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Bruce Springsteen is essentially worshipped as a god in the state of New Jersey, so it’s easy to understand why politicians running for office there would want to position themselves as a fan. However, a state rep who is hoping to become the next governor went a bit too far before getting exposed for a fraudulent Spotify Wrapped filled with his songs.
New Jersey has produced a number of notable musicians and bands, including Frank Sinatra, Bon Jovi, and Whitney Houston.
However, there isn’t a single one who is associated with the state like Bruce Springsteen, the rock-and-roll legend who was born in the town of Long Branch and rose to fame with the E Street Band after cutting his teeth at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
Springsteen has long been the pride and joy of The Garden State, and most people who were also born and raised there are indoctrinated to appreciate The Boss from an early age.
That includes Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat who currently represents New Jersey’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives who was born in Livingston and went to high school in the town where Tony, Carmela, Meadow, and A.J. resided in The Sopranos.
Gottheimer is currently running for governor as part of the sizeable field of politicians angling to replace Phil Murphy in the election that will take place next November, and last week, he attempted to garner some favor with potential voters by posting a Spotify Wrapped that consisted entirely of Springsteen songs.
No surprises here…
Fun fact: My first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss! pic.twitter.com/xuAcNn8si8— Josh Gottheimer (@Josh4Jersey) December 6, 2024
However, The New Jersey Monitor quickly noticed something was amiss after realizing the font and spacing in the image didn’t actually match that of an authentic Spotify Wrapped summary, which eventually led to Gottheimer admitting he’d doctored the picture.
The state rep spoke to NJ.com and said he shares a Spotify account with his two children (aged 15 and 12), and to his credit, Springsteen was still the most-listened artist (ahead of Billy Joel, Drake, Travis Scott, and Taylor Swift) on the actual Spotify Wrapped he shared after having his spot blown up.
There’s no telling how this will impact Gottheimer’s chances of securing the Democratic nomination, but he’ll have plenty of time to put it behind him when you consider the primary is currently slated to take place at the start of June.