U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer is New Jersey’s newest representative to Washington after defeating longtime conservative congressman Scott Garrett last fall. So new, in fact, he’s hardly had time to warm up his seat.
But Republicans are already gunning for it, and Observer New Jersey reports cable television host and Sussex County resident Lou Dobbs is among the names being whispered in GOP circles.
Will Lou Dobbs take on Josh Gottheimer?File photos
Dobbs, the veteran TV news man known for being outspoken with his views on immigration, has flirted with running for office before. And often. He was said to be mulling a run for governor in 2008. Then he was eying the Senate seat held by Democrat Robert Menendez. He has even looked longingly at the Oval Office.
Yet those pesky filing papers have never materialized. Could this be the time?
Observer’s Ken Kurson notes it could be a challenge for state Republicans to convince the national TV figure to buckle in for a seat in the House, considering his higher ambitions.
Gottheimer’s seat in the 5th congressional district was a Republican stronghold for years before he won it, and the National Republican Congressional Committee is already looking to take it back in 2018.
Dobbs, who has for years lived in Wantage, would be no carpet-bagger to the 5th district, which leans slightly Republican. But Gottheimer has already demonstrated a willingness to buck his own party, an independent streak that could serve him well during the midterm elections.
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