Joe Hathaway

His campaign platform says he supports a refundable federal tax credit to help first-time buyers cover upfront costs such as closing fees, inspections and moving expenses, and a federal tax freeze for those buyers in the early years after they purchase, with relief targeted and income-capped.⁴

His campaign home page lists among his accomplishments as mayor of Randolph negotiating the township's fourth-round affordable housing settlement, which it says cut the state-required obligation by 92 percent.³

His campaign platform says he would push for federal incentives that get counties and towns to lower or hold down property taxes for people buying their first home.⁴

His campaign platform says he supports targeting waste, fraud and abuse in Social Security and Medicare.⁴

His campaign platform says he supports expanding Opportunity Tax Credits for businesses that hire local workers, plus deductions for training employees and relief for small businesses that invest in equipment or facilities.⁴

1. Expand breaks for investment, research and hiring, such as larger research credits for small businesses
2. Keep current business tax breaks
3. Cut back many of these breaks and use the money for lower tax rates, deficit reduction or other priorities

His campaign platform says he opposes spending he says drives up inflation, supports pay-as-you-go rules so new spending is paid for upfront, and supports audits and oversight of how federal money is spent.⁴

His campaign platform says he supports capping federal student loan interest rates as an alternative to mass debt forgiveness.⁴

His campaign platform says he supports the expanded Child Tax Credit in the Working Families Tax Cut Act and will push for a larger credit.⁴

His campaign platform says he would work to create and expand a dedicated child care tax credit to help families afford safe, reliable care.⁴

His campaign platform says Congress should set guardrails for social media and technology to protect children's mental health and safety, and that he would fight algorithms and AI-driven targeting that take advantage of minors.⁴

His campaign platform says he wants lower health care costs through price transparency and competition, including requiring hospitals and insurers to publish upfront prices, expanding Health Savings Accounts and Association Health Plans, and cutting out middlemen such as pharmacy benefit managers, and says government-run health care is not needed to do this.⁴

His campaign platform says retirees should not owe tax on Social Security benefits they paid into through their work, and that he supports the Working Families Tax Cut Act provision it describes as ending federal taxes on Social Security income.⁴

1. End income tax on Social Security benefits
2. Keep the extra deduction for people 65 and older past 2028, or make it permanent
3. Keep taxing part of the benefits of people with higher incomes, and let the extra deduction end after 2028

His campaign platform says he would preserve Social Security and Medicare so that people already retired or close to retiring receive the benefits they earned, and would strengthen both programs for future retirees, including through reforms aimed at keeping them solvent.⁴

His campaign platform says he would fight to see the Gateway Tunnel fully funded, supports more One Seat Ride service connecting the district with New York City, and says existing rail infrastructure should be modernized before building entirely new systems, alongside targeted commuter rail expansion.⁴

His campaign platform calls for serious federal investment in commuter rail, modern stations and the roads families rely on, and says he would work to secure federal money to repair and modernize highways including I-78 and I-80.⁴

His campaign platform says his energy approach is to use every source, listing nuclear power, natural gas, solar and wind turbines on land.⁴

His campaign platform says he will not back policies that build offshore wind turbines, mentioning the Jersey Shore.⁴

His campaign platform says he supports enforcing existing trade agreements and negotiating new ones to open markets for New Jersey products, while avoiding retaliation that raises prices on essentials.⁴

1. Sign new deals that lower trade barriers
2. Keep existing deals, such as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, largely as they are
3. Renegotiate existing deals, for example to require that more of each product be made in the US
4. Leave existing deals and set terms country by country, including tariffs

His campaign platform says he would back law enforcement at every level of government, including by securing funding for police training, equipment and technology.⁴

His campaign platform says he would work to expand veterans' access to timely VA health care, using community providers when necessary, and seek targeted federal funding to update and rebuild VA hospitals and clinics.⁴

1. Let veterans choose private doctors at the VA's expense whenever they prefer
2. Write wait-time and drive-time limits into law, so veterans can use private care when the VA can't meet them
3. Expand the VA's own hospitals and clinics, using private care mainly when the VA can't provide it