Lakewood Vaad backs Gottheimer, tells unaffiliated voters to vote in Dem primary

The Vaad, a hugely influential coalition of Orthodox Jewish Rabbis in Lakewood and the surrounding communities in Ocean and Monmouth counties, has endorsed Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) for the Democratic nomination for governor, specifically calling on unaffiliated voters to vote for him in the June 10 primary election.

The endorsement marks a rare involvement in primaries for the Roshei Yeshiva with a push to expand Gottheimer’s vote tally beyond registered Democrats.

In the Republican primary, The Vaad is backing former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerville).

“The outcome of the primary for the governor’s election is crucial. The Governor is the most powerful office in New Jersey and the governor enacts regulations and policies which have a direct effect on the whole Kehilla,” the Vaad said in a statement released to members of its community today.  “As New Jersey statewide politics is volatile, it is urgent that we get the most favorable candidates on both party lines to put the Kehilla in the most favorable position for the general election in November.”

Lakewood itself has nearly 25,000 unaffiliated voters – not all part of the Orthodox community – along with rapidly expanding Jewish populations in Brick, Howell, Jackson, Toms River.  An organized effort to move unaffiliated voters toward a particular candidate in a primary is unusual.

The Vaad’s endorsement is also unusually early; there have been times when it came on Election Day.  But the decision to back Gottheimer and Ciattarelli reflects a change to the voting schedule with vote-by-mail and early voting.

In 2023, Lakewood voters fully embraced early voting as part of an upset victory by a prominent Orthodox Jewish leader, Rabbi Avi Schnall, for a State Assembly seat as a Democrat in one of the most Republican legislative districts in the state.

Schnall unseated a Republican assemblyman, Ned Thomson (R-Wall), by 11,406 votes in a district that Donald Trump won by 46 percentage points in 2024 and Jack Ciattarelli carried by 28 points in 2021.

Earlier this year, Gottheimer hired Schnall’s campaign manager, Tzvi Herman, to advise him of strategy and voter turnout..

“We are making our endorsements public at this time, because gubernatorial primary ballots have already arrived and in-person early voting is starting shortly,” The Vaad stated.  “We strongly encourage our community to show up in strong numbers and vote according to these endorsements.”