OLD TAPPAN, N.J. – The GOP primary in NJ-05 may’ve just gotten turned on its head.
Assemblyman Bob Auth (R-39) has informed party leaders of his intent to seek the Republican nomination to challenge Josh Gottheimer in November. Auth’s entry into the race was first reported by New Jersey Globe.
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This year’s field already includes Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, financial industry veteran Frank Pallotta, and former Cresskill Councilman John McCann.
McCann carried the GOP banner in 2018 but lost a lopsided 169,546 to 82,869 general election march-up with Gottheimer. McCann narrowly carried the district’s Passaic, Sussex, and Warren reaches but lost the Bergen County portion by a large margin. Auth’s LD39 base throws the current primary fight into uncertainty given the likelihood that he’ll draw a significant amount of support at the upcoming late March convention in Hackensack.
Auth entered the Assembly in 2014; outside of Trenton, he serves as the chief executive officer for Plaza Travel and Insurance Services Ltd.
There is no clear frontrunner in the NJ-05 primary.
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