In a political landscape where party lines are fiercely drawn, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, one of eleven candidates vying for governor in New Jersey’s June 10 primary election, finds himself embroiled in a storm of controversy over his striking alignment with Trump’s MAGA Republican policies.
During an interview on CBS News with Marcia Kramer, the reporter branded Gottheimer’s trickle-down tax-cut agenda as “Trumpian,” but that observation barely scratched the surface.
“Josh Gottheimer’s candidacy should be igniting fierce scrutiny of his record because he has been crossing the aisle to back Republican initiatives—often at the expense of important progressive priorities—and frequently when betrayal, surrender, and capitulation is very bad for New Jersey,” said anti-establishment progressive Democrat Lisa McCormick.
“I’m the only one focused on lowering taxes and cutting costs,” declared Gottheimer, pitching a 15% property tax reduction and middle-class income tax cuts. Yet his plan’s reliance on “running government better,” likened by McCormick to Trump’s chaotic deregulatory playbook, raises alarms.
“We buy salt for the roads town by town—we don’t do Costco-style,” Gottheimer argued, dismissing concerns about austerity although his proposal would require mass layoffs of police, firefighters, and teachers.
When pressed on funding, his vagueness echoed Trump’s penchant for hollow promises as he pivoted to litigation against New York over congestion pricing, despite lacking a clear path to victory.
“The 20th century witnessed liberal democracy victories over such competing ideologies as communism, fascism, virulent nationalism, but the 21st century is experiencing the reverse partly because of quislings like Josh Gottheimer and Senator Chuck Schumer,” said McCormick, who added that the congressman’s cozy relationship with Trump’s agenda is not a new thing or mere coincidence.
A 2019 Star-Ledger report revealed Gottheimer voted with Trump 76.7% of the time—more than any Democrat in Congress—a record that should haunt his gubernatorial bid.
He has repeatedly bucked his party, opposing Medicare for All and the Green New Deal while siding with Republicans on divisive bills.
In January, he joined just 45 Democrats to pass a GOP-backed immigration crackdown, empowering states to sue the federal government and expanding detention for minor offenses.
He also backed a Republican amendment requiring firearm dealers to report undocumented immigrants, a move critics call a xenophobic dog whistle.
Gottheimer’s loyalty to bipartisanism rings hollow for many.
Though he touts a Georgetown ranking as Congress’ “most bipartisan Democrat,” his votes tell a darker story.
He was among only 31 Democrats to support a GOP bill stifling university research, dismissed as a reckless “overcorrection” harming global innovation.
He again broke ranks to sanction the International Criminal Court, isolating himself from New Jersey colleagues like Cory Booker and Andy Kim.
“I’ll work with anyone if it’s good for Jersey,” he insisted, yet his alliances consistently empower Republican agendas.
Even his defense of Democratic values crumbles under scrutiny. While condemning Trump’s “chaos,” Gottheimer mirrors his tactics. He rails against New York’s congestion pricing—“picking pockets of hardworking people”—yet floats suing to seize tax revenue, a legally dubious ploy. He vows to “fight Trump when he messes with families,” but his record shows complicity: supporting bills that gutted social services, delayed infrastructure, and emboldened ICE.
On policy, Gottheimer’s contradictions abound. He pledges to revive NJ Transit with federal funds yet dismisses “terrible, terrible” critiques, offering little beyond refunds for stranded riders. He champions environmentalism but scorns reusable bags as costly nuisances, pushing a return to paper—“recyclable in two weeks!” His waffling on self-serve gas—a Jersey third rail—exposes a candidate torn between populism and pragmatism.
“I’ll make life affordable,” he promises, but his vision reeks of Trumpian minimalism: tax cuts over equity, efficiency over investment. As Democrats nationwide mobilize against Trump’s resurgent agenda, Gottheimer’s campaign stands as a stark warning: In the quest for bipartisanship, some Democrats risk becoming the very thing they claim to oppose.
“The question for New Jersey is clear: Can a man who votes like Trump govern like a Democrat? Or is Josh Gottheimer proof that in today’s politics, the line between ally and accomplice is perilously thin?,” asked McCormick, who said she is casting her vote for either Newark Mayor Ras Baraka or Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, whose views resemble her progressive vision.
Gottheimer is even courting Jewish Republicans in a campaign ad that asked them to change parties temporarily to vote for him for governor in the Democratic Party’s six-way primary contest.
“Maybe Jack Ciattarelli can recruit Gottheimer, Steve Sweeney, or Mikie Sherrill, as his lieutenant after he wins the Republican nomination but the only genuine progressive Democrats in the race are Ras Baraka and Steve Fulop,” said McCormick, who earned nearly two of five votes cast in the 2018 US Senate primary.