Contested Primaries Set For 2nd Congressional District Seat

The 2o18 New Jersey primary election will be held on Tuesday, June 5, and one of New Jersey’s Congressional elections is getting a lot of attention nationally.

When longtime Republican Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-2) opted not to run for re-election this year, his two-year seat immediately caught the eye of national Democrats, who saw it as a seat that could be flipped in the pivotal mid-term elections.

The Second Congressional District covers all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, and parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

There are four candidates in each primary seeking their party’s nomination.

The Democratic candidates, include:
Jeff Van Drew
Nate Kleinman
Will Cunningham
Tanzie Youngblood

The Republican candidates include:
Seth Grossman
Hirsch Singh
Robert Turkavage
Sam Fiocchi

On the Democratic side, Van Drew appears to be the frontrunner. He came under fire from David Hogg, the student activist and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor, earlier this year over his ‘A’ rating from the NRA.

Van Drew has acknowledged receiving over $3,000 from the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation in 2007 and 2008.

It's an issue that has haunted Van Drew's campaign. During a town hall in Northfield in February, a 17-year-old high school student confronted Van Drew on his pro-gun stance, stating he lied when he told her class he "never accepted money from the NRA."

The rest of the Democratic field is filled with progressives ready to strike at Van Drew on his stance. Youngblood in particular has been highlighted by national media outlets, including her appearance on the cover of Time Magazine.

Kleinman has attacked Van Drew on his opposition to same-sex marriage and minimum wage increase, and his support of the death penalty, according to NJ Spotlight. The fight has exposed a riftbetween the progressives and the moderates in the Democratic Party.

On the Republican side, National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) called the district a “recruiting hole” before backing off on those comments and voicing support for Singh.
Singh, Grossman and Fiocchi promise to support President Donald Trump, while Turkavage says the goal should be to reach a consensus, according to NJ Spotlight.

The general elections are Nov. 6.

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