Joshua S. Gottheimer was born March 8, 1975, in North Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. He graduated from West Essex High School in 1993 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in American History from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. Gottheimer received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2004 and attended Pembroke College, Oxford, UK, as a Thouron Award recipient.

Gottheimer began his political career at age 16, as a U.S. Senate page for New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg. He held internships with C-SPAN, the Secretary of the Senate, and House Speaker Tom Foley during high school and college. From 1998 to 2001, he served as a special assistant and speechwriter for President Bill Clinton. He subsequently worked as an adviser on the presidential campaigns of Wesley Clark (2004), John Kerry (2004) and Hillary Clinton.

From 2010 to 2012, he served as senior counselor to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. He also worked in the private sector for Ford Motor Company and Microsoft.

In 2016, Gottheimer was elected to represent New Jersey's 5th congressional district, unseating Republican incumbent Scott Garrett who had held the seat for 14 years. The district encompasses portions of Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties in northern New Jersey.

Political Career

• U.S. Senate page for Senator Frank Lautenberg (1991)
• Speechwriter for President Bill Clinton (1998-2001)
• Senior Counselor to the Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (2010-2012)
• U.S. Representative, NJ-05 (2017-present)
• Candidate for New Jersey Governor (2025, unsuccessful)

Key Policy Areas

• Bipartisan governance and congressional procedure (Problem Solvers Caucus leadership)
• Veterans affairs and disability compensation
• Electoral reform and presidential transition procedures
• Financial services regulation
• Intelligence and cybersecurity oversight
• Infrastructure and transportation funding

Notable Actions / Initiatives
• Co-chairs the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives
• Primary sponsor of the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 (enacted), which revised certification procedures for presidential elections
• Primary sponsor of the Strategic Humanitarian Investments to Ensure Lasting Democracies Act (enacted 118th Congress)
• Primary sponsor of legislation providing annual increases in veterans' service-connected disability compensation rates (enacted)
• Ranking Member of the National Security Agency and Cyber Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Education

• West Essex High School (1993)
• B.A., American History, University of Pennsylvania (1997)
• J.D., Harvard Law School (2004)
• Pembroke College, Oxford, United Kingdom (Thouron Award)

Personal

• Birth date: March 8, 1975
• Residence: Wyckoff, New Jersey