Josh Gottheimer campaigns on lower taxes, lower costs (and paper bags)

“First of all, I haven’t heard any Democrat in a long, long time talk about tax cuts,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer during an interview with HudPost after he addressed the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday morning. “Get ready, you’re going to actually hear a Democrat who’s going to lower your taxes.”

Gottheimer, a Democratic nominee for governor, currently represents New Jersey’s 5th congressional district — covering parts of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties. He told HudPost that he’s “running as a lower-taxes, lower-cost” candidate for governor with a focus on “how we make life more affordable in Jersey.”

“A middle-class tax cut, a property tax cut of nearly 15% for everybody, a rental rebate for renters,” said Gottheimer when discussing his vision for tax cuts. “And for seniors, when you turn 70 and live in Jersey, I’m going to give you a senior bonus to stay here because we want you here.”

When asked what spending cuts he would look to implement as an offset to his tax cut proposals, Gottheimer focused on government efficiency.

“We have 564 towns. We’ve got more superintendents than mayors in the state of New Jersey. There’s ways to actually run things smarter and better,” said Gottheimer. “We buy salt for our roads by town instead of buying it as a whole state. We just don’t necessarily run things the most efficient way we can.”

The congressman pointed to states like Connecticut and Massachusetts, which are governed by Democrats, as models for lowering taxes. Tax cuts and government efficiency aren’t the only populist messages Gottheimer’s offering – he also wants to bring paper bags back to the Garden State.

Gottheimer claimed people like himself often forget to bring reusable bags when grocery shopping, then are forced to purchase reusable bags for a few bucks, which ultimately stack up in a closet.

“It takes 500 years for one of those to biodegrade,” Gottheimer stated regarding reusable bags. “You can buy a paper bag. It’s a dime, 12 cents, it’ll biodegrade in two to four weeks.”

Overall, Gottheimer linked reusable bags to the broader issue of New Jerseyans being “nickel-and-dimed.”

“We gotta get utility bills down. We gotta get our costs down,” said Gottheimer. “It’s not impossible if you have somebody who’s willing to fight for you here in Jersey.”

Gottheimer will be at the top of the Democratic ballot for governor in Hudson County. He is running without the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization or is not part of a ticket with assembly candidates.

His opponents in the June 10th primary are Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, NJEA President Sean Spiller, and former State Senate President Stephen Sweeney.