Republican Damon Galdo’s past two bids for South Jersey’s 1st congressional district didn’t end the way he hoped, but after launching his third campaign over the holidays, he’s optimistic that his latest effort will turn out differently.
Galdo, who works in construction and also hosts a conservative podcast, is the first Republican to launch a campaign against Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) in the reliably Democratic district. He told the New Jersey Globe that after failing to receive local GOP organizational support in 2022 and 2024, he thinks party leaders will come down on his side this time around.
“I’m just encouraged by the reception I’ve received from party leaders and committee leaders,” Galdo said. “People want to win this seat, and there’s a lot of alignment around the direction we need to go… I’ve been fighting for the support for a long time, and now it seems like I’m going to get it.”
A resident of West Deptford, Galdo was a total unknown when he first ran for Congress in 2022, filing at the last minute and failing to make much headway against the GOP organization’s choice for the seat, Claire Gustafson. Galdo and Gustafson both ran again in 2024, but both were defeated by Teddy Liddell, who had the support of the Camden County GOP.
Over the course of those four years, Galdo began getting more involved in politics via his podcast network, where other Republican candidates for office in South Jersey will sometimes make appearances.
Galdo said his congressional platform focuses on “affordability, public safety, border security, and restoring accountability in government,” and that he “of course” is a supporter of President Donald Trump. That may be a tough sell in a Camden-based district Trump lost by 19 percentage points, and Galdo said he has no illusions about how difficult flipping the seat will be.
“My favorite quote is, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ That’s why I do this,” Galdo said. “That’s why I run, that’s why I try to make a difference: because it’s important to me. Beating Norcross – I’m not delusional that that’s going to be an easy thing. I know it’s a [Democratic] district, so it’s going to be extremely hard. But I will throw everything I have at it.”
