The process that will decide which Republicans will get their party’s nod in the 2016 congressional contest has get to really begin according to Passaic County GOP Chairman John Traier. Traier said that he and Bergen County Chairman Bob Yudin will sit down after Thanksgiving to come up with a list of potential candidates for CD9 where incumbent Democrat Bill Pascrell currently occupies the seat.
“No one has really reached out to me yet but we haven’t put out our feelers yet,” Traier said. “It is something that crosses both Passaic and Bergen Counties so chairman Yudin and I usually sit down and try to come up with a list of potential names and reach out to them.”
While the process is only just beginning, Traier said that the “timing will be very interesting.”
This year, the New Jersey congressional primary will be held on the same day as New Jersey’s presidential primary: June 7, 2016. Due to the packed Republican presidential field, it is conceivable that New Jersey could still be a part of the war if the nomination is not decided by the time the primary rolls around. This could prove interesting if congressional candidates make presidential allegiances known and, particularly, if New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie is still in the race.
“Maybe this election will actually mean something because, usually, the primary is all decided by the time we get there,” Traier said. “It might be a very interesting season for Republicans as far as the primary goes.”
Both CD5 and CD9 span municipalities in Bergen and Passaic Counties. In CD5, incumbent Republican Scott Garrett came under fire earlier this year over comments he allegedly made regarding not supporting homosexual candidates. Garrett will be challenged by former Clinton speechwriter Democrat Josh Gottheimer.
Passaic is also part of the traditionally Republican CD11, currently represented by Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen. According to Traier, though it is not 100 percent confirmed, it is likely that the incumbent Republican congressman in his county will elect to run for renomination.
