U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew has turned a New Jersey House race upside down with his plan to defect to the GOP after being one of the most vocal House Democrats opposing the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
But before he even officially switches parties, Van Drew has to contend with multiple Republicans who were already running in the South Jersey district, as well as local party leaders and activists skeptical of his voting record and his longstanding ties to the state's Democratic machine.
"I wish more people would leave the Democratic Party," said David Richter, a Republican candidate in the 2nd Congressional District. "But if you do it opportunistically, (it) just smacks of being ... very fake."
Richter, who is in the "Young Guns" program of candidates spotlighted by the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he's prepared to challenge Van Drew in a primary, even if the congressman gets Trump's endorsement.
"I'm definitely staying in," Richter said. "The Republican voters in the 2nd District are certainly loyal to the president, (but) I don't think they're going to put their support behind a lifelong Democrat."
Brian Fitzherbert, another Republican candidate, will also remain in the race for now, though he was less clear on what he would do if the incumbent Democrat gets Trump's endorsement.
"It's a day-by-day issue," Fitzherbert said. "I'll stay in until anything's official." Fitzherbert said he will be curious to learn "what is actually his reasoning, other than what appears to be an opportunity to cling on to power."
And then there's the fact that Van Drew, despite being a conservative-leaning Democrat, hardly votes like a Republican in Congress. He's voted with Trump only 7% of the time since taking office earlier this year, according to a tally by the website FiveThirtyEight. The only two votes on which he both bucked Democratic leadership and backed Trump were related to impeachment.
"He will have to prove he is with us on more than just the issue of impeachment," said Jacci Vigilante, chair of the Gloucester County GOP. She added that Van Drew is "welcome" to join the GOP, but will need to denounce his affiliation with people like New Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III to "earn their trust."
Van Drew has yet to comment publicly on multiple reports of his imminent party switch. At least six of his senior staffers resigned over the weekend.
Other GOP leaders sounded more open to Van Drew joining them, indicating a presidential endorsement could be the deciding factor in whether they back him as a Republican candidate.
"If Congressman Van Drew wants to become a Republican and vie for our party's nomination, he's welcome to do so," Atlantic County GOP chair Keith Davis said. "We are the party that supports President Trump. ... If the president were to (endorse), it would certainly give Congressman Van Drew a benefit in the primary next year."
Trump praised Van Drew's coming party switch shortly after midnight on Sunday. "Wow, that would be big," Trump said on Twitter. "Always heard Jeff is very smart!"
Van Drew's district _ which covers Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties _ leans conservative but is very much a swing district. Slightly more than 50% of the district voted for Trump in 2016, a five-point margin over Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama won it twice with 53% of the vote.
In New Jersey, candidates with the backing of county parties reap valuable benefits, from support for get-out-the-vote efforts to, more important, a favorable column position on primary ballots.
Van Drew's stance on impeachment eroded his support among Democrats in his district, and in recent days he received pressure from local party leaders urging him to vote yes on the articles of impeachment drafted by House Democrats.
"Jeff stabbed us in the back, certainly," Michael Suleiman, the Atlantic County Democratic chairman, said Saturday. "It's disgusting. It's a disgrace. Good riddance."
On Sunday, six of Van Drew's senior aides resigned their posts. Five of them penned a joint letter of resignation to Van Drew's chief of staff, Allison Murphy, saying that his "decision to join the ranks of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump does not align with the values we brought to this job when we joined his office."
"We greatly respect Congressman Van Drew and are deeply saddened and disappointed by his decision," they wrote. "As such, we can no longer in good conscience continue our service in the congressman's employ."
As of the most recent election filings, Van Drew holds a sizable fundraising advantage against his potential Republican opponents, with an almost $600,000 lead over Richter, who has the most money of declared Republican candidates in the race.
