Former President Bill Clinton has endorsed Rep. Bill Pascrell over fellow Democrat Rep. Steve Rothman for congress in the 9th District.

"Bill helped write President Obama’s health care law, he’s a leader protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and he never stops fighting for the middle class,” Clinton said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Bill than creating jobs in New Jersey. I saw that in the eight years we worked together to build unprecedented prosperity for America.”

“I am honored to have the support of Bill Clinton,” Pascrell said in a statement."Fighting side by side with President Clinton, our nation achieved tremendous prosperity and a balanced budget.”

Pascrell took aim the Tea Party and Former President George Bush.

“Today, the Republicans are promoting the same George Bush policies that ended President Clinton’s era of prosperity – special interest tax breaks, tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts in education and job training, all leading to record deficits,” the congressman said. “Those policies failed, but the Tea Party Republicans want to bring them all back and that’s why I’m running, to stop the Tea Party.”

Rothman, a former Englewood mayor, campaigned for President Obama in 2008, while Pascrell supported then-challenger Hillary Clinton.

The two congressmen have been engaged in a bitter inter-party fight after redistricting broke apart the 9th District. Teaneck was split, with most of the township moved in the Republican-leaning 5th District.