If there were more people like Josh Gottheimer in Congress, more Americans would have a favorable view of the institution. Gottheimer, a freshman Democrat representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, hit the ground running after ousting longtime Republican Scott Garrett in the 2016 election. And he has not stopped since.
From his earliest days in office, the energetic Gottheimer has been a consensus builder, working across the aisle with Republicans when it suited for the benefit of folks in the 5th district, and providing constituent services as if he were a 10-year incumbent.
His constituents in the 5th, which covers portions of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties, had been starved for a hands-on congressmen who would work on their behalf rather than charge around as an archconservative zealot. Garrett, in his time, voted against health care relief for first responders on 9/11.
Gottheimer has supported measures backed by President Donald Trump more than some Republicans. He drew grief from immigration advocates for supporting a Republican-backed spending bill that didn’t address the concerns of so-called “Dreamers.”