Garrett Wants To Keep More Money In Taxpayers' Wallets

WYCKOFF, N.J. — A new election advertisement from Rep. Scott Garrett is putting the onus on his challenger, Josh Gottheimer, and where he would allegedly funnel New Jersey's 5th District tax dollars if elected.

In the ad, Garrett claims that Gottheimer, a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton from Wyckoff, is hiding a "dangerous agenda."

"My opponent thinks it's better to send more tax dollars to Washington, [D.C.] and put the bureaucrats in control. I totally disagree," Garrett, a seven-term Republican, says in the ad. "What we need to do is make sure you keep as much money as you possibly can in your own wallet.

"Let's keep the money here."

Garrett talked about his stance further in a campaign email that went out announcing the advertisement. In it, he attacks Gottheimer's tax plan, claiming he will "blindly" support Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's $1 trillion tax increase, which "The Tax Foundation finds would weaken the economy, reduce wages, and result in fewer jobs."

Gottheimer, who bills himself as a "fiscally conservative" democrat, has claimed his opponent does not do enough to fight for his constituents' share of federal tax dollars.

He claims Garrett has "failed miserably" in returning money to the district. He said that for every federal tax dollar the district pays it receives back about 33 cents in investments.

Garrett has been under attack over his anti-gay positions, told a group of loyalists that he was "optimistic about his reelection," Politico reported.

The 5th District is composed of municipalities in Bergen, Sussex, Passaic, and Warren counties. In Bergen, the municipalities include: Fair Lawn, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Hillsdale, Mahwah, New Milford, Oakland, Oradell, Paramus, Ramsey, Ridgewood, River Edge, Teaneck, Township of Washington, Westwood, and Wyckoff.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Congressman Scott Garrett speaking at the 2012 Liberty Political Action Conference in Chantilly, Va. Photo by Gage Skidmore, used with permission via Flickr Creative Commons