Mary Jo Guinchard will run for Congress once again

Mary Jo Guinchard, a Republican who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) in 2024, announced today that she will run for the 5th congressional district once again – possibly for a rematch against Gottheimer, or possibly for an open seat if Gottheimer’s ongoing gubernatorial campaign ends well.

Guinchard, the former mayor of a small town in New York and a frequent candidate for office in Bergen County, said in a statement that Gottheimer’s voting record and his attempt to leave Congress for the governorship persuaded her to launch another campaign.

“Enough is enough,” she said. “The people of New Jersey’s 5th District deserve a Representative who will actually show up to work and fight for them. Bergen, Sussex, and Passaic counties deserve a genuinely independent leader who doesn’t just talk about working across the aisle when it is an election year, but actually does it. That is why I am proudly running for Congress.”

After a career as a professional singer and actress (and as the mayor of Tuxedo Park, pop. 624), Guinchard first ran for public office in New Jersey in 2022, when she waged an off-the-line bid for Bergen County Commissioner and lost in the GOP primary. She ran again in 2023 and this time got the Republican nomination, but fell well short of flipping the Democratic-leaning county in the general election.

Undeterred by those consecutive losses, Guinchard quickly launched a House campaign against Gottheimer, a moderate Democrat whom Republicans have long dreamed of unseating. One of her repeated arguments during the campaign was that Gottheimer was simply using the 5th district as a “backup plan” as he prepared to run for governor, an open secret at the time (one Gottheimer confirmed a couple weeks after Election Day).

But national Republicans saw little hope of a 5th district victory, and Guinchard, like every other GOP challenger in New Jersey last year, struggled to raise money or attention for her campaign. The end result was that although Donald Trump came unexpectedly close to carrying the diverse suburban district, Gottheimer defeated Guinchard by double digits, 55%-43%.

Guinchard – who is generally affiliated with the more conservative, pro-Trump wing of Bergen GOP politics – made it clear that as she embarks on another campaign for the rapidly shifting district, she views Trump as an asset, not a liability.

“I will work with President Trump and members of both parties to secure the border, support law enforcement, cut taxes, and unleash a new wave of economic growth that will lift up all New Jerseyans,” she said. “I will work tirelessly every single day to put the 5th District first, not any special interests or political party.”

If Gottheimer loses this year’s governor’s race (either in the competitive six-way Democratic primary or in an eventual general election) and runs for re-election in 2026, it’s hard to see Guinchard, or any Republican, flipping the 5th district. Incumbents rarely lose during midterms when the opposite party is in power, especially in a district that leans towards their party.

But if the 5th district becomes an open seat or hosts a special election, then things could get more interesting. Guinchard, who had to win a contested primary in 2024 against Paramus school board member George Song, is the first Republican to announce their interest in the district this cycle, but she may not be the last, especially if an open seat starts to look like a serious possibility.

Gottheimer, for his part, said that he can’t wait to work to defeat Guinchard again – from his new perch in the governor’s office.

“That’s great news,” Gottheimer said of Guinchard’s campaign announcement. “As governor, I look forward to helping Democrats again defeat MAGA Mary and elect someone who will continue my work opposing Donald Trump and being a problem solver who will lower taxes.”

This story was updated at 10:46 a.m. with comment from Gottheimer.