| Josh Gottheimer is running to be the lower taxes, lower costs Governor. Rooted in his Jersey Values, Josh knows that we must make Jersey more affordable for families and help address the high cost of living in New Jersey to help the state grow and thrive for the next generation.
Josh is a Jersey guy, through and through. On one side, Josh's immigrant great-grandparents, started in Linden, and then his mom, Gwenn (of blessed memory) and her parents moved to Monmouth County, where she graduated from Asbury Park High School, going onto become a teacher in Elizabeth. Josh's dad grew up in West Orange, where he started his small business in his basement, while going to Rutgers.
Josh grew up in North Caldwell and went to West Essex High School, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard Law School. As a kid, Josh helped customers at his dad's store, spending time at the shore and the Meadowlands, and catching a Springsteen show every chance he could get (and still does)! When it came time to raise his family, Josh and his wife, Marla, moved to Bergen County. They have two wonderful kids, Ellie, 15, and Ben, 12.
Josh has been a proud Democrat from birth. He worked for President Clinton, President Obama, at the US Commission on Civil Rights, and the Federal Communications Commission. He started a nonprofit called JerseyOn to help the underserved, taught history, and worked for some of America's greatest innovative and bedrock companies like Ford and Microsoft.
In 2016, Josh ran for Congress, beat a right-wing extremist, and became the first Democrat in eighty-four years to hold that seat. For the last eight years, Josh has been lucky enough to represent Sussex, Passaic, and Bergen Counties - home to the GW Bridge, the Meadowlands, the Great Falls, and the Appalachian Trail.
Josh's campaign lawns signs have always said the same thing- "Lower Taxes. Jersey Values" - and that's what Josh has focused on in Congress.
Over the years, Josh helped expand the Child Tax Credit to help with the costs of childcare, baby food, and diapers. He has clawed millions of dollars from Washington back to New Jersey to help towns pay for school meals, Head Start, infrastructure and life-saving equipment for police, firefighters, and EMTs.
Josh led legislation to restore the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT) to lower taxes for middle class Jersey families - only to have the Red "Moocher States" block it. Those are the states like Alabama and Mississippi that take far more from Washington than they contribute. Josh also helped block New York's outrageous Congestion Tax and is ready to fight it again if they try to bring it back.
Josh also believes in doing everything possible to cut bureaucratic red tape, create new good-paying jobs in New Jersey and to help our small businesses grow. For Josh, it's all about supporting our communities, keeping our neighborhoods safe, and putting tax dollars back into the pockets of hard-working Jersey families. Josh has also been an ardent protector of our "Jersey Values" - standing up for reproductive freedom, clean air and clean water, LGBTQ+ rights, lower health care and housing costs, and commonsense gun safety.
Josh is also willing to work with anyone to get stuff done for Jersey, if it's good for our state, and doesn't compromise our values. Josh is Co-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Together, the Problem Solvers helped to pass legislation that everyone said was impossible - from gun safety, to health care for seniors and the most aggressive climate change bill in our history, the PACT Act for veterans, the CHIPS bill, and of course the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which includes investments in roads, bridge, rails, mass transit, EVs, and the Gateway Train Tunnel.
He's passed laws on electoral reform, support law enforcement, provide funding to fight terrorists, and to always support the critical US-Israel relationship. For his problem-solving work, Josh has been recognized for his bipartisan governing by Georgetown University, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the Leon Panetta Institute.
As Governor, Josh Gottheimer will bring his proven leadership, bipartisan commonsense approach, and unwavering commitment to lower costs to Trenton. Josh also helped block New York's outrageous Congestion Tax and is ready to lead the fight again. |