J-L Cauvin, a Bloomfield resident and candidate in the Democratic Primary for the vacant 11th District Congressional seat, campaigns on the street.
A Bronx transplant to Bloomfield, J-L Cauvin, 46, is in the mix for Mikie Sherrill’s District 11 Congressional seat.
One of 12 candidates in the Feb. 5, 2026, special primary — just one is a Republican, Cauvin attended Williams College and Georgetown University Law School. He has been a lawyer for 20 years, his first job was an assistant district attorney in The Bronx where he currently works for a non-profit representing people facing indigent eviction.
But he is more widely recognized, especially on the internet, as a comic whose shtick is parodying Donald Trump. Cauvin, who has lived in Bloomfield for six years, said he did not like what was going on and thought about running for Congress.
“I talked to some friends if there was a lane for me with a background in law and comedy,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about this since spring and made my official announcement in October. If it was 30 years ago, I’d have thought, ‘Who needs a comedian?’”
The lone Republican primary candidate, Joe Hathaway, a member of the Randolph Township Council, will represent his party in the special election scheduled April 16, 2026, to fill Sherrill’s seat. The 11th District comprises 27 Morris County municipalities,15 in Essex County and four in Passaic County.
“Trump and the GOP have been horrible for this country,” Cauvin said. “I’m a life-long Democrat and we’ve had a tough time competing with the right. Democrats have to grow their base. They need someone who can engage the field and I think I can honestly contribute to this race and the party.”
He thought people were not without reason for losing faith in government or thinking all politicians are corrupt. The government has become an entrenched clan, he said, and campaigning presents insurmountable odds when you don’t have the war chest.
“We’ve strayed from good government,” he continued. “The government we have does not reflect our reality. Some of this is personnel and some is structural. I wish I had the solution. But the first thing is having people to address the issues. People have to excel in communications. That’s the reality.
I’ve been making progress in personal appearances, but there are limitations to what you can do in two months. I’m hoping to use my strength on the internet. Before this campaign, I had two jobs: law and comedy. I did as much as I could do as an engaged citizen with very little free time.”
Although he would represent portions of three New Jersey counties and cited the adage that all politics is local, Cauvin said that Trump has made local politics national.
“A broad messaging cannot be left to a president,” he said. “Democrats always seem to be losing after all their accomplishments. It’s because people don’t believe in our messengers.”
As for his own campaign funding, Cauvin said he did a YouTube telethon last week and raised $15,000. He was proud of that.
“The one silver lining of a Trump presidency is that he goes astray in unfortunate ways,” he said. “We need to run a democracy with people who can make the government more relatable, who can make democracy a winning issue. Communication is an imperative.”
He also believes, with the aging of Baby Boomers, the country is in an eldercare crisis and this should be made an issue.
“Eldercare is incredibly expensive,” he said. “In Japan there’s a long-term, caring solution. And what Trump has done is make eldercare difficult.”
Cauvin is also concerned with climate change and says clean energy is good business.
“It’s time for Democrats to highlight energy costs,” he said. “We need to do drastic things for clean energy and nuclear energy is part of the solution.”
Regarding artificial intelligence, Cauvin said we cannot put the genie back in the bottle and again he says there is a need for communication.
“AI will do good things, but we need someone who can talk about it,” he said. “We race ahead about so many things and only later think about the damage. We need people who can deal with this.”
He also favors term limits for members of Congress.
“Ten terms in the House of Representatives and three in the Senate is a good start,” he said.
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