93 Facts About Josh Gottheimer

Joshua S Gottheimer is an American politician, attorney, writer, and public policy adviser who has served as the US representative for since 2017.

Josh Gottheimer was born in Livingston, New Jersey, on March 8,1975.

Josh Gottheimer is the son of Jewish parents, a preschool teacher and a small business owner.

At the age of 16, Josh Gottheimer served as a US Senate page for Frank Lautenberg, a senator from New Jersey.

Josh Gottheimer was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, master and president of the Interfraternity Council, a member of Sphinx Senior Society, and a University Scholar.

In 2004, Josh Gottheimer graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor.

Josh Gottheimer joined the Clinton administration as a speechwriter in 1998, at age 23, working in the administration until its end in 2001.

Josh Gottheimer received significant support from external super PACs, including the National Association of Realtors' PAC, which spent $1.3 million to promote him via television ads, and the House Majority PAC, which allocated $1.6 million to anti-Garrett ads.

Josh Gottheimer ultimately acquired $4.3 million for his 2016 campaign, breaking the contemporaneous record for most funds raised in a New Jersey federal House race.

When he was sworn in on January 3,2017, Josh Gottheimer became the first Democrat to represent the 5th district since 1981, when it was numbered the 7th prior to being reorganized in 1983.

Josh Gottheimer faced John McCann, a former Cresskill councilman, in his first race for re-election in 2018.

In 2020, Josh Gottheimer faced a primary challenge from a more progressive Democrat, Glen Rock councilwoman Arati Kreibich.

Josh Gottheimer's platform included environmental policy, as she touted her work to ban single-use plastic bags and transition Glen Rock to renewable energy as well as supported the Green New Deal, and she was in favor of Medicare For All.

Josh Gottheimer was accused of, in May 2022, influencing the Republican primary that would decide, between Frank Pallotta and Nick De Gregorio, who his eventual general election opponent would be.

Josh Gottheimer's campaign mailed flyers to Republican voters that referenced Donald Trump having endorsed Pallotta in 2020 and called him "too much like Trump," though the former president had not endorsed Pallotta in the 2022 primary.

Pallotta hammered Josh Gottheimer over rising inflation and crime, denouncing 'catch and release,' or more officially, cashless bail," whereas, "Josh Gottheimer, like mostly all Democrats [in the 2022] cycle, [stressed] his support for women's reproductive rights.

Josh Gottheimer said the overturning of Roe v Wade already has meant grave consequences for women.

Josh Gottheimer announced he would seek re-election to his fifth term in February 2024.

Since first becoming a candidate in 2015, Josh Gottheimer had raised over $37.6 million in campaign funds.

On October 22,2024, Josh Gottheimer was endorsed for re-election by the National Troopers Coalition, an organization that represents 42,000 state troopers across the United States.

Josh Gottheimer lost Sussex and Passaic counties but won by 18.7 percentage points in Bergen County.

On November 15,2024, Josh Gottheimer announced that he would run for governor of New Jersey in 2025, seeking to succeed outgoing Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.

In September 2022, Josh Gottheimer touted that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 were "seismic progress" in fighting climate change.

In 2019, Josh Gottheimer stated his opposition to the legalization of recreational marijuana.

In July 2024, Josh Gottheimer joined New Jersey state senators Brian Stack and Nicholas Scutari to promote the federal Stop SCAMS Act, a bill he introduced with the aim to protect food assistance beneficiaries from theft by scammers.

In December 2017, Josh Gottheimer voted against the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would have made concealed-carry permits valid across state lines but, after passing in the House, stalled in the Senate.

In 2021, Josh Gottheimer reaffirmed his commitment to passing the ALYSSA act, acknowledging that "Congress does not always move quickly" while pointing to New Jersey already having already passed the same law at the state level.

In June 2022, Josh Gottheimer voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which strengthened background checks and incentivized states to enact red flag laws and more harshly penalize firearm straw purchases.

When reflecting on the legislation, Josh Gottheimer added that he wants to close the gun show loophole.

In July 2022, Josh Gottheimer voted to ban assault-style firearms, helping pass a renewal of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban in the House that eventually stalled in the Senate.

Josh Gottheimer led last-minute efforts throughout the day to push for an immediate vote on the police funding package, but, ultimately, the gun control legislation was brought to the floor and passed individually.

Josh Gottheimer supported reapproving the Undetectable Firearms Act, which targeted ghost and 3D-printed guns by requiring that all guns include enough metal to set off X-ray machines and metal detectors, and, in June 2024, he proposed legislation to make the act permanent.

Josh Gottheimer argued the legislation was especially important in light of the 2026 World Cup final being hosted at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, noting possible security threats.

Josh Gottheimer felt that the Trump Administration's American Health Care Act of 2017 did not reflect an effort "to reach across the aisle", and he was mainly concerned that the proposal could raise healthcare costs for senior citizens.

In September 2021, along with all but one Democrat from the 117th Congress, Josh Gottheimer voted to federally codify abortion rights protections.

In October 2023, Josh Gottheimer announced a campaign against crisis pregnancy centers that were operating in New Jersey.

In January 2024, Josh Gottheimer spoke out against the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which barred the executive branch from restricting federal funds for crisis pregnancy centers; the bill later passed in the House by a six-vote margin, with Josh Gottheimer voting against it.

In March 2019, Josh Gottheimer co-sponsored the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, joining, one week after the bill was introduced, more than 200 other congresspeople in doing so.

In January 2025, Josh Gottheimer was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act after it was amended by the Senate, having been absent for the original House vote.

In January 2024, Josh Gottheimer campaigned against electric car manufacturers excluding AM radio from newly produced vehicles.

In March 2024, Josh Gottheimer helped secure $1.8 million in federal grants to improve local pedestrian safety in Ridgewood, Closter, Midland Park, Hackensack and Englewood.

Josh Gottheimer staunchly opposed congestion pricing in Manhattan, New York City, one of the most polluted and congested areas of the world.

Jeff Van Drew introduced legislation that would bar the Department of Transportation from awarding certain grants to New York's MTA unless New Jersey drivers were exempted from congestion pricing, as Josh Gottheimer argued that, in its current form, "Every nickel will go to New York to their mass transit," while, "Not a cent will go back to PATH or New Jersey Transit to actually help our state in any way".

In July 2023, Josh Gottheimer accused the head of the MTA and a primary congestion-pricing proponent, Janno Lieber, of causing children to get cancer, as traffic around the George Washington Bridge could increase under a congestion pricing plan due to it being located north of the impacted zone.

In January 2024, Josh Gottheimer produced a study estimating that the congestion pricing plan would generate $3.4 billion in revenue per year, exceeding New York City's $1 billion target; the study projected that the plan would still raise about $1.5 billion yearly even if every eligible crossing from New Jersey into Manhattan was excluded.

Josh Gottheimer, furthermore, warned that the Port Authority could lose around $83 million in tolls collected per year from a decrease in Lincoln and Holland tunnel crossings.

Josh Gottheimer ultimately argued these findings demonstrated that New Jersey crossings ought to be exempted from the "congestion tax".

Josh Gottheimer sponsored legislation that would begin a Government Accountability Office investigation into flight delays at airports in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

Josh Gottheimer cosponsored the Public Safety Officer Pandemic Response Act of 2020, voted for the Thin Blue Line Act, and supported the Never Forget the Heroes Act.

In January 2022, Josh Gottheimer introduced the Invest to Protect Act, which aimed to provide $200 million in funds over 5 years to smaller police departments.

Josh Gottheimer led efforts to more quickly bring the bill to a vote ; CNN linked Josh Gottheimer's push to crime and policing being an election issue and, therefore, vulnerable Democrats hoping to pass police-funding legislation before the 2022 midterms.

In May 2023 Josh Gottheimer reintroduced the bill in the 118th Congress.

Gottheimer has been criticized for inappropriately handling stock trades during his time as a congressman, though his team has stated that, "Prior to taking office, Josh turned over management of his portfolio to a third party and only receives statements of prior transactions".

In February 2022, Josh Gottheimer pledged to establish a blind trust to manage his assets; however, as of reporting in August 2022, he had yet to create one, and, as of June 2024, the electronic statement that was cited to substantiate this pledge had been removed from Josh Gottheimer's House website.

In February 2022, Josh Gottheimer drafted legislation to define digital currencies as stablecoins if they could be backed one-for-one by US dollars.

Later, in July 2023, Josh Gottheimer voted in the House Financial Services committee to advance a Republican-led bill that would establish regulations for stablecoins by authorizing the SEC to oversee digital assets while installing new restrictions on the agency.

The bill simplified digital currency regulation and was purported to enhance investor protections while encouraging cryptocurrency companies to establish themselves in the United States rather than abroad; in a press release, Josh Gottheimer described the bill as establishing rules to guide entrepreneurs and protect consumers.

Later the same week, Josh Gottheimer led a bipartisan group of congresspeople in writing to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler pushing for the approval of spot Ethereum ETFs, which they argued provided investors with a transparent and regulated entryway into cryptocurrency trading.

In January 2018, Josh Gottheimer was one of six House Democrats who voted with Republicans for a short-term spending bill in an attempt to stave off a federal government shutdown.

In February 2022, with the previous year's continuing resolution set to expire on the 18th, Josh Gottheimer was the only Democrat to vote against a successful stopgap bill that extended funding through March 11.

Josh Gottheimer suggested using a discharge petition if other funding methods failed.

In January 2024, facing a shutdown, Josh Gottheimer urged Speaker Mike Johnson to, "support a six-week government funding extension to allow time for a longer-term budget deal to be reached," as he warned, especially, that veterans would be hurt if the government had to shut down.

Josh Gottheimer has made numerous attempts to uncap the SALT deduction, such as last-minute efforts to negotiate its reduction in 2017; attempts to include the deduction's restoration in Build Back Better legislation circa February 2022; writing to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to push for a state-level workaround in June 2022; and, beginning in February 2023, leading a bipartisan caucus devoted to the issue.

In February 2024, Josh Gottheimer publicly promoted a bill that would have doubled the SALT deduction cap to $20,000, but, later that week, he abstained from a procedural vote that would have brought the bill to the floor; a 'yes' vote would have allowed consideration of a Republican resolution denouncing the Biden administration's energy policies.

In June 2021, Josh Gottheimer co-sponsored a resolution led by Rep.

Josh Gottheimer has criticized TikTok and supported banning the platform should it remain under Chinese ownership.

Later in the month, Josh Gottheimer was one of eight House Democrats to vote against a war powers resolution that, in reaction to the assassination, emphasized the president's responsibility to consult Congress before engaging in military hostilities.

Josh Gottheimer has said that, "Our relationship with Israel is a vital relationship" and "Israel [is] our most vital ally in the Middle East".

In May 2023, Josh Gottheimer introduced legislation expanding anti-boycott laws to include blocking boycotts organized by international governmental organizations, with the intended effect of stopping the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement in the United States.

On October 25,2023, Josh Gottheimer voted to support Israel and condemn Hamas following the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

On November 2,2023, Josh Gottheimer was one of 12 House Democrats to vote for a $14.3 billion aid package to Israel that was funded by cutting the IRS' budget.

On December 21,2023, Josh Gottheimer returned to the United States after leading an official House Intelligence Committee trip to Israel during which he and other congresspeople met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the director of Mossad, and other Israeli officials regarding the Gaza war.

On May 30,2024, Josh Gottheimer led a group of 19 House Democrats in writing to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in support of sanctioning ICC officials, specifically mentioning Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, following the Biden administration declining to impose sanctions against the organization after it issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for war crimes and against three Hamas leaders for terrorism.

Josh Gottheimer called the ban "a blatant act of Jew hatred" and said "They shouldn't get a cent of American dollars until they reverse course," prompting him to develop legislation called the Protecting Allied Travel Here Act that would condition US aid to the Maldives on allowing Israeli passport holders into the country.

On July 3,2024, Josh Gottheimer met with Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Tzachi Hanegbi, the director of Israel's national security council, at the Israeli prime minister's office in Jerusalem.

Josh Gottheimer said that he thought President Donald Trump acted appropriately in striking Syria in response to the 2018 use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.

In September 2023, Josh Gottheimer defended New Jersey's county line system, under which candidates supported by county-level party organizations had their names advantageously placed on primary ballots in that county.

In June 2024, Josh Gottheimer was the first Democratic congressperson to endorse incumbent Rep.

Josh Gottheimer was ranked the eighth most bipartisan member of the House for 2017 by the Bipartisan Index, a metric published by The Lugar Center and Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy.

Josh Gottheimer is the Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

In September 2023, Josh Gottheimer co-headlined a No-Labels-organized event despite having, recently before, denounced the group's intentions of putting up a third-party presidential candidate in 2024.

In November 2023, Josh Gottheimer endorsed Tammy Murphy in the 2024 Democratic primary for Menendez's Senate seat, becoming the first New Jersey congressperson to publicly support a candidate in the race.

When Murphy dropped out of the race in March 2024, Josh Gottheimer switched to endorse Rep.

In 2017, Josh Gottheimer called for an independent commission to probe alleged ties between Donald Trump and Russia.

Josh Gottheimer voted to impeach Trump during both his first impeachment and his second impeachment.

Josh Gottheimer was one of eight Democrats to vote against a resolution that would curtail Trump's war powers following the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

In January 2020, Josh Gottheimer spoke out against a "massive wave of anti-Semitism on college campuses" as well as touted his efforts to fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and secure related grants for New Jersey religious institutions.

In May 2024, Josh Gottheimer announced he had helped secure $4.8 million in federal grants to "invest in physical protections, training and security technology" for 34 "synagogues, mosques, churches, religious schools and community centers" across his district.

In September 2023, Josh Gottheimer called on the University of Pennsylvania to disinvite Roger Waters and Marc Lamont Hill as speakers at the school's Palestine Writes Literature Festival and for Princeton University to reconsider its use of Jasbir Puar's text The Right to Maim in classes.

Josh Gottheimer is the editor of Ripples of Hope, a collection of American civil-rights speeches.

Josh Gottheimer acquired the text from an Alabama police consultant who had transcribed it from FBI surveillance tapes.

Josh Gottheimer is a native of North Caldwell, and he currently resides in Tenafly.

Josh Gottheimer is Jewish and a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.