New Jersey's 5th congressional district

"NJ-5" redirects here. The term may also refer to New Jersey Route 5.

New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Democrat Josh Gottheimer, who has served in Congress since 2017. The district stretches across the entire northern border of the state and contains most of Bergen County, as well as parts of Passaic County and Sussex County.

New Jersey's 5th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Josh Gottheimer D–Wyckoff
Distribution	86.98% urban 13.02% rural
Population (2023)	767,729
Median household income	$123,326[1]
Ethnicity	59.2% White 16.2% Hispanic 15.9% Asian 5.2% Black 2.8% Two or more races 0.7% other
Cook PVI	D+2[2]

Historically, most of the areas in the district have generally been favorable for Republicans. This is especially true of the western portion, which contains some of the most Republican areas in the Northeast. However, Bergen County has trended Democratic in recent elections, though not as overwhelmingly as in the more urbanized southern portion of Bergen County, this latter portion being in the ninth congressional district. Partly due to a strong performance in Bergen County, Josh Gottheimer unseated 14-year Republican incumbent Scott Garrett in 2016. This made Garrett the only one of the state's 12 incumbents to lose reelection that year and marked the first time a Democrat won this seat since 1930.^[3]

Since redistricting in the early 1990s, this congressional district has been L-shaped, comprising the rural northern and western parts of New Jersey along with parts of Passaic and Bergen County. After redistricting in late 2021, which was based on the 2020 census, the 5th lost all of the municipalities in Warren County. It also contains less of Sussex County and includes more of eastern Bergen County than was the case during the 2010s, making the district somewhat more Democratic.^[4]

Counties and municipalities in the district

The district from 2003 to 2013

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 United States census), the district contains all or portions of three counties and 65 municipalities.^[5]

Bergen County (47)

Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, Bogota, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, Glen Rock, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Leonia, Mahwah, Maywood (part; also 9th), Midland Park, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Oradell, Palisades Park, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgefield Park, Ridgewood, River Edge, River Vale, Rockleigh, Saddle River, Teaneck, Tenafly, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington Township, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake, Wyckoff

Passaic County (4)

Bloomingdale, Ringwood, Wanaque, West Milford

Sussex County (14)

Andover Township, Branchville, Frankford Township, Franklin, Hamburg, Hampton Township, Hardyston Township, Lafayette Township, Montague Township, Newton, Sandyston Township, Sussex, Vernon Township, Wantage Township

Recent election results from statewide races

Year	Office	Results[6][7]
2008	President	Obama 52% - 47%
2012	President	Obama 52% - 48%
2016	President	Clinton 52% - 45%
2017	Governor	Murphy 53% - 45%
2018	Senate	Menendez 52% - 46%
2020	President	Biden 56% - 43%
	Senate	Booker 55% - 43%
2021	Governor	Murphy 50% - 49%
2024	President	Harris 50% - 48%
	Senate	Kim 51% - 47%

List of members representing the district

District organized from New Jersey's at-large congressional district.

Member (District home)	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Counties/Towns
District established March 4, 1799
Franklin Davenport (Woodbury)	Federalist	March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801	6th	Elected in 1798. Redistricted to the at-large district and lost re-election.	Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem
District dissolved March 3, 1801
District re-established March 4, 1843
William Wright (Newark)	Whig	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	28th 29th	Elected in 1842. Re-elected in 1844. Retired to run for governor.	Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic
Dudley S. Gregory (Jersey City)	Whig	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849	30th	Elected in 1846. Retired.
James G. King (Hoboken)	Whig	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851	31st	Elected in 1848. Retired.
Rodman M. Price (Hoboken)	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1850. Lost re-election.
Alexander C. M. Pennington (Newark)	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd 34th	Elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Retired.	1853–1863 Essex and Hudson
	Opposition	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857
Jacob R. Wortendyke (Jersey City)	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859	35th	Elected in 1856. Lost re-election.	Essex, Hudson, and Union (Union County formed from Essex (1857))
William Pennington (Newark)	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	36th	Elected in 1858. Lost re-election.
Nehemiah Perry (Newark)	Democratic	March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1865	37th 38th	Elected in 1860. Re-elected in 1862. Retired.
					1863–1873 Hudson County and Newark
Edwin R.V. Wright (Hudson City)	Democratic	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1867	39th	Elected in 1864. Retired.
George A. Halsey (Newark)	Republican	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869	40th	Elected in 1866. Lost re-election.
Orestes Cleveland (Jersey City)	Democratic	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871	41st	Elected in 1868. Lost re-election.
George A. Halsey (Newark)	Republican	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873	42nd	Elected in 1870. Retired.
William W. Phelps (Englewood)	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. Lost re-election.	Bergen, Morris, and Passaic
Augustus W. Cutler (Morristown)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879	44th 45th	Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Retired.
Charles H. Voorhis (Hackensack)	Republican	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	46th	Elected in 1878. Retired.
John Hill (Boonton)	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. Retired.
William W. Phelps (Englewood)	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1889	48th 49th 50th	Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired.
Charles D. Beckwith (Paterson)	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	Elected in 1888. Lost re-election.
Cornelius A. Cadmus (Paterson)	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895	52nd 53rd	Elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Retired.
					Bergen and Passaic
James F. Stewart (Paterson)	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1903	54th 55th 56th 57th	Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Lost re-election.
Charles N. Fowler (Elizabeth)	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911	58th 59th 60th 61st	Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Retired to run for U.S. senator.	Morris, Union, and Warren
William E. Tuttle Jr. (Westfield)	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915	62nd 63rd	Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
					Morris and Union
John H. Capstick (Montville)	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 17, 1918	64th 65th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Died.
Vacant		March 17, 1918 – November 5, 1918
William F. Birch (Dover)	Republican	November 5, 1918 – March 3, 1919	65th	Elected to finish Capstick's term. Retired.
Ernest R. Ackerman (Plainfield)	Republican	March 4, 1919 – October 18, 1931	66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Died.
Vacant		October 18, 1931 – December 1, 1931
Percy Hamilton Stewart (Plainfield)	Democratic	December 1, 1931 – March 3, 1933	72nd	Elected to finish Ackerman's term. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Charles A. Eaton (Watchung)	Republican	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1953	73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd	Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Retired.	Morris, Somerset, and part of Middlesex (north of Raritan River)
Peter Frelinghuysen Jr. (Morristown)	Republican	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1975	83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd	Elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Retired.
					Morris and Somerset (Northern Middlesex removed to the new 15th District (1962))
					District no longer follows county lines
Millicent Fenwick (Bernardsville)	Republican	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1983	94th 95th 96th 97th	Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Redistricted to the 12th district and retired to run for U.S. Senator.	Somerset, parts of Morris, and parts of Mercer (Princeton Township, Princeton Borough and West Windsor)
Marge Roukema (Ridgewood)	Republican	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2003	98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th	Redistricted from 7th district and re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired.	Parts of Bergen, Hunterdon, Mercer (Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, and Pennington), Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren
					Sussex (excluding Byram and Green) and northern parts of Bergen and Passaic
					[data missing]
Scott Garrett (Wantage)	Republican	January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2017	108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th	Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Lost re-election.	2003–2013: Warren, parts of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex
					2013–2023: Parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren
Josh Gottheimer (Wyckoff)	Democratic	January 3, 2017 – present	115th 116th 117th 118th 119th	Elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.
					2023–present: Parts of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex

Recent election results

2012

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2012^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott Garrett (incumbent)	167,501	55.0
	Democratic	Adam Gussen	130,100	42.8
	Green	Patricia Alessandrini	6,770	2.2
Total votes			304,371	100.0
	Republican hold

2014

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2014^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott Garrett (incumbent)	104,678	55.4
	Democratic	Roy Cho	81,808	43.3
	Independent	Mark D Quick	2,435	1.3
Total votes			188,921	100.0
	Republican hold

2016

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2016 ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Gottheimer	172,587	51.1
	Republican	Scott Garrett (incumbent)	157,690	46.7
	Libertarian	Claudio Belusic	7,424	2.2
Total votes			337,701	100.0
	Democratic gain from Republican

2018

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2018^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Gottheimer (incumbent)	169,546	56.2
	Republican	John J. McCann	128,255	42.5
	Libertarian	James Tosone	2,115	0.7
	Independent	Wendy Goetz	1,907	0.6
Total votes			301,823	100.0
	Democratic hold

2020

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2020^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Gottheimer (incumbent)	225,175	53.2
	Republican	Frank Pallotta	193,333	45.6
	Independent	Louis Vellucci	5,128	1.2
Total votes			423,636	100.0
	Democratic hold

2022

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2022^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Gottheimer (incumbent)	145,559	54.7
	Republican	Frank Pallotta	117,873	44.3
	Libertarian	Jeremy Marcus	1,193	0.5
	Independent	Trevor Ferrigno	700	0.3
	Independent	Louis Vellucci	618	0.2
Total votes			265,943	100.0
	Democratic hold

2024

New Jersey's 5th congressional district, 2024^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Gottheimer (incumbent)	208,359	54.6
	Republican	Mary Jo-Ann Guinchard	165,287	43.3
	Green	Beau Forte	3,428	0.9
	Libertarian	James Tosone	2,440	0.6
	Independent	Aamir Arif	2,375	0.6
Total votes			381,889	100.0
	Democratic hold