Former County Prosecutor Paul DeGroot officially announced his candidacy for the New Jersey 11^th Congressional District United States House of Representatives. The life-long New Jersey resident said he will attract new, high-paying jobs while securing federal tax relief to the district, which incorporates portions of Essex, Sussex, Passaic, and Morris County, where he still lives today with his wife Sharon and two young children.

As a long-time supporter of the military and sensible law enforcement, the Republican plans to forge a closer relationship with the defense industry while reducing the burdensome regulations on businesses. His candidacy also intends to promote more opportunities for advancement for women and better treatment for the region’s veterans and seniors.

As a member of Congress, DeGroot said he will defend the first amendment by supporting a break-up of predatory big tech companies. “ Facebook and Google exert state-like monopoly power over America’s minds, markets, and wallets,” he notes. “The scale on which they operate simply cannot exist in a free society. Also, the United States must withdraw from multinational trade agreements that forfeit our sovereignty to anti-American globalists. Instead, end bad, multilateral trade deals and bring the supply chains home.”

DeGroot said his candidacy was catalyzed by Democratic incumbent Mikie Sherrill’s failure to protect the New Jersey 11^th District in two key moments during her tenure.  Tropical Storm Ida was one of the deadliest natural disasters for the state in the last century.  Yet Sherrill “neglected to secure appropriate federal aid for the deluged areas of Morris and Passaic County and beyond even though New Jersey residents routinely step up to support other areas of the country in their times of need,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sherrill missed a major opportunity to insist on a full SALT cap repeal in H.R. 3684, the $1.2 trillion Investment and Jobs Act.  “New Jersey residents are among the highest taxed in the nation,” he states. “Even if democrats act like they permanently restored tax cuts in the Build Back Better legislations, the fine print reveals they merely raised the deduction cap for a few years before it goes right back to where it is now. Meanwhile, the gargantuan government spending spree that accompanies it reduces the purchasing power of any dollars we do save.”

So whether or not the Build Back Better (BBB) act passes the senate, her previous inaction already cost scores of New Jersey homeowners thousands of dollars annually for the foreseeable future. If it does pass, she will have helped tie just a temporary tax adjustment for New Jersey residents to a partisan, fundamental transformation of America that entrenches a socialist welfare state into society once and for all. “Meanwhile, she continues to support the Biden administration’s runaway spending, which has contributed to skyrocketing inflation and supply-chain breakdown.”

The son of a firefighter, DeGroot was born and raised in Passaic County where he attended public schools in Clifton.  He commuted to Montclair State College before graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in political science.  He earned his JD from Widener University School of Law in Delaware in 1993.  DeGroot found his calling as a prosecutor for the State of New Jersey. “For 25 years, it was a beautiful career,” he said.  “I learned how to debate, argue, persuade, and negotiate. I did close to a hundred trials and resolved thousands of cases.”  DeGroot ultimately was promoted to Chief Prosecutor for the Homicide, Narcotics, and Internal Affairs Corruption units.

“This district deserves to have the best Republican representative in Congress and the one who has the best chance to beat Mikie Sherrill in November,” DeGroot said.  “The person that’s going to go on the offense; who knows how to cross-examine, knows how to debate, and knows how to build consensus.  That’s been my job for 25 years.  I’ll bring that energy and dedication to Congress to fight for this district every day.”