John McCann (New Jersey)

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John McCann

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 7, 2020

Contact

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John McCann (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on July 7, 2020.

An attorney who most recently worked as the general counsel for the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, McCann ran for Congress in 2018. In the Republican primary, he said that he was a stronger candidate than his opponent, Steve Lonegan, to face incumbent Josh Gottheimer (D) in the general election. Supporters of his campaign included former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), former Trump administration official Sebastian Gorka, and a number of local officials in New Jersey. He loaned his campaign $125,000.

McCann said he was opposed to the 2017 Republican tax bill that almost all U.S. House members from New Jersey, Democrats and Republicans, voted against. He said he considered himself a moderate, but he also tied his campaign to President Donald Trump and his agenda.

McCann has previously worked as a private attorney. In the early years of the Bill Clinton administration, he worked for U.S. Sen. Arlen Spector (R-Penn.) and helped analyze the healthcare bill developed by Hillary Clinton. He received his B.A. in political science from Paces University, his M.A. in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from Queens College.

For more information about the Republican primary election: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election (June 5, 2018 Republican primary)

For more information about the general election on November 6, 2018: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2018

Biography

McCann's professional experience includes working as an attorney and serving as the general counsel for the Bergen County Sheriff's Office. He received his B.A. in political science from Paces University, his M.A. in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from Queens College.

Elections

2020

See also: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2020

New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Republican primary)

New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated Frank Pallotta and Louis Vellucci in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Gottheimer (D)	53.2	225,175
		Frank Pallotta (R)	45.6	193,333
		Louis Vellucci (American Values Party)	1.2	5,128

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 423,636
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated Arati Kreibich in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Gottheimer	66.5	52,406
		Arati Kreibich	33.5	26,418

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 78,824
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

Frank Pallotta defeated John McCann, James Baldini, and Hector Castillo in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frank Pallotta	51.7	25,834
		John McCann	32.4	16,220
	Submit photo	James Baldini	10.3	5,126
		Hector Castillo	5.6	2,814

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,994
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dana DiRisio (R)
• Paul Duggan (R)
• Robert Auth (R)
• Mike Ghassali (R)
• Jon Dalrymple Jr. (R)

2018

See also: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated John McCann, James Tosone, and Wendy Goetz in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Gottheimer (D)	56.2	169,546
		John McCann (R)	42.5	128,255
		James Tosone (L)	0.7	2,115
	Submit photo	Wendy Goetz (Trade, Health, Environment Party)	0.6	1,907

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 301,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

Incumbent Josh Gottheimer advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Gottheimer	100.0	27,486

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 27,486
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

John McCann defeated Steve Lonegan in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John McCann	53.0	16,685
		Steve Lonegan	47.0	14,767

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 31,452
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the Republican primary

Know of an endorsement? Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org. Republican candidate endorsements Endorsement Date Lonegan McCann National figures Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Trump March 19, 2018 ✔ Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) February 22, 2018 ✔ Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes Magazine February 14, 2018 ✔ Darrell Scott, CEO of Donald Trump's National Diversity Coalition February 8, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) February 7, 2018 ✔ Corey Lewandwoski and Dave Bossie, former Trump campaign officials January 31, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) November 29, 2017 ✔ State figures Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R) February 1, 2018 ✔ 2017 Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate Carlos Rendo December 14, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Mike Doherty (R) November 30, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R) November 30, 2017 ✔ Local figures Former Bergen County Freeholder John Felice March 1, 2018 ✔ Former Bergen County Freeholder John Driscoll March 1, 2018 ✔ Mahwah Councilman Robert Hermansen March 1, 2018 ✔ Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada February 21, 2018 ✔ Nutley Commissioner Steve Rogers January 24, 2018 ✔ Sussex County Freeholder Sylvia Petillo January 28, 2018 ✔ Sussex County Freeholder Herbert Yardley January 28, 2018 ✔ Former Sussex County Freeholder Phil Crabb January 28, 2018 ✔ Warren County Freeholder Richard Gardner December 19, 2017 ✔ Warren County Freeholder Ed Smith December 19, 2017 ✔ Warren County Freeholder Jason Sarnoski December 19, 2017 ✔ Bergen County GOP Chairman Paul DiGaetano September 7, 2017 ✔ Bob Yudin, former Bergen County GOP chairman Unknown ✔ Organizations Stump for Trump May 9, 2018 ✔ Republican Liberty Caucus May 8, 2018 ✔ Passaic County Republican Party March 15, 2018 ✔ Students for Trump March 5, 2018 ✔

Campaign finance

Campaign finance disclosures from May 16, 2018, showed the following:

• Steve Lonegan had raised more than $1.4 million ($1 million was from a personal loan) and had more than $520,000 in cash-on-hand.
• John McCann had raised more than $185,000 ($125,000 was from a personal loan) and had about $46,000 in cash-on-hand.

Campaign finance disclosures from the first quarter of 2018 showed the following:

• Steve Lonegan had raised more than $1.3 million ($1 million was from a personal loan) and had more than $700,000 in cash-on-hand.
• John McCann had raised more than $170,000 ($125,000 was from a personal loan) and had about $113,000 in cash-on-hand.

The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly January 2018 reports. It includes only candidates who have reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of December 31, 2017. Republicans

Campaign advertisements

Steve Lonegan is anti-Trump and can’t beat the Democrats. He’s just an embarrassment.

Watch my latest TV ad on air TODAY in #NJ5: pic.twitter.com/K5e9xhfDr3

— John McCann (@realJohnMcCann) May 21, 2018

During the 2016 election, @Lonegan was a die-hard Never Trumper.

Elect me and I will be a fighter for the America First Agenda.

Move over, Losin' Lonegan! pic.twitter.com/73JHOP5HBh

— John McCann (@realJohnMcCann) February 5, 2018

Broken borders and sanctuary cities are destroying AMERICAN lives!

Enough excuses. I’m going to Washington to clean up this mess and support President @realDonaldTrump!#DrainTheSwamp #MAGA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9CwwoekTrC

— John McCann (@realJohnMcCann) January 22, 2018

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John McCann did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

McCann’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Too many Americans are unemployed, underemployed or working undesirable jobs. That’s why I’m running for Congress. Taxes I will work to make the tax code more favorable to small businesses which are the backbone of the nation’s economy. It’s time that Congress put Main Street before Wall Street. Since historic tax cuts passed, New Jersey residents are concerned about the elimination of the SALT (state and local tax) deduction. Elect me to Congress and I will work to fix this pertinent concern. Trade We’ve all heard the arguments for free and fair trade. Like the President, I am for America First trade. We need to reevaluate trade deals to see what benefits America first. We’ve been taken advantage of too often on the world stage—while your jobs have been shipped off to other countries. As your Congressman I will never vote for a bill that guts American jobs and creates a negative trade balance. All trade deals need to protect jobs, grow the economy, and forge good diplomatic relations around the world. Immigration and Border Security As Americans, we are proud of our rich immigrant history and understand the need to reform immigration law. But New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy plans to make New Jersey a Sanctuary State for illegal immigrants—handcuffing law enforcement from working with federal immigration officials to arrest illegal immigrants convicted of VIOLENT CRIMES living in our communities. How could the Democrats be so irresponsible? Sanctuary City laws endanger our communities, and I will not stand by as politicians posture for reelection risking you and your loved ones’ lives. Our incredible state cannot be a sanctuary for violent criminals. Proud of my immigrant heritage, I will lead the fight in Congress to protect our families by: Stopping the liberal Democrats in the D.C. and NJ swamps from blocking our President’s commonsense plan to fight illegal immigration. Working to secure the border and ports of entry. Blocking terrorist, gangs, and drugs from entering this country. Voting to end the Diversity Visa Lottery and Chain Migration. Working to create Merit-Based immigration so we’re only taking in the best and brightest from around the world. Securing our border and protecting Americans shouldn’t come down to partisan politics. It is our government’s primary job to protect Americans but they have been failing us, year after year. Let’s elected someone who will finally fight to protect all of our country’s citizens. Healthcare In the 1990s when Hillarycare (the precursor to Obamacare) was being prepped to pass, I worked as a young staff member in the United States Senate to expose Hillarycare as a fraud perpetrated on the American people. As a business owner, I’m committed to bringing a market-based approach to healthcare. You need better access to the doctors of your choice. You need better care for whatever health challenges you face. You need to be unburdened from crippling insurance rates. As Congressman, I will finish the job of repealing and replacing Obamacare with a market-based approach that improves access to quality, affordable healthcare. I will also fight the current deathgrip Big Pharma has on D.C. politicians and will work to drive down costs and drive up care. Let’s bring back medical freedom so you can get about living. Second Amendment The Second Amendment is personal for me—since 1981 when my veteran father was a victim of domestic terrorism. Shot by members of a domestic terror organization while working for Brinks, my father’s—and our family’s life—was never the same. Without the ability to defend our homes and our families, we can never truly be free. The Founding Fathers provided Americans with the freedom to exercise this right to keep and bear arms without governmental infringement. Our inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are protected by the Second Amendment. Guns can save lives. This is why I will always fight to defend Second Amendment rights from liberal politicians in Washington and Trenton. Foreign Policy Support our military As our incredible Defense Secretary James Mattis has said, “No enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of our military than sequestration.” I will work with our President to invest in our military so they are fully equipped to protect our great country and our allies. We must roll back the Obama Administration’s cuts to defense spending—which have crippled our ability to defend ourselves, forcing our incredible servicemen and women to use outdated equipment. Jerusalem as Capital of Israel When President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, I applauded this historic decision. After eight years of the Obama Administration’s anti-Israel policies, it’s time to restore our unwavering support and defense of Israel—our greatest ally. North Korea In order to truly Make America Safe Again, we must address North Korean aggression. When you send me to Congress, I will work with our President to stop North Korea from becoming a nuclear power. We must strengthen our support for allies in the region as well as use economic influence to spur action by the Chinese government. Rocket Man is no match for American leadership. Iran The Obama Administration’s Iran deal is a national disgrace—rolling back sanctions on the Iranian regime as the nation continues to be a state sponsor of terrorism, advancing both ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. I will work with our President to address all national security threats as we fight to eradicate radical Islamic terror. Education I believe in school choice. Whether you want your kids in public school, private, charter or homeschool, I believe you—not some D.C. swamp creature—should be making the best decision for your family. Infrastructure Our country is far behind other countries in updating our infrastructure. I believe this issue may be one of the few bipartisan issues left that we can all agree to work on to improve our communities. Through private-public partnerships, I know we can update our infrastructure and make it state-of-the-art. Life On January 19, Congress voted on the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” making it the law of the land that a doctor must provide medical care to babies who survive botched abortions. While the bill passed the House, Rep. Gottheimer voted NO on protecting these poor children. What kind of man votes in favor of letting babies born outside the womb die? I am personally pro-life and believe that Congress should be fighting for every American’s life whether they be in the womb or in old age. Whether they be healthy or suffering from disabilities. As your Congressman, I will fight to ensure the government has a responsibility to protect the sanctity of life—one of our constitutional, Creator-endowed inalienable rights. Opioid epidemic I have met too many families who have lost husbands, wives and children to the deadly opioid epidemic. It’s time we as Americans fight this life-altering crisis together—discovering better ways to treat chronic pain. By exploring non-addictive medications and holistic treatments to actually help patients get better, we will empower our fellow Americans to return to full and active lives, enjoying our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Big Pharma has a powerful grip on politicians—but I can never be bought. I will fight for the best solutions for you—not some lobbyist’s bottomline. We also need to cut off the illegal drug supply pouring across our border that is poisoning our youth. By securing our Southern border, we will stop the illegal flow and access to deadly drugs.	”
—John McCann’s campaign website (2018)

See also

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Footnotes

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New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cory Booker (D)

Andrew Kim (D)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Norcross (D)

District 2

Jeff Van Drew (R)

District 3

Herbert Conaway (D)

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

District 5

Josh Gottheimer (D)

District 6

Frank Pallone (D)

District 7

Thomas Kean (R)

District 8

Robert Menendez (D)

District 9

Nellie Pou (D)

District 10

LaMonica McIver (D)

District 11

Mikie Sherrill (D)

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (11)

Republican Party (3)