President Trump Announces Jeff Van Drew's Move To GOP

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After nearly a week of speculation, President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that Congressman Jeff Van Drew officially joined the Republican Party. The announcement came after Van Drew had a meeting with President Trump earlier in the day, according to the Associated Press.

Van Drew broke from Democrats to vote against President Trump's impeachment Wednesday.

"This is just a better fit for me," Van Drew said, according to CNBC.

Several reports last weekend stated Van Drew planned to switch from the Democratic Party to the GOP. Van Drew did not make the news official until Thursday.

New Jersey's congressional delegation voted 10-2 in favor of both impeachment articles. Only Van Drew and New Jersey's lone GOP member, Chris Smith, voted against impeachment.

The impeachment vote is not a conviction but roughly the equivalent of a grand jury issuing indictments. Senators, in that analogy, will serve as jurors.

Van Drew flipped the district as a Democrat for Congress in the 2018 election, defeating Republican Seth Grossman with 52.9 percent of the vote.

The congressman only voted against the majority of House Democrats 12.1 percent of the time, according to ProPublica's measurement. But he has strayed from Democrats on key issues, such as his opposition to impeaching Trump.

The New Jersey Republican Party praised Van Drew's party flip.

“We have had positive and continuing dialogue with party leadership in South Jersey and Washington and welcome Congressman Jeff Van Drew to the NJGOP," Chairman Doug Steinhardt said in a statement. "This is a quickly evolving situation, but we look forward to continuing to work to ensure that South Jerseyans have a Republican Congressman for years to come.”

New Jersey Working Families — an independent political organization — criticized Van Drew. State Director Sue Altman called him "a Republican disguised as a Democrat."

"As a 'Democrat,' Van Drew has a 100% rating from the NRA, voted against marriage equality, and even championed a tax cut for yacht owners," Altman said.

She also criticized "the South Jersey Democratic Party machine," including regional political power broker George Norcross.

"It's clear that the Democratic establishment can't deliver the leadership South Jersey needs," Altman said. "Fortunately, there's a growing army of grassroots activists ready to roll up their sleeves and take back New Jersey from the Republicans and the Democrats who act like them."

Patch will update this story if there are any developments Thursday.

Read more Patch coverage on Van Drew's reported party switch:

• Here's How NJ Members Of Congress Voted On Trump's Impeachment
• Pres. Trump, Phil Murphy, More React To Jeff Van Drew Joining GOP
• NJ Congressman Reportedly Switching From Democrat To Republican

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