Wyckoff Resident Launches Campaign To Unseat Congressman Scott Garrett

WYCKOFF, NJ - Democrat Josh Gottheimer launched his campaign Monday to represent New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Gottheimer, a 40-year-old Wyckoff resident, was a speechwriter for former President Bill Clinton and spent stints with the presidential campaigns of General Wesley Clark and John Kerry. He worked for the Federal Communications Commission before joining Microsoft as a corporate strategist.

Gottheimer bills himself as a fiscally-responsible, social-progressive. According to his campaign website, if elected, he would focus on repairing the tax code and deliver common-sense solutions.

Gottheimer has the daunting task of unseating Garrett, a seven-term representative and a senior member of the House Budget Committee.

Garrett was called “an embarrassment to his party” last year for co-sponsoring the First Amendment Defense Act. The legislation would have helped protect people and groups who cite religious beliefs as a reason for denying services to same-sex couples trying to get married.

Gottheimer will be at will meet with constituents at Ramapo College in Mahwah Tuesday in the Alumni Lounges, SC-136, from 4 to 5 p.m.

Josh Gottheimer/Wikimedia Commons