NJ-11 Race Heats Up; List Of Republican Challengers Grows

NEW JERSEY — The list of Republican challengers running against Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional district continues to balloon, with an ex-county prosecutor officially announcing his 2022 campaign on Tuesday.

Paul DeGroot, a former Passaic County assistant prosecutor, is one of several GOP candidates hoping to get the party nod next year against Sherrill, the Democratic incumbent who replaced Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen after his retirement.

The 11th district includes several towns in Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties (see the list below).

DeGroot, a lifelong New Jersey resident, said that if he’s elected, he plans to attract new, high-paying jobs to the district while also securing more federal tax relief. He added that if elected, he plans to “reduce burdensome regulations on businesses,” promote more opportunities for the advancement for women, and push for better treatment for the region’s veterans and seniors.

In his campaign announcement, DeGroot challenged Sherrill on two recent issues that have made headlines in the district: Hurricane Ida and the state and local tax (SALT) deduction.

“Tropical Storm Ida was one of the deadliest natural disasters for the state in the last century,” DeGroot said. “Yet [Rep.] Sherrill neglected to secure proper federal aid for the deluged areas of Morris and Passaic County and beyond – even though New Jersey residents routinely step up to support other areas of the country in their times of need.”

According to Sherrill, she was among the House members who supported Gov. Phil Murphy’s request for a federal disaster declaration, coordinating with mayors and local officials in communities impacted throughout the district.

Sherrill was also one of the elected officials who pushed for Essex County to be included on the FEMA disaster list for Ida after the county was initially left off the list.

DeGroot also accused Sherrill of “missing a major opportunity” to insist on a full SALT cap repeal in the $1.2 trillion Investment and Jobs Act, which was recently signed into law by President Joe Biden. Read More: NJ House Members All Vote Yes On $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

However, Sherrill has been a consistent critic of the SALT cap, which was rolled out four years ago as part of the tax reforms under former President Donald Trump. After voting alongside every other Democratic House member to pass the Biden Administration’s other domestic spending plan, the Build Back Better Act, Sherrill lauded a provision that would restore most of the federal SALT deduction, increasing the cap to $80,000 through 2030.

“Since it was implemented in the 2017 Republican Tax Hike Bill, the cap has unfairly double taxed families across the country and worked to defund our states' critical priorities,” she wrote in a joint statement with Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. and Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Read More: Every NJ House Democrat Votes 'Yes' For Build Back Better Act

But according to DeGroot, it’s all just a dog-and-pony show – including the SALT provision in the Build Back Better Act.

“New Jersey residents are among the highest taxed in the nation,” DeGroot insisted. “Even if Democrats act like they permanently restored tax cuts in the Build Back Better legislations, the fine print reveals they merely raised the deduction cap for a few years before it goes right back to where it is now. Meanwhile, the gargantuan government spending spree that accompanies it reduces the purchasing power of any dollars we do save.”

“So whether or not the Build Back Better Act passes the Senate, her previous inaction already cost scores of New Jerey homeowners thousands of dollars annually for the foreseeable future,” DeGroot argued. “If it does pass, she will have helped tie just a temporary tax adjustment for New Jersey residents to a partisan, fundamental transformation of America that entrenches a socialist welfare state into society once and for all.”

• See related article: Menendez, Sanders Say SALT Is For Working Families, Not Billionaires

Other planks of DeGroot’s campaign include “forging a closer relationship with the defense industry” – a platform that Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy pilot, has also campaigned on.

• See related article: Rep. Mikie Sherrill Of NJ Votes To Hike US Military Budget

DeGroot has also said he plans to “defend the first amendment” by supporting the break-up of predatory big tech companies.

“Facebook and Google exert state-like monopoly power over America’s minds, markets and wallets,” he said. “The scale on which they operate simply cannot exist in a free society.”

“Also, the United States must withdraw from multinational trade agreements that forfeit our sovereignty to anti-American globalists,” DeGroot added. “End bad, multilateral trade deals and bring the supply chains home.”

The son of a firefighter, DeGroot was born and raised in Passaic County, where he attended public schools in Clifton. He commuted to Montclair State College before graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in political science. He earned a J.D. from Widener University School of Law in Delaware in 1993.

OTHER GOP CHALLENGERS IN NJ-11

DeGroot isn’t the only Republican who has thrown their hat into the ring against Sherrill in 2022.

According to Ballotpedia, other GOP hopefuls in the NJ-11 race include Hillery Brotschol, Larry Casha, Robert Kovic, Patrick Quinn, Tayfun Selen and Tom Toomey.

• See related article: Tom Toomey Announces Run Against Rep. Mikie Sherrill
• See related article: Candidate Puts Hat In Ring For Mendham's NJ-11 Race
• See related article: Republican, MSU Alum Will Challenge Rep. Mikie Sherrill In NJ-11

The 11th District includes the following municipalities:

Morris County - Boonton Town, Boonton Township, Butler, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Denville, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown Town, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township and Victory Gardens

Essex County - Bloomfield (split with 10th), Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Montclair (split with 10th), North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell, West Orange (split with 10th)

Passaic County - Bloomingdale, Little Falls, North Haledon, Pompton Lakes, Totowa, Wanaque, Wayne and Woodland Park

Sussex County - Byram, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta and Stanhope

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