Republican Switching Districts To Challenge Kim For Congress Seat

NEW JERSEY — The repercussions of Rep. Jeff Van Drew's decision to switch parties is being felt in the Third Congressional District.

After initially saying he would remain in New Jersey’s Third Congressional District race even if Jeff Van Drew switched parties, David Richter has made a switch. Richter hasn’t switched parties, but he has changed districts, as he has entered the Republican Primary to challenge Democrat Andy Kim in the Second Congressional District in November.

“It's official,” Richter said in a social media post this week. “I look forward to meeting with voters throughout the Third District and demonstrating to them that I am the best candidate to knock ultra-liberal Andy Kim out of Congress.”

Richter, who spoke during President Donald Trump’s rally on Tuesday, joins a Republican Primary that already includes former Burlington County Freeholder Kate Gibbs, former Hainesport Mayor Anthony Porto and Barnegat Mayor John Novak.

Richter currently lives in Avalon, so to become part of the race, he would have to move. He attended public schools in Willingboro, which is in the district, and lived in Cherry Hill when that township was part of the district, according to his campaign website. He graduated from Cherry Hill High School East.

He already moved from Princeton to Avalon to enter the Second Congressional District race, and told The New Jersey Globe he would move again to face Kim. Tom MacArthur moved into the district from Morris County before running for — and winning — the district seat in 2014.

The Third Congressional District is made up of 36 towns in Burlington County and seven in Ocean County. The Second Congressional District has just two Burlington County towns and 10 towns in Ocean County, but is mostly made up of towns in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem and Gloucester counties.

Following Richter’s announcement that he was joining the race, Gibbs issued the following statement:

"Anyone who thinks they can push me around doesn’t know anything about South Jersey women. I was raised by a single mom who taught me how to stand up for myself and never back down from a challenge. To our party leaders who like to talk about empowering and supporting young Republican women to run and serve, well, here I am. The ball is in your court. I’ve worked at the grassroots level for years to elect Republicans in South Jersey, was the youngest elected Freeholder Director in the state, cut taxes every year I was in office, and am proud to be a leader for the state building trades. I’m not stepping aside for anybody. Especially not a seat shopper who apparently believes he's entitled to party support — somewhere, anywhere. My motivation for running isn't to wear a pin and get a title; I am running to serve the people of Burlington and Ocean Counties and I intend to win."

When rumors began to swirl that Van Drew would be switching parties in December, Richter responded by saying, “Hypothetically, if he switches and becomes Republican, I’m in the race, and I’m going to beat him in the primary. He has no chance of getting the Republican Party to support him, a lifelong Democrat, and get the party’s nomination to run in 2020.”

However, Van Drew made the switch and soon procured Trump’s support as well as the support of the Republican Parties in the district. It all culminated with Trump’s appearance in Wildwood Wednesday night.

The other Republican Primary challengers began to drop out of the race, and Richter announced his switch. His campaign site now states he is seeking the Republican Party’s nomination to represent New Jersey’s Third Congressional District races in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Richter is the former chief executive of Hill International, a globally-recognized construction management firm, according to his campaign website. He has been married to his wife, Michelle, for 20 years, and they have four daughters together.

The deadline to file petitions to run in the primaries is March 30, while the deadline for third-party candidates to file petitions to run in the general election is June 2.

The deadline to register to vote is May 12. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 3 p.m. on June 1, and the deadline to return an absentee ballot is 8 p.m. on June 2. Election Day is Nov. 3.

For more on how to register and how to find your polling location, visit the state's website.