In show of force, Gottheimer raises $830k

The Human Fundraising Machine continues to raise money at a furious pace.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) had a total haul of $830,063 during the first three months of 2019, a massive amount of money for a two-term congressman who just won re-election by fourteen points.

Gottheimer now has $4.91 million cash-on-hand.  

During his first three months as a congressman in 2017, Gottheimer raised $798,748.  

Gottheimer raised $7,002,979 and spent $2,952,240 during his 2018 campaign, according to post-election reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission.  He defeated former Cresskill councilman John McCann by a 41,291 votes in a district almost evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans that Donald Trump carried by one percentage point.

A former Clinton White House speechwriter and Microsoft executive, Gottheimer ousted seven-term Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) in 2016 by a 51%-47% margin.  He outspent Garrett, $4,782,462 to $2,411,570 and outspent him by $400,250.

Gottheimer’s fundraising prowess comes as several Republicans are mulling challenges to him next year.

Frank Pallotta, a former investment banker with the ability to self-fund, formed an exploratory committee last month.  

Montvale mayor Michael Ghassali, a Syrian immigrant whose family fled Aleppo when he was 15, says he will make a decision about running for Congress by early June.