Announcing his bid for governor of New Jersey on Friday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) pledged to crack down on antisemitism, indicating he plans to bring his advocacy on the issue from Capitol Hill to the campaign trail in the Garden State.

“We can’t attract more families and jobs to our state if families don’t feel safe — in their homes, in their neighborhoods or even in their cars. We need more cops on the beat and more community policing,” Gottheimer said in a speech announcing his entry into the race. “And let me add: We need to bring the full force of the law against the antisemites who are harassing Jewish or any other communities all over this state.”

On Capitol Hill, Gottheimer, who is Jewish, has been among the most active and outspoken Democrats on antisemitism, Israel, Iran and Middle East policy, working across the aisle and at times breaking with the administration and party leadership.

He gave a nod to his foreign policy work in his campaign launch speech, noting that he’d “helped pass laws that everyone said were impossible to get done,” including “foreign aid and counter-terrorism legislation.”

Gottheimer is expected to face Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, the latter of whom is also Jewish, in the Democratic primary. For years, Gottheimer has been amassing a massive campaign war chest, which many have seen as a preparation for this race.

Gottheimer or Fulop would be the first Jewish governor in a state with one of the nation’s largest Jewish populations.