“Van Drew’s chief of staff has begun notifying the right-of-center Democrat’s campaign and congressional staffs that the first-term congressman will join the Republican Party.”
newjerseyglobe.com/congress/van-d…
newjerseyglobe.com/congress/van-d…
When I started covering NJ politics back in ‘02, Van Drew had just been narrowly elected to the Assembly. First time I talked to him, he described how steep the challenge was, how he’d had to campaign non-stop and constantly reassure voters he was a different kind of Dem.
Van Drew as he won his Assembly seat in 2001: “I am a Democrat. But more importantly, I believe people are tired of partisan issues.” 
How would Van Drew fare as an R in NJ-2? Running as a D in 2018, he had massive advantages (state and national GOP renounced his opponent and walked away from the race) but still only won by 8, which may in part speak to antipathy toward nat’l Dems in a +5 Trump district
Also no sure bet Van Drew would win a GOP primary, though if he runs with Trump’s backing that would loom large newjerseyglobe.com/congress/van-d…
