Wesley Clark endorsement
General Wesley Clark endorsed Josh Gottheimer for the 5th Congressional District on Monday.
(Sara Jerde | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
MAYWOOD -- A retired four-star general and former supreme commander of NATO said Monday he thinks Josh Gottheimer, the Democratic candidate hoping to unseat Rep. Scott Garrett (R), will be the best advocate for veterans in Washington.
General Wesley Clark stood beside Bergen County Executive James Tedesco and several veterans in the Maywood American Legion as he formally endorsed the man who once helped him run his 2004 presidential campaign.
"Josh Gottheimer is one of the most talented people I've ever run across in the private or public sector," said Clark, who has won multiple distinguished service medals.
Gottheimer shared his plan to address veteran issues, which included making the Veterans Affairs department more accountable, investing more resources in mental health care for veterans to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and helping troops transition back in to society with programs that could help them find careers.
Gottheimer and Garrett are in a heated race to for the 5th Congressional District, which Garrett was first elected to represent in 2002. At the news conference, Gottheimer argued Garrett hadn't taken on veterans' issues since he's been in office.
Sarah Neibart, Garrett's campaign manager, responded to the allegations and called the representative a "persistent veterans advocate."
Garrett's campaign also announced an endorsement of his own on Monday, from Teaneck Councilman Mark Schwartz, a Democrat.
Schwartz said he and Garrett didn't agree on all things foreign policy, but that the representative's stance on Israel is what motivated him to endorse him across party lines. Garrett has said he supports efforts to establish peace among Israel and the Palestinians, but that he supports Israel's right to exist as an democratic nation and defend itself against attacks.
"You're never going to agree with anyone all the time, and his stance on Israel is why he has my endorsement," Schwartz said.
Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.