‘Jeopardy!’ champ Jamie Ding upstages Gov. Sherrill at NJ news conference

🚨 NJ contestant edges up all-time “Jeopardy!” leaderboard

🏠 Champion steps into spotlight at major NJ affordable housing event

🎓 Law student and state worker blends TV fame with public service mission

TRENTON — New Jersey’s reigning “Jeopardy!” Champion stole the spotlight at a Statehouse event focused on finding affordable housing solutions.

Jamie Ding, who lives in Mercer County, won his 31st game in a row on Friday, putting him within reach of tying for the fourth most consecutive wins.

NJ “Jeopardy!” champ climbs leaderboard of all-time greats

Ding, a Lawrence Township resident, previously attended Princeton University and is now a student at Seton Hall University Law School.

His profession while competing on TV is listed as “bureaucrat and law student.”

Read More: NJ Jeopardy champ Jamie Ding joins voter data federal lawsuit

From game show fame to NJ housing policy spotlight

Ding works at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency as a program administrator.

Since it is within his work territory, on Monday, he joined Sherrill, state Sen. Benjie Wimberly and Assemblyman Lou Greenwald at an executive order signing ceremony.

The governor’s order creates a housing governing council, made up of leaders from several state departments. In 60 days, the council will receive a report on affordable housing options from around the state. By late September, the panel will use the data to issue five key recommendations for action.

“I’m tempted to say something really profound and esoteric and I guess here it is — housing is good,” Ding, a Lawrence Township resident, joked from the podium.

He praised the team at “Jeopardy!” for creating a “hospitable environment for its contestants and audience — and you just feel welcome there.”

“And, you know, that’s what I really want for everyone. Everyone to feel welcome,” Ding said.

Champion’s public service roots and legal fight

Ding is a naturalized citizen who obtained his citizenship in 2007.

He recently joined a courtroom battle to defend the state’s voter registration data from having to be shared with the federal government.

Ding previously worked in Jersey City for the city’s Division of Community Development, as well as for Americorps as a workforce investment analyst and as a field organizer for Enroll America, helping implement the Affordable Care Act in Michigan.

“When you always consider something someone else’s problem, it’ll never get solved,” Ding added at the Trenton press conference.

Big winnings — but one record still out of reach

As of Monday, Ding is in fifth place for regular season winnings, with $882,605 — which also ranks him seventh for “all time” winnings.

The only category Ding hasn’t made a dent in is single game winnings.

All 10 of those spots are dominated by Holzhauer, who’s known as “The High Roller” for approaching “Jeopardy!” with his aggressive betting tactics as a professional gambler.

So far, he's tied with James Holzhauer, who notched 32 wins in 2019.

The third most consecutive wins is mathematician Matt Amodio, who clinched 38 games in 2021.

Amy Schneider won 40 games in a row in 2022, and far in first, contestant-turned-host Ken Jennings won 74 games consecutively in 2004.

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