WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Arati Kreibich, a Democratic progressive challenging U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer in New Jersey’s 5th congressional district primary, conceded the race on Wednesday and pledged support for her former opponent.
“Josh Gottheimer will be our Democratic nominee, and I intend to vote for him and Democrats up and down the ballot in November,” Kreibich, a neuroscientist who was backed by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, said in a statement.
Gottheimer, a moderate who flipped a Republican congressional district into the Democratic column in 2016, was endorsed by national Democrats including House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The New Jersey primary election, which had been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. With 11 percent of precincts reporting, the results showed Gottheimer leading Kreibich by about 69% to 31%, according to the New York Times.
In the district’s Republican primary, finance executive Frank Pallotta led a field of four candidates with 67% of the vote.
Complete official results in the congressional primaries may not be known until later this month. As with other states that have encouraged voters to mail ballots instead of voting in person because of the pandemic, delays are likely while officials receive, open and tabulate the votes.
In her statement, Kreibich stressed the importance of Democratic unity to defeat President Donald Trump and other members of his Republican Party in the Nov. 3 general election, in the interests of immigrants, women and people of color.
“Trump and the GOP must be defeated,” said Kreibich, who is an immigrant herself.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Alistair Bell)
