As he approaches a 2024 re-election campaign in New Jersey’s 5th district and a possible run for governor in 2025, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) has a Warbucksian $14.2 million in the bank after raising a Gibborimesque $1.1 million during the first quarter of 2023.
The Human Fundraising Machine has raised a staggering $32.7 million over 34 consecutive swingeing fundraising quarters since launching his bid to unseat seven-term Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) in March 2016.
Gottheimer’s four-point victory in a district carried by Donald Trump ended 36 years of Republicans holding the North Jersey House seat. He outraised Garrett by nearly 2-1.
He brought in an imposing $7 million in 2018, $7.8 million in 2020, and nearly $8.9 million in 2022. On top of that, Gottheimer had raised more than $5 million for Democratic candidates as of last fall.
The 5th district became substantially more Democratic in congressional redistricting, and no Republicans have expressed interest in taking on Gottheimer so far. He was re-elected to a fourth term last year by a 55%-44% margin in a Bergen County-based district that also includes heavily-Republican Sussex County.
If Gottheimer decides to run for governor, he’ll have a massive amount of money to spend in advance of even getting into the race.
A former Clinton White House speechwriter, the 48-year-old Gottheimer has emerged as a Capitol Hill powerhouse as co-chairman of the House Problem Solvers Caucus and as a key advisor to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Gottheimer is the first Democrat to win four terms from the part of New Jersey that resembles parts of today’s 5th district since before the Civil War.
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