Rep. Jeff Van Drew is keeping his campaign operation running as he weighs a 2028 rematch after a stunning loss to Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock in New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District.
"I'm going to visit and travel the depth and breadth of my district … and just see what people are thinking and how," Van Drew said Monday, confirming that he is exploring another run. "I'll look at everything, but you know, Congress is my love. We'll see."
The South Jersey Republican, 73, conceded to Mullock, 41, two hours after polls closed in a race many had expected would stay Republican. Mullock swung the district by about 20 percentage points after Van Drew won re-election by double digits in 2022 and 2024. Van Drew, of Dennis Township in Cape May County, was first elected as a Democrat in 2018 before switching parties a year later and vowing his "undying support" to President Donald Trump.
Despite the large swing, the candidates were still just over 7,000 votes and less than 3 percentage points apart with 97% of votes counted. Van Drew won re-election by nearly 6 points in 2020, 19 points in 2022 and 17 points in 2024. He said he expects the district, which touches six South Jersey counties from Gloucester across to Ocean and down to Cape May, to remain "more conservative than not."
"This was a very, very close election in the worst of times. I mean, this is Watergate 2," Van Drew said, repeating a comparison he made after conceding.
His congressional campaign said it is maintaining a full-time political operation "as he weighs options looking ahead to 2028." Staff will continue to help with fundraising and scheduling, review the election results and assist local Republican candidates. Van Drew still had almost $900,000 left in his campaign account as of Oct. 14, according to Federal Election Commission data.
"Congressman Van Drew isn't done fighting for A STRONG AMERICA and A STRONG SOUTH JERSEY," spokesperson Ron Filan said. "He will continue to stand up, speak out, and remain as active in the community as he always has been." Filan added that the campaign office "will remain open and a full time staff in place as he weighs the options ahead."
The announcement marked a shift from Van Drew's tone on election night. In his concession speech, he said he would "do something" but was "not talking about running for anything," later adding, "I'm not going to go away. That doesn't mean I'm running for office again."
