Now-Republican incumbent Jeff Van Drew and Amy Kennedy vie for a chance to represent New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District

Amy Kennedy speaks at the Many Faces Of Mental Health Gala in 2016

Jemal Countess/ Getty Images

First-term Rep. Jeff Van Drew will face Democrat Amy Kennedy in New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district. After 1 year as a Democratic representative, Van Drew switched parties and now is a member of the Republican Party. New Jersey’s 2nd congressional quarter is the southermost and largest congressional district in New Jersey. It contains all of Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic and Cape May counties. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more narratives.

First-term Rep. Jeff Van Drew squares off against Democrat Amy Kennedy in November to represent New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The candidates

Before his foray into national politics, Van Drew was a dentist for 30 years and sufficed as the mayor of Dennis Township. In 2018, Van Drew demolished Republican Seth Grossman by 7.7 percent. He switched his party ties from Democrat to Republican just one day after voting against the impeachment of President Donald Trump in December 2019.

“This is who I am, it’s who I always was, but there was more tolerance of moderate Democrats, of Blue Dog Democrat, of republican Democrats, ” Van Drew said, “and I think that’s going away.”

Kennedy, Van Drew’s challenger, is the current president of The Kennedy Forum, a behavioral state non-profit. Kennedy is also a board member of Mental Health America. She is the wife of Patrick J. Kennedy, a nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Her campaign pulpit is centered on strengthening the Affordable Care Act, inexpensive college educations, and protecting workers’ rights.

The district

New Jersey’s 2nd congressional territory is the state’s most southern and largest district. It is home to all of Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic and Cape May provinces as well as patches of Camden, Burlington, Ocean, and Gloucester counties.

The district turned from endorse former President obama by a margin of less than one percentage point

The money race

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Van Drew has raised $2.5 million-$ 1 million more than Kennedy. Van Drew also has $1.2 million in money on hand, also nearly a million more than Kennedy who has only $137,000 remaining.

Before switching registered political party, Van Drew notably did not fundraise in the first quarter of 2019.

“I thought it was a tiny bit distasteful in the very first weeks and months of my ballot being in there, that the very first thing I was doing was parent money again, ” Van Drew said to the New Jersey Globe. “We were in the middle of a closure, a government shutdown. I had real issues with my Coast Guard and with the FAA.”

What experts say

The race between Van Drew and Kennedy is rated as a “toss-up” by Inside Elections and The Cook Political Report, and “leans Republican” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

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