Lonegan says race against Gottheimer comes down to ‘conservative’ vs. ‘liberal’ – New Jersey Herald

Posted: Aug. 25, 2017 12:01 am

After kicking off his campaign Thursday morning, Republican Steve Lonegan said a congressional race against incumbent U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., boils down to one point.

"I'm a conservative and he's a liberal," Lonegan said of his potential general election opponent in 2018. "That's what the race comes down to."

The former mayor of Bogota (Bergen County) announced his intention to challenge the first-term Democratic congressman at a kickoff event in Paramus before heading to Sussex County for a meet-and-greet at the Hampton Diner in the afternoon.

"Washington is in turmoil, and liberal Democrat Josh Gottheimer is part of the problem," Lonegan said during his campaign announcement.

During a meeting with members of the New Jersey Herald editorial board, Lonegan said that he believed an "honest, conservative approach to government" that cuts the size and scope of government is what's "best for promoting individual liberty."

He touted his accomplishments as mayor of a borough that is "2 to 1 Democrat to Republican" where he cut taxes and the size of local government.

"Those governing principles that I brought to Bogota resonate in this district," he said. "I know this district well ... and it represents the real values of the country."

Lonegan, 61, of Hackensack, said he believed that Gottheimer's values are not representative of the district as a whole, which he characterized as "unique" due to the diversity of the population that includes everything from Wall Street commuters to rural farmers. He claimed that Gottheimer has been misrepresenting himself as a moderate Democrat.

"I'm not going to hide from the fact that I'm a proud conservative," Lonegan said. "(Gottheimer is) attempting to portray himself as some sort of centrist, but the facts belie that."

Gottheimer is co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a 43-congressional member group almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. One of his first major floor votes broke party ranks where he joined three other Democrats in favor of amending the Midnight Relief Rules Act. Just recently, Gottheimer was one of five House Democrats who voted in favor of a military spending bill that included funding for Republican pet projects, drawing ire from his own party and supporters for doing so.

A spokesperson for Gottheimer emailed a statement that read: "Josh is focused on working for the families of the Fifth District -- working across the aisle to lower taxes and create jobs, repair our crumbling roads and bridges, stand by vets and first responders, and protect Social Security and Medicare, and our Jersey values."

Lonegan said he is pro-Second Amendment, pro-life and advocates for religious liberty. He is also a supporter of term limits in Congress.

When it comes to the federal government's role in education, Lonegan said he preferred state and local level control.

"My fundamental philosophy with education is (that it is) local," he said. "It's about a parent, a teacher and a child."

Lonegan was the state chairman of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's bid for the presidency in 2016. He was among a handful of Republicans who were part of the "Free the Delegates" movement in the summer of 2016, which sought to deny President Donald Trump the party's nomination at the national convention in Cleveland. Earlier this month, Lonegan attended a rally in support of Trump in Frankford.

He served as the New Jersey state director and senior policy analyst for Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group founded by Charles and David Koch, from 2007 to 2013.

"I have spent my entire life working to protect taxpayers and will continue to do so," he said in a press release announcing his campaign.

Lonegan is a familiar name in New Jersey politics. His three terms as mayor were followed by a string of unsuccessful bids for higher public office. He ran for New Jersey governor in 2005 and 2009, challenged Democrat Cory Booker for a U.S. Senate seat in a special election in 2013, and most recently fought a GOP primary battle against Tom MacArthur for a 3rd District House seat in 2014. He also ran for state Senate in 1997, losing to the late Democratic incumbent Byron Baer.

Lonegan said he's learned a lot during those experiences that will aid him in 2018.

"I've never shied away from really tough races," he said.

Lonegan may have a primary challenge ahead of him that has not yet completely materialized. On Thursday, Warren County Freeholder Jason Sarnoski said he is still "exploring" a 5th District run but is currently focusing on getting GOP candidates at the state level elected. Sarnoski said that Lonegan's entry into the fray would have no impact on his decision.

"Steve Lonegan has run before and lost," Sarnoski said. "He is a somewhat divisive figure and he's proven he's not what the voters want."

The 39-year-old Republican has been a county freeholder since 2010 and said he would be proud to run on his record of cutting taxes and reducing spending in a county where 15 of 22 municipalities are in the 5th District.

The 5th Congressional District includes 19 of Sussex County's municipalities in addition to parts of Bergen, Passaic and Warren counties.

Gottheimer raised more than $4 million on his way to defeating seven-term Republican Scott Garrett in November 2016. According to Federal Election Commission fundraising reports, the Bergen County Democrat had $1.4 million in his re-election fund as of June 30. Lonegan said he's anticipating close to $600,000 in his campaign fund when he files on Sept. 1.

David Danzis can also be contacted on Facebook: ddanzisNJH, on Twitter: @ddanzisNJH, or by phone: 973-383-1274.

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Lonegan says race against Gottheimer comes down to 'conservative' vs. 'liberal' - New Jersey Herald