Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish Democrat, launches bid for New Jersey governor

(JTA) — Josh Gottheimer has a dream: to be the country’s fourth Jewish Democratic governor named Josh.

Gottheimer, a New Jersey congressman, announced Friday morning that he is running to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is term-limited, in next year’s election.

Gottheimer, 49, is a moderate, pro-Israel Democrat who was just elected to his fifth term representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, which spans the heavily Jewish Bergen County.

In his campaign announcement, he pledged to make life in the state more affordable and said he would “stand up to Trump,” the president-elect, on issues such as reproductive rights and gun control.

“As governor I’ll take on our affordability challenge and get things done for you,” he said in a campaign video. “I’ve never been afraid to buck conventional wisdom, to fight hard to get things done, to clean things up, and to stand up for Jersey and live up to our Jersey values.”

In an announcement Friday, he also pledged to use law enforcement “against the antisemites who are harassing Jewish or any other communities all over this state.”

During his time in the House, Gottheimer has emphasized bipartisanship: He was one of the founders, and currently co-chairs, the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of representatives that is half-Democrat and half-Republican, and that seeks to work across the aisle. He has criticized members of the progressive wing of his party for opposing Israel, and has emphasized issues like cutting taxes (a conservative priority) along with others like fighting climate change (a liberal one).

Receiving end of criticism due to centrism

He has also been on the receiving end of criticism from Democrats for his centrist positions. But his down-the-middle approach could serve him well in the governor’s race given the results of last week’s presidential election, in which Democrat Kamala Harris beat Republican Donald Trump by less than six percentage points. In 2020, by contrast, Joe Biden beat Trump in New Jersey by nearly 16 points. (Murphy narrowly won his 2021 race for New Jersey governor against Republican Jack Ciattarelli.)

Gottheimer has emphasized his pro-Israel stance in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel, which launched the war in Gaza. In the wake of the pro-Palestinian student encampment movement, Gottheimer called on university administrations to “make clear what their plans are to protect Jewish students on campus.”

He also has also been outspoken about antisemitism from the right. He condemned Trump’s 2022 dinner with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and Kanye West, who had recently embarked on an antisemitic tirade. And he has repeatedly called for stronger action against antisemitism and terror groups on the social network X.

If he is elected, he will join a US governors’ conference that will include Democrats Josh Green of Hawaii, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Josh Stein, who was just elected governor of North Carolina. The first name of Illinois’ Jewish Democratic governor, J.B. Pritzker, is Jay.