Republican Kate Gibbs Announces Run for Congress in NJ-03

Andy Kim is one of the most vulnerable freshman Dems in the country

New Jersey’s Third Congressional District – Republican Kate Gibbs officially entered the race today to take on Democrat Andy Kim in 2020.  Gibbs, a millennial Republican woman, serves in a leadership role for the one of the state’s most prominent trade labor unions.

“As a millennial Republican woman who has good friends on both sides of the aisle, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s brand of politics doesn’t represent me or everyone in my generation,” said Gibbs.  “Turning our back on America, embracing socialism, threatening to eliminate private health insurance, and adopting Phil Murphy’s out-of-touch policies on Sanctuary Cities and taxpayer-funded giveaways to illegal immigrants is not a message that is going to sell in the Third Congressional District in 2020.”

Gibbs, who is the Deputy Director for the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative (ELEC 825), a collaborative trust focused on creating work opportunities for the members and signatory contractors of Local 825 Operating Engineers, believes her personal story will resonate with Third Congressional District voters.

“I was born in South Jersey, raised by a single mom, worked to put myself through school, and became the first person in my family to graduate from college,” said Gibbs.  “From there, I went on to become one of the youngest women ever elected to countywide office in New Jersey, where I cut property taxes, improved school security, made life easier for working moms, and guaranteed equal pay for equal work.  I want to bring that same common sense, pragmatic approach to Washington, and be a leader in Congress who isn’t anyone’s rubber stamp.”

Prior to joining the Burlington County Freeholder Board, Gibbs served on the Board of Trustees for Rowan College at Burlington County, where she was integral in expanding the County’s Workforce Development Institute and played an active role in establishing the College’s partnership with Rowan University.

An active member on boards and committees for various Chambers of Commerce and business and industry organizations throughout New Jersey, Gibbs earned her Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, graduating Summa Cum Laude and a B.A. from The American University, with a Double Major in Public Communications and Political Science.

Why Kate Gibbs Will Win:

• Congressman MacArthur’s narrow 2018 loss was an outlier.  In 2016, President Trump won NJ-03 by 6%; in 2017, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno won NJ-03 by 5%; and in 2018, US Senate candidate Bob Hugin won NJ-03 by 9%.
• That same year, 2018, Kate Gibbs received 46% of the vote in the Burlington County portion of NJ-03, while Congressman MacArthur received just shy of 40%.  Had the Congressman won the same 46% as Gibbs, he would have been re-elected.
• In 2019, Assemblyman Ryan Peters and Assemblywoman-elect Jean Stanfield defeated two Democratic challengers despite being outspent by more than 20-to-1 on broadcast and cable television.  Rep. Andy Kim publicly endorsed and actively campaigned for the losing Democrats.