Rep. Josh Gottheimer 'Honored' To Win NJ 5th District Race

NJ 5th — With 338 of 493 5th District precincts reporting, the Associated Press declared Congressman Josh Gottheimer the winner over Republican challenger Frank Pallotta.

On Wednesday, Gottheimer thanked 5th District voters on Twitter.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone across North Jersey who made this possible! I'm honored to be heading back to Congress to fight for all the families of the Fifth District and to protect our Jersey Values," he wrote.

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Pallotta also shared a message of thanks on Twitter, but later clarified that it wasn't a concession.

Gottheimer is buoyed by his lead in Bergen County, with Pallotta leading in Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties, according to the AP.

Gottheimer has 143,832 votes in Bergen County to Pallotta's 91,436, but only 6,666 votes to Pallotta's 6,915 in Passaic County.

In Warren County, Pallotta has 12,202 votes to Gottheimer's 10,280, and in Sussex County Pallotta has 10,045 votes to Gottheimer's 8,411.

As of 1 a.m., neither Gottheimer or Pallotta have offered a statement.

Here's the count so far, according to the AP:

• Josh Gottheimer — 169,189
• Frank Pallotta — 120,599
• Louis Vellucci — 2,835

The race wasn’t projected to be all that close. The district is listed as “solid Democrat” by The Cook Political Report, and Gottheimer is heavily favored in FiveThiryEight’s forecast, where he is projected to win 97 out of 100 times, per their simulations.

Gottheimer was first elected in 2016, which proved to signal a shift in the district toward the Democratic Party after a Republican stronghold for years prior.

His list of endorsements in the run-up to the general election reads like a who’s who of Democratic policymakers of the 2000s, including former Vice President Joe Biden — who himself has a big election on Nov. 3 — former President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Gottheimer has faced expected criticism from Pallotta, who claims he is anti-police. Pallotta viewed Gottheimer’s silence on recent state legislation that would release upwards of 3,000 prisoners on Nov. 4 as “a hard stance against Law & Order.”

“Josh Gottheimer is enabling crime to flood our streets and making it known that he is 100% anti-police and pro-crime,” Pallotta said in a statement on his website.

The New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Association, who endorsed Gottheimer for re-election, feel differently.

“As our nation is at a crossroads facing such issues as the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice reform, now more than ever we need proven, competent, and fair leaders such as Josh Gottheimer,” said STFA President Wayne Blanchard.

According to Pallotta’s website, the only law enforcement endorsement he’s garnered is from Sussex County Sheriff Mike Strada.

Recently, Gottheimer has gone on the attack himself, challenging Pallotta to denounce the Oath Keepers, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center calls an anti-government extremist group.

“My supporters are my supporters. They’re not racists, they’re not xenophobes, they’re not homegrown terrorists. They’re good people,” Pallotta said in a recent debate hosted by New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein.

Since the change to this year's election was announced by Gov. Phil Murphy because of the coronavirus, there have been many questions about how the process will work.

Every the ballot sent through the mail had to be postmarked by Nov. 3. It must be received by your county's election boards by 8 p.m. on Nov. 10.

"Every vote should be safe. Every vote should be secure. Every vote should be counted," Murphy said of the process.

For full coverage of 2020 elections in New Jersey, click here.

Patch will update this story as results come in.