Can you believe the 2018 campaign has already begun for N.J. lawmakers in D.C.?

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the only candidate to beat an incumbent in New Jersey last year, and four of the five Republicans in the delegation are on the initial list of lawmakers who could face bumpy roads to re-election in 2018....

Can you believe the 2018 campaign has already begun for N.J. lawmakers in D.C.?

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the only candidate to beat an incumbent in New Jersey last year, and four of the five Republicans in the delegation are on the initial list of lawmakers who could face bumpy roads to re-election in 2018.

The paths for some will smooth out as they fill their campaign coffers and the opposing party fails to recruit a credible challenger or could be even rockier depending on the popularity of President Donald Trump, who took office with the lowest approval ratings of any incoming chief executive in decades. Despite the enthusiastic backing of Gov. Chris Christie, Trump lost the Garden State to Hillary Clinton in November.

Another problem facing potential challengers will be the cost of advertising in the New York and Philadelphia media market.

"These are all factors and they will all be factors when it comes to crunch time next year," said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, a Washington-based publication that tracks congressional races. "We just don't know what the midterm elections will look like." 

Christie makes last-minute House donations

Gottheimer (D-5th Dist.), who raised a record $4.8 million in defeating seven-term GOP incumbent Scott Garrett in November, was one of 36 House Democratic targets named Thursday by the new chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio).

"The success of our government depends on Republicans maintaining a strong majority in the House," Stivers said. "We owe the American people assurance that the agenda we were elected on -- health care reform, a stronger national defense, and more good-paying jobs -- is fulfilled." 

Only two other challengers in the nation -- Brad Schneider of Illinois, who won, and Angie Craig of Minnesota, who lost -- raised more than Gottheimer did for the 2016 elections. In office, he already is dissenting from the party line.

So too have some GOP members from New Jersey who opposed Republican efforts to roll back environmental protections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said 57 House Republicans initially would find themselves in the crosshairs, including Reps. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.), Tom MacArthur, (R-3rd Dist.), Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.) and Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.). 

The only New Jersey Republican not on the list was Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.).

The Washington-based Cook Political Report rates Gottheimer as being in a competitive contest and Lance and Frelinghuysen in districts that could become competitive.

LoBiondo, Lance and Smith all voted to keep a federal rule requiring officials to use the best available science, including addressing the impacts of climate change and moving toward clean energy, in allowing development on public lands.

LoBiondo and Smith also supported regulations on coal companies designed to protect streams and drinking water supplies.supported keeping regulations. And MacArthur was one of only nine Republicans who opposed making it easier to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which has provided health insurance to more than 20 million Americans. 

Trump won Frelinghuyen's district with less than 50 percent of the vote and lost Lance's district to Hillary Clinton. Frelinghuysen last month became chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful panels on Capitol Hill.

The DCCC spent $1.6 million to try to win the 3rd District contest in 2014 when there was no incumbent, and launched a spate of attacks against then-freshman MacArthur, shifted its attention elsewhere.

But after former Asbury Park Councilman Jim Keady, who Christie famously told to "sit down and shut up" after the activist complained about the pace of recovery from Hurricane Sandy, lost the Democratic primary, the DCCC shifted its attention elsewhere.

MacArthur wound up running against Frederick John LaVergne of Delanco, who reported raising $600 for the race.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook

 

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.

NEXT NEWS