within the Democratic caucus and allowed him to shape the chamber’s procedural agenda during a period of divided state government.
He continued to build influence over the following decade, serving as Assembly Majority Whip from 2014 to 2017. During his long tenure in the Assembly, he became a leading voice on vaccination policy, opposing legislation in 2011 that would have allowed parents to exempt their children from mandatory vaccinations, and later supporting a 2019 bill that eliminated religious exemptions for school attendance.
He returned to a senior leadership role in 2022, once again serving as Deputy Speaker of the General Assembly. Throughout this period, his Assembly colleagues included Jack Conners, Troy Singleton, and Carol A. Murphy, with whom he shared representation of the 7th District.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2025–Present)
After incumbent Democrat Andy Kim announced a run for the U.S. Senate, Conaway entered the 2024 race for New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district. He defeated his legislative district-mate Carol A. Murphy in the Democratic primary in June 2024 and went on to win the general election that fall.
He was sworn in as the U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district in 2025, bringing his decades of state-level experience and medical background to Congress. His transition from Trenton to Washington marked the culmination of more than 25 years in elected office.
Notable Events and Milestones
Conaway’s decision to run for Congress in 2024 came after he had already secured re-election to the General Assembly, a sequence that allowed him to pivot quickly once the seat opened. His victory made him the first physician to hold the 3rd district seat in recent memory and added another doctor-lawmaker to the New Jersey congressional delegation.
Herb Conaway Career Wins
Over more than two decades in elective office, Conaway has built a record of repeated victories in the 7th legislative district and a successful 2024 campaign for Congress. His wins reflect consistent support from voters in Burlington County and the surrounding central New Jersey communities.
New Jersey Assembly Highlights
Conaway was first elected to the General Assembly in 1997 and continued to win re-election from the 7th District through 2024, serving continuously until his congressional victory. He was the top vote-getter in his initial race and remained a leading vote-getter in the district for the duration of his Assembly career, often running alongside a slate partner such as Jack Conners, Troy Singleton, or Carol A. Murphy.
Other Wins & Achievements
In 2024, Conaway won the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district and then the general election, succeeding Andy Kim in the U.S. House of Representatives. His leadership posts, including Deputy Speaker from 2002 to 2005 and again beginning in 2022, and Assembly Majority Whip from 2014 to 2017, represent additional recognition from his colleagues.
Herb Conaway Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Conaway is the son of Herb Conaway Sr., a history teacher at Bordentown Regional High School, and Eva Christine Conaway, a nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. Both parents were rooted in public-facing professions, and their example helped guide him toward a career that combines medicine, law, and elected office.
Personal Life
Conaway resides in Moorestown, New Jersey, having previously lived in Delanco Township. He continues to practice internal medicine alongside his legislative duties, serving as director of the internal medicine clinic at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton and formerly working at Cooper University Hospital and in a private practice in Willingboro.