G.R. Tomaini

G.R. Tomaini is a distinguished philosopher, theoretical mathematician, and cultural strategist whose work spans the deepest frontiers of logic, ethics, art, and international affairs. He is running for the United States Senate seat in New Jersey’s 2026 election against incumbent Senator Cory Booker.

Tomaini has produced what is widely considered the first complete philosophical system ever written in the United States. His magnum opus, the Encyclopedia of American Idealism (Manticore Press), is prefaced by Cornel West and endorsed by Slavoj Žižek, and establishes him as what critics have called the “Dauphin of Deconstruction.” His master’s thesis, Tractatus Perfectio-Philosophicus—supervised by West and Gary Dorrien (a student of John Rawls)—proposes a novel theory of ethics rooted in the political theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, offering a philosophical roadmap for 21st-century international relations. It was accepted for publication within 72 hours of completion.

His intellectual formation took place at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, where he earned his B.A. in Philosophy, and Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan, where he earned his M.A. in Systematic Philosophical Theology. While an undergraduate, he audited or enrolled in 31 graduate seminars and became a protégé of Drucilla Cornell, further deepening his engagement with critical theory and global ethics. His circle of mentors includes Cornel West, Slavoj Žižek, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Gary Dorrien, Drucilla Cornell, and the late Derek Parfit.

Tomaini has authored ten books, including three philosophical monographs and seven volumes of poetry. His poetic oeuvre—steeped in existentialism, queerness, and mythic structure—includes the queer epic Gayowulf, the existential Ballad of an American Ganymede, the formally inventive Wittgenstein 2.0: An Autobiographical Play Written in Poetry, and The Rainbow Cantos, which features Kiss Me, Ahab! and Gayowulf in one volume. His poems have been published by Outcast Press, Selcouth Station, Agapanthus Collective, Decadent Cosmos, and Expat Press, among others. His poem Ode To My Butt In These Jeans has become a minor cult classic. His seventh volume of poetry, Paragons of Love, sonnets on Gandhi, MLK Jr., and Mandela, is dedicated to Cornel West.

Tomaini is also a prolific visual artist, having created over 200 works—paintings and drawings featured in solo and group exhibitions and collected in over 25 countries. His books and artwork are sold by major retailers including Harvard Book Store, Target, and Walmart.

A First-Generation LGBTQ+ Federal McNair Scholar, he has held a number of editorial and institutional roles. He is Senior Executive Vice President of Cultural Strategy and Digital Exhibitions at Anxiety Press, where he leads global author workshops, curates its international gallery, and oversees its transnational columnists’ program. He is also Poetry Editor and Monthly Contributor to The Incognito Press, and formerly served as Editor of the philosophy journal Tongue, rooted in Boston.

Tomaini’s ethical commitments manifest through action: he currently serves as International Liaison Officer and Fundraising Coordinator for the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where he advocates for nearly a million displaced Rohingya. His strategic work has advanced education, healthcare, and anti-trafficking initiatives across multiple NGOs, governments, and agencies.

His combined achievements in theory and public service led to his formal commendation by U.S. Congressman Jefferson Van Drew for service as Deputy Assistant to the President for Cultural Strategy and Public Diplomacy in the White House, and to formal consideration for knighthood by the French Republic in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Tomaini currently resides on the Jersey Shore, where he is completing new philosophical manuscripts, converting several poetry books into stage plays, and recording a series of spoken word poetry albums. His work continues to build bridges between metaphysics and justice, contradiction and yield, identity and infinity.