Lawrence's ‘Jeopardy!’ King Jamie Ding Joins Sherrill At Housing Order Signing

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - Jamie Ding, the NJ housing official riding a historic 31-game winning streak on “Jeopardy!”, joined Gov. Mikie Sherrill at the signing of her housing executive order Monday, bringing a dose of celebrity to a policy event focused on the deepening affordability crisis.

Ding, 33, who works as Multifamily and Tax Credit Program Administrator at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, was introduced at the signing ceremony as the state's champion — both on the game show and on housing.

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As of his most recent episode, Ding has won 31 consecutive games and accumulated $882,605 in total winnings, putting him one win away from matching James Holzhauer's legendary 32-game streak from 2019.

He has appeared on Good Morning America and become one of the most-watched “Jeopardy!” contestants in years. A Princeton University graduate with a degree in molecular biology, Ding currently lives in Lawrenceville and works in state housing administration.

At the signing, Ding drew a lighthearted parallel between the warmth of the “Jeopardy!” set and the goal of the executive order.

"One thing I've learned from being on “Jeopardy!” is just such a hospitable environment that the show creates for its contestants and for its audience, and you just feel welcome there," Ding said. "That's what I really want for everyone — everyone to feel welcome. And here in New Jersey, we've done a great job, but this executive order will help make things better."

He kept his remarks brief but pointed. "When you always consider something somebody else's problem, it will never get solved," Ding said. "It's always time to get to work, but this executive order really signals time to get to work."

The order, Sherrill's 17th and signed within her first 100 days in office, establishes a Housing Governing Council and directs all state agencies to submit housing affordability reports to the Governor's Office by June 27. A full housing plan is expected by Sept. 24, as Patch previously reported.

"We can't make New Jersey more affordable without making housing more affordable," Sherrill said at the signing. "With this Executive Order, we are aligning every tool at our disposal to accelerate housing production and make it easier for families to put down roots in the communities they love."

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