Gottheimer not sure if NJ freshmen will join Problem Solvers Caucus

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) told the New Jersey Globe on Monday that it’s not yet clear whether any of New Jersey’s incoming congresspeople will replace Rep. Leonard Lance in the Problem Solvers Caucus, of which Gottheimer is co-chair.

“I’m talking to everyone,” Gottheimer said. “We have a process. Because it’s a balance, you first see how many Democrats how many Republicans, and then our caucus has meetings this week to discuss intakes for the new class.”

Rep.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), who campaigned as a moderate, and Rep.-elect Jeff Van Drew (D-Dennis), a right-of-center Democrat, are possible additions to the caucus. But because the Problem Solvers Caucus, which aims to break partisan gridlock in Washington, has an equal number of members from both parties, there’s no guarantee members will be added.

At least five of the caucus’s Republican members, including Lance, lost their reelection races, so Gottheimer and his co-chair, New York Rep. Tom Reed, will have to find replacements for those members before expanding.