Republican · New Jersey's 12th District · 2026
Gregg Mele
Mele grew up in New Jersey with a father who worked long hours in a bookbinding factory.
Biography
Gregg Mele has performed in community theater, including portraying Rabbi Jacob Samuels in Westfield Community Players' production of Abie's Irish Rose.1 He lives in Plainfield with his wife and has two children.2 His campaign biography recounts his father's long hours working in a bookbinding factory.3
Mele earned his bachelor's degree at Montclair State, a master's at Stevens Institute of Technology and an MBA at Baruch College.4 His legal degrees are a J.D. from New York Law School and an LL.M. from New York University.4 He spent 16 years working on Wall Street before establishing his own law practice.5
His work has also included teaching graduate courses in law, finance, economics and technology at Stevens and Fairleigh Dickinson University.3 His earlier political campaigns included running for New Jersey governor as the Libertarian candidate in 2021.2 He is running as a Republican for Congress in 2026.6
Mele favors domestic energy production, competitive markets, regulatory restraint and tighter federal spending.7 His healthcare proposals emphasize price transparency, competition and portable coverage, and he opposes replacing the insurance system with a single federal payer.3 He faces Democrat Adam Hamawy in the open 12th District race, which also includes Green Party candidate Andres Jinete and independent Winston Jordan.2