John McCann was paying close attention to the 5th Congressional District race in 2016 between Democrat Josh Gottheimer and then-incumbent Scott Garrett. He saw how Gottheimer won the seat by portraying Garrett as a reactionary right-winger with a history of racially or sexually insensitive comments. McCann is convinced Gottheimer will use the same strategy if this year’s GOP candidate is Steve Lonegan, a well-known conservative and former mayor of Bogota. 

And that is precisely why McCann, an attorney from Oakland, says he’s the best hope the GOP has to reclaim a seat that has been traditionally held by a Republican.

“I can win in November. I’m the only candidate who can beat Josh Gottheimer,” McCann said in a recent interview. As for Gottheimer’s successful 2016 campaign blueprint against Garrett, McCann said, “He can’t do that against me.” 

Both McCann and Lonegan figure to face off against each other in this June’s Republican primary for the shot to challenge Gottheimer.  Bergen County has the most voters and is the key battleground, although the district also stretches through Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties.  

It is an odd one to be sure, running literally from the Hudson to the Delaware.

In 2016, Gottheimer beat Garrett by about 15,000 votes and carried Bergen County by an estimated 34,000. Garrett won the other three counties. 

Gottheimer has sought to establish himself as a centrist, which would seem to coincide with district opinion. Republicans had held a registration advantage in the district, but it’s now about evenly split. 

McCann, 58, is not impressed with Gottheimer’s alleged centrist convictions, noting, for instance, that the congressman has not been vociferous enough in denouncing “Antifa,” a far-left group whose rallies and protests have led to property damage and other violent acts. 

While few sensible people would defend violent protests, McCann’s mention of Antifa seemed a bit odd; the group has had little visible presence in either New Jersey or the 5th District.

The candidate swings over to more mainstream GOP views when it comes to other issues. 

Undaunted by the Republicans’ inability to completely repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, McCann says he wants to do exactly that in favor of a “market-based”  approach.  McCann says some of the popular parts of the ACA, including the mandated coverage of those with pre-existing conditions and parents keeping adult children on family policies until age 26, would remain if there is a viable market to keep them. 

McCann declined to  say how he would have voted on the recently-passed GOP tax bill, saying he didn’t want to answer a hypothetical question. All New Jersey congressmen from both parties opposed the bill except for one, Rep. Thomas MacArthur, R-3rd. The main stumbling block for New Jersey lawmakers was limiting the deduction for state and local taxes, including property taxes, to $10,000. Many state residents own homes where property taxes are higher than $10,000. McCann did say that if he gets to Congress he would support increasing the $10,000 limit. 

Lonegan, in contrast, supports the tax plan and argues that the real problem is that state property taxes are too high; he faults local and state officials for that. 

On immigration, McCann said his priority would be security.

“I would support any legislation that makes security first,:” he said. McCann said that must come before any other changes to immigration policy.

McCann’s elected experience has been serving on the Cresskill Borough Council in the 2000’s. Interestingly, Lonegan’s only elected experience has been municipal government as well. But he has, of course, run for higher office many times, including governor, U.S. senator and most recently, for Congress against MacArthur (in another district) in 2014. 

McCann, stresses his widespread government experience as chief counsel to Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. In that role, McCann helped engineer folding the Bergen County Police Department into the sheriff’s office, a move that McCann says will save $40 million over four years. That’s the good news. 

The bad news for someone running in a Republican primary is that Saudino switched parties and is now a Democrat. McCann attributed the move to party infighting over the police absorption. 

Lonegan says he has the support of state Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-39th, a prominent Bergen County conservative, in addition to freeholders and legislators in Warren and Sussex counties.

McCann does not dispute that, but claims he has endorsements from officials “closer to the people,” – like mayors.

He better hope his supporters have deep pockets, because as McCann candidly admits, his campaign fund of about $130,000, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, is more than $800,000 less than Lonegan’s.