NJ Congressman Reportedly Switching From Democrat To Republican

NEW JERSEY – Democrat Jeff Van Drew, who flipped a Republican congressional seat last year when his party took control of the House of Representatives, appears poised to switch parties and flip New Jersey's 2nd Congressional seat back to the GOP.

Van Drew, whose district covers South Jersey counties such as Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland counties, is making the move just as he was ready to be one of just two Democrats to oppose the impeachment of President Trump. He also faces an uphill re-election battle in 2020 after barely edging out a victory in 2018.

His old district in the state Senate, which covers roughly the same area, also flipped from Democrat to Republican in the 2019 Statehouse elections. Still, Van Drew said only last month that he had no plans to switch parties.

His potential move drew condemnation from top Democrats such as Senate President Steve Sweeney, who called it "betrayal."

“Jeff Van Drew’s decision to switch parties is a betrayal to every voter who supported him in 2018 – Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated," Sweeney said. "But now he is out of the Democratic Party and, in November, we are going to take him out of Congress. We flipped the 2nd District from Republican to Democrat last year and we will do it again next year.”

Last week, South Jersey leaders refused to sign a document committing their support to Van Drew. In 2018, he also got support from the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey AFL-CIO, SEIU-New Jersey, New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Currie and Gov. Phil Murphy.

On Friday, Van Drew sought Trump’s blessing for the move, which could be critical to his ability to avoid a primary challenge next year if he stayed as a Democrat, and the president urged him to make the jump, according to The New York Times.

Van Drew has spoken with senior advisers to Trump about announcing his switch at an event at the White House either immediately before or just after the House votes on two articles of impeachment, which is expected to happen on Wednesday, according to The New York Times.

In 2018, Van Drew was supposed to beat his GOP opponent by as many as 20 points, but he finished with 52 percent of the vote, while Republican Seth Grossman collected 46.2 percent of the vote.

For much of the night, the result was in doubt, but for the first time in more than two decades, a Democrat was elected to represent the district – a win that helped tip the balance of power in Congress.

Although he had not yet won, Van Drew posted a "Thank You South Jersey"message on Twitter at about 10 p.m., and delivered a victory speech at about 10:30 p.m. (See embed below).

But it was Grossman who grabbed an early lead by as much as four percentage points. As the results continued to come in, Van Drew pulled ahead and eventually captured the seat.

According to Politico, Van Drew won Cumberland County by 18 percentage points. He also won Cape May and Gloucester counties, but it wasn't until the results came in from Atlantic County at nearly midnight that Van Drew was named the projected victor. He won Atlantic County by 12 points.

Grossman captured traditionally Republican Ocean County by 22 percentage points, Burlington County by 24, Salem County by five points and Camden County by 13 points. Waterford Township is the only Camden County town in the district.

RELATED: 2018 Election Results: Vote A Referendum On 'Trump's GOP'

“Congratulations to state Senator Van Drew and his supporters on a great victory," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Luján said. "Senator Van Drew’s focus on reaching across the aisle to find common ground will make him an excellent representative for this community. I look forward to welcoming him to Congress and getting to work on solving our nation’s most critical issues.”

It was a seat national Democrats were looking to flip early on, after Frank LoBiondo announced in 2017 he wouldn't seek re-election. In his announcement, LoBiondo said “there is no longer middle ground to honestly debate issues and put forward solutions,” due to increasing political polarization. Read more here: Frank LoBiondo To Retire From Congress

Earlier in 2018, national Republicans called the district a "recruiting hole," and the national party eventually withdrew its support for Grossman following a series of controversial comments.

Grossman took a strict conservative approach to the election, saying he would always support President Donald Trump’s agenda. During the debate, he said climate change has always existed, “just ask Noah.”

Van Drew is the first Democrat to represent the district since William J. Hughes was in office from 1975-1994. LoBiondo has held the seat since 1995.

Some thought maybe the rain would keep voters away, but the non-stop pouring rain did not keep voters home in what could be a record turnout midterm election across the state. Even with the various issues facing local communities, President Trump was on their minds.

In one polling location, some shouted out, "Dump Trump!" while others walked in right beside them and excitedly said they think Trump is doing an excellent job.

"We are total Republicans and Trump has done everything right. We're voting for Hugin," said New Jersey resident Lorraine Luzzo, 82, with her husband, Louis.

"The economy is doing well, there are jobs, patriotism is back in our country," she said.

Others had clearly different views

"President Dump, as I call him, is hands-down the worst president we've had in a long time," said New Jersey resident Steve Laspina, 64. "He is ... an embarrassment to our country. I'm embarrassed by his racist policies and what he says."

"I agree!," said a woman walking by. "He is immoral, he's terrible."

See related:

WATCH: Van Drew, Grossman Debate At Stockton
Van Drew, Grossman Set To Debate At Stockton
Congressional Debate Between Van Drew, Grossman To Be Televised
Debate At Stockton Unfairly Excludes Independents: Fenichel
Voters Prefer Van Drew In Race For LoBiondo's Seat, Poll Finds
5 Questions With Your Second Congressional District Candidates
Independent Candidate Steven Fenichel Seeks Congressional Seat
Independent Candidate Anthony Parisi Sanchez Seeks Congressional Seat

Patch Editors Anthony Bellano and Carly Baldwin contributed to this report