NJ-05: Garrett Puts Himself at Risk

For over a decade, Democrats have fumed that GOP Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) is way too conservative for the upscale, socially moderate Bergen County voters who dominate his district. But, voters have kept reelecting him. In 2016, however, Garrett may be more vulnerable than ever before thanks to a firestorm of his own creation. Two weeks ago, Politico reported that Garrett told a closed door meeting of fellow House Republicans that he hadn't paid his expected dues to the NRCC in part because the House GOP's campaign arm had supported gay candidates in recent House races. In the weeks since, Garrett hasn't publicly backed away from his comments. Now, he's begun to lose longtime Wall Street donors and is even taking flak from fellow New Jersey GOP leaders. Garrett's moment of "conscience" won't surprise longtime followers of his career. Before his election in 2002, Garrett was known as one of a handful of socially conservative "Mountain Men" in the state legislature (his home and political base are in the hills Sussex County, not suburban Bergen). He has displayed a Bible