Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) has raised more than $1 million in each of the last seven fundraising quarters and now has a Taftesque $20,278,413 million cash-on-hand for his re-election campaign in New Jersey’s 5th district.
The Human Fundraising Machine raised $1,280,014 over the last three months, and a massive $9.3 million this cycle.
Gottheimer’s fundraising haul comes as he prepares to seek the Democratic nomination for Governor next year.
His Republican opponent, Mary Jo Guinchard, has not yet released her third quarter report. As of June 30, she had $50,482 cash-on-hand, which is less than Gottheimer’s, and a $110,038 debt. She spent over $57,000 to score a 70% win against Paramus school board member George Song in the June primary.
Gottheimer has raised over $ 37.6 million since launching his campaign to unseat Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), a seven-term incumbent, in 2016. He ousted Garrett in 2016 by 14,897 votes, 51%-47%, in a district that Donald Trump won by one point. Gottheimer became the first Democrat to win New Jersey’s 5th district in 36 years.
The district remained competitive enough that Trump still won 47% in 2020. Gottheimer ran one point ahead of Joe Biden against former Wall Street banker Frank Pallotta, who put $1.5 million of his own money into the race; Gottheimer won by 31,842 votes.
Redistricting made the 5th more Democratic in 2022 when staunchly Republican towns in Warren County were replaced by new Democratic areas of Bergen County. The new lines would have meant a 12-point win for Biden. That gave Gottheimer a solid 10-point victory in a rematch with Pallotta, who did not spend much of his own money in 2022.
Gottheimer created his own luck in that race, spending money to communicate with Republicans in a way that boosted Pallotta over a primary opponent viewed as a stronger general election candidate: Nick De Gregorio, a U.S. Marine combat veteran.
Gottheimer first went to Capitol Hil as a high school student after Frank Lautenberg picked him as a Senate page. He later served on Bill Clinton’s White House staff as a speechwriter.
He co-chairs the House Problem Solvers Caucus and holds seats on the Financial Services and Intelligence committees. Gottheimer has emerged as an influential Democrat on Capitol Hill and is part of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ inner circle.
Gottheimer’s Jersey Values PAC has $630,000 in the bank.