Josh Gottheimer currently serves as Congressman for New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District. Congressman Gottheimer is running for the Democratic nomination for Governor in the June 2025 primary.

Congressman Gottheimer grew up in North Caldwell and went to West Essex High School. He worked for President Clinton, President Obama, at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and Ford and Microsoft. In 2016, Congressman Gottheimer became the first Democrat in eighty-four years to represent the 5 th Congressional District.

While in Congress, Congressman Gottheimer has been a strong supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself and has repeatedly voted to increase U.S. aid to Israel. He has been an advocate against antisemitism—working across party lines to sponsor the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which codifies the IHRA definition of antisemitism and protects the rights of Jewish students on college campuses. He was also an original cosponsor on a resolution condemning the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” as antisemitic.

Congressman Gottheimer has spoken in support of the Jewish students at Rutgers, against the disturbing rise of antisemitism on campus. An opponent of BDS, both on college campuses and off, Congressman Gottheimer has worked in Congress to combat its influence and push for policies that prohibit BDS activities.

In response to the alarming rise of antisemitism following October 7th, Congressman Gottheimer has promoted expanding Holocaust education in our schools. He introduced the October 7th Remembrance Education Act, which directs the US Holocaust Museum to build a curriculum for students that memorializes the October 7th attack and the subsequent surge in antisemitism. The Congressman and his wife, Marla, live in Bergen County with their two children, Ellie and Ben.

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