The name of former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan surfaced this week as a potential 5th Congressional candidate for the seat currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5).

Warren County Freeholder Jason Sarnoski is already in the hunt for the Republican nomination to take on Gottheimer, and attorney John McCann is also said to be interested.

A movement conservative, Lonegan has twice run for governor, most notably losing to Chris Christie in the 2009 Republican Primary; as well as running for U.S. Senate and Congress in the 3rd District. In the last of the aforementioned contests, Tom MacArthur defeated Lonegan in the 2014 Republican Primary.

A Republican source in the district floated the name to InsiderNJ after hearing buzz in CD5 last Friday afternoon.