Bergen County Republicans will back Mary Jo Guinchard – a former actress and Tuxedo Park, New York mayor – to take on four-term Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th district.
Guinchard defeated Paramus school board member George Song, 235-179 (56%-43%), to capture the organization line in Bergen County.
A third candidate, newcomer Sandy Gajapathy, received 5 votes.
This is Guinchard’s third bid for office in New Jersey. She lost a 2022 GOP primary for Bergen County Commissioner; as the Republican nominee in 2023, she lost by over 16,000 votes.
In 2022, Bergen County accounted for 68.7% of the votes cast in the GOP congressional primary in NJ-5. Song already has the organization line in Passaic County.
Guinchard, who entered the race last November, didn’t report raising any money in 2023.
That gives Gottheimer, who has over $17 million in his campaign warchest, a decent financial advantage heading into his re-election campaign. The Human Fundraising Machine has raised over $33 million since launching his first House campaign in 2015.
Gottheimer ousted seven-term Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) by 14,897 votes, 51%-47%, in 2016 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 Frank Pallotta, an ex-Wall Streeter 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.
Guinchard had previously won the Bergen GOP policy committee vote 28-21 against Song. Englewood GOP Municipal Chair Dierdre Paul finished third with 13 votes and has dropped out of the race; Gajapathy received one vote.