Glen Rock Councilmember Kreibich Challenges Gottheimer

‘Human Fundraising Machine’ Lost Touch with the People

GLEN ROCK, N.J., July 29 – Glen Rock Councilmember Arati Kreibich announced on Monday that she is challenging incumbent Josh Gottheimer for the Democratic Party nomination in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District.

“We need to have the moral courage and conviction to stand up for what is right and what is fair,” Kreibich said in a video launching her campaign. “Our representatives should stand with  people – not corporations.”

Kreibich won’t take donations from corporate political action committees, in contrast to Gottheimer’s campaign, which is fueled by big checks from the wealthy and special interests. She supports the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free tuition at public colleges and universities, and is in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. She opposes Gottheimer’s efforts to roll back critical regulations protecting us from the next financial crisis, and the deal he negotiated in a backroom to hand $40 billion to Donald Trump and his immigration regime.

Kreibich was once an active Gottheimer supporter, joining other grassroots leaders in the belief that a Democrat in the 5th district could be a bulwark against the tide of Trumpism and the regressive policies that leave too many New Jersey families teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But, like many others, Kreibich found herself disappointed in how he’s spent his time in Congress.

“He’s got one of the most pro-Trump records of any House Democrat in Washington, and when he comes home he refuses to explain his votes, hiding behind his position as a leader of the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus,” Kreibich said. “He seems more interested in creating roadblocks for big solutions than solving the problems that make life so tough for families in New Jersey. But you don’t get a nickname like ‘the Human Fundraising Machine’ without losing touch with the people.”

Kreibich came to the United States at age 11, when her family moved from India in pursuit of the American dream. Kreibich’s path to achieving her own American dream was through education. She earned a doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to teach and conduct research in academia. She later educated clinicians on the latest research into neurologic disorders and became a scientific advisor to a non-profit working to treat muscular dystrophy.

In 2017, she was elected to Glen Rock’s Borough Council, becoming the first South Asian member in its history. During her tenure, Kreibich has earned a reputation as being a smart, effective Council member who has improved the Borough’s budget process while also spearheading environmental initiatives such as transitioning the town’s residences to sustainable energy sources, organizing a Borough-wide litter clean-up and installing electric car-charging stations. Kreibich successfully gathered bipartisan support for her efforts, working to ensure both her Democratic and Republican council colleagues were on board.