Glen Rock's Kreibich Challenging Gottheimer For Dem. Nomination

GLEN ROCK, NJ — Councilwoman Arati Kreibich announced Monday she is challenging Rep. Josh Gottheimer for the Democratic nomination for New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District in 2020.

Kribich, 44, was the first South Asian person elected to the Glen Rock Borough Council in 2017. She claimed in her announcement Monday that Gottheimer has lost touch with his constituents.

"We need to have the moral courage and conviction to stand up for what is right and what is fair," Kreibich said in a video launching her campaign. "Our representatives should stand with people – not corporations."

Kreibich is the first Democrat to announce their intention to challenge Gottheimer in a primary.

In her announcement video, Kreibich talked about immigrating to the United States when she was 11 years old. She speaks about her son being afraid that she would also be deported back to India following President Donald Trump's election.

"We need to have moral courage and conviction to stand up for what is right and what is fair," Kribich said in a statement. "Our representatives should stand with people — not corporations."

Kreibich said she will not take donations from corporate political action committees.

Kreibich supports the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free tuition at public colleges and universities, and is in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

Kreibich said she was once a supporter of Gottheimer, but is now "disappointed" with how he has spent his time since first getting elected in 2016.

"He’s got one of the most pro-Trump records of any House Democrat in Washington, and when he comes home he refuses to explain his votes, hiding behind his position as a leader of the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus," Kreibich said. "He seems more interested in creating roadblocks for big solutions than solving the problems that make life so tough for families in New Jersey. But you don’t get a nickname like ‘the Human Fundraising Machine’ without losing touch with the people."

Gottheimer is a two-term incumbent from Wyckoff. He is a former Microsoft executive and speechwriter for President Bill Clinton. Gottheimer won the seat by defeating then-longtime incumbent Scott Garrett. He beat Republican John McCann, a powerful lawyer from Oakland, for re-election in 2018.

New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District includes parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties. Most of the district's 647,000 residents, 75 percent, live in Bergen County.

The chairpersons of the Democratic Party in those counties issued statements in support of Gottheimer Monday afternoon.

"Josh Gottheimer is an excellent representative of the values and the politics of the district he represents. We need room in our party and in our country for the folks who believe In a society that is based on equality, but have differences along the way," said State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat from Teaneck. "Gottheimer represents these values as shown by his votes to protect a woman’s right to choose, protect the civil rights of the LGBTQ community and all people of color, and stand by "Dreamers." He also has fought to fix our crumbling infrastructure, which is a big issue for me. I’m looking forward to having Josh there in 2020 when we coalesce to defeat the president."

There is also a primary in the Republican Party for their spot on the Fifth District ticket. Mahwah's Frank Pallotta, a former Wall Street insider, is facing off against Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali in that race.

Related:

• Mahwah's Pallotta Adds Trump Pollster To Campaign Team
• Martin, Kreibich Ticket Wins In Glen Rock

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com