Josh gottheimer hires controversial lakewood area republican operative accused of peddling influence on local planning board

JACKSON, NJ – Democrat candidate for Governor Josh Gottheimer has announced the hiring of Tzvi Herman, a controversial former Ocean County Republican political operative who jumped ship to the Democrat party after being forced to resign from a local planning board amid allegations of political influence peddling.

Herman was never charged with any criminal wrongdoing but resigned under pressure after members of the local Republican party lodged allegations of wrongdoing.

Herman, a long-time Republican and supporter of GOP candidates in Ocean County, came under fire last year after he was accused of peddling influence on the Jackson Township Planning Board, where he served as chairman, in return for political donations and support for Avi Schnall, the former head of Agudath Israel of America. Schnall credits Herman with his overwhelming victory in the 2023 New Jersey Assembly election, where he became the first Orthodox Jewish person elected to a state office.

Schnall had said previously that he was unaware of Herman’s allegations in Jackson.

Last year, to undermine Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina and the Republican Jackson Council, Herman led a failed campaign to change the township’s form of government to tip the scales for Democrats and to settle a score with local Republicans who called for Herman’s resignation from the planning board. Herman had teamed up with anti-Jewish community leaders and a major influencer of Rise Up Ocean County, a now-defunct anti-Jewish watchdog page that was condemned by state legislators, county commissioners, and local elected officials for promoting anti-Jewish hate and fear peddling.

Herman’s turn to the Democrat party has paid off and Democrat Josh Gottheimer is hoping Herman can deliver votes from the Greater Lakewood area’s Conservative Jewish population center.

“Tzvi is an enormously talented individual and knows how to run a campaign like no other,” said Assemblyman Schnall. “There are few in the state that know how to turn out voters like him.”

“I am incredibly grateful and honored to have Tzvi on our team. He will help our campaign reach thousands of voters in Lakewood and all across Jersey,” Gottheimer said. “Together, we’ll fight to protect the Jewish community from violence and antisemitism, lower taxes for Jersey families, generate more power and lower utility bills, and help communities like Lakewood build the infrastructure they need.”

Gottheimer, viewed as one of the state’s most progressive far-left candidates running for governor in 2025 is counting on Herman to deliver votes from a community that generally does not support Gottheimer’s strong pro-gay and trans agenda.

While Herman has come under fire from the Jackson and Lakewood rabbinical leadership in the past, Gottheimer believes Herman can convince the Lakewood VAAD and its extremely conservative community that it represents to line up behind the far-left progressive candidate.

The move could signal a critical evolution in Lakewood’s often strict religious community, signaling a more tolerant and pro-transexual, pro-abortion stance as Herman is expected to lead Gottheimer through the often secluded but influential Lakewood, Toms River, and Jackson yeshivas and Orthodox business communities.

In an interview, Herman believes the Orthodox Jewish community will overlook Gottheimer’s stance on abortion and advocacy for gay and transexual issues. Instead, they could line up behind Gottheimer for lower costs. Gottheimer was a staunch supporter of Bidenomics during the presidency of Joe Biden. He routinely touted President Biden’s economic success despite Americans paying all-time high prices for necessities, including food, fuel, and energy.

Gottheimer is polling 5th among candidates running for governor in New Jersey. He has been facing criticism for not showing up this week to vote on the Laken Riley Bill. This Congressional measure would allow for the deportation of violent illegal aliens and illegals who commit crimes in the United States.

Herman has not publicly commented on the allegations alleged in Jackson.

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