21 Facts About Scott Garrett

Ernest Scott Garrett was born on July 9,1959 and is an American politician who was the US representative for, serving from 2003 to 2017.

Scott Garrett previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 2003.

Scott Garrett lost his reelection bid in 2016 to Democrat Josh Gottheimer, becoming the only incumbent Congressman in New Jersey to be defeated that year.

Scott Garrett was hired into an excepted service position at the US Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of General Counsel.

Scott Garrett was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1991, and was re-elected five times, serving from 1992 to 2003, representing the 24th legislative district, which covered all of Sussex County and several municipalities in Morris and Hunterdon counties.

Scott Garrett unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Congresswoman Marge Roukema in the 1998 and 2000 Republican primaries, on both occasions running well to the right of Roukema, a leading moderate Republican.

Scott Garrett ran for re-election in 2016 as the Republican candidate, besting Michael Cino and Peter Vallorosi in the primary.

Scott Garrett faced former Clinton administration speechwriter Josh Gottheimer, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

In 2015, it was reported that Scott Garrett stated he would not pay dues to the NRCC because they had supported openly gay candidates.

Scott Garrett held a lifetime rating of 99.3 from the American Conservative Union, making him easily the most conservative member of the New Jersey delegation.

Scott Garrett was one of the most conservative lawmakers ever to represent New Jersey in Congress, and was considered one of the most conservative members of the House.

Scott Garrett was a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, which serves as a policy alternative to the Republican Study Committee, and is the only New Jersey representative to have been a member of the Freedom Caucus.

In 2007, Scott Garrett led nineteen US lawmakers to introduce a bill in the House of Representatives backing United Nations membership for Taiwan.

Scott Garrett voted to allow oil and gas drilling off the shore of New Jersey.

Scott Garrett voted against making "price gouging" by oil companies a crime, and against the Further Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005.

Scott Garrett was one of four members of the House of Representatives to vote against an extension of unemployment benefits.

Scott Garrett voted against the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 during the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.

Scott Garrett said he would not advocate for a law mandating changes to the state curriculum.

In July 2007, Scott Garrett proposed an amendment to strike earmarked money in a spending bill for native Alaskan and Hawaiian educational programs.

In 2006, Scott Garrett was the only congressman from New Jersey to vote against the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, citing his opposition to requirements to print non-English ballots.

Republican US Senators Mike Rounds and Tim Scott joined all of the Democrats on the committee in voting against Garrett.