William Cunningham To Challenge Van Drew In Congressional Primary

A Vineland man with no political experience is reportedly throwing his hat into the ring for the Second Congressional District seat that will become available when longtime Congressman Frank LoBiondo retires.

William Cunningham, 32, will challenge State Sen. Jeff Van Drew in the Democratic Primary, the Courier Post reports. Cunningham’s family was homeless while he attended Vineland High School, where he studied hard and volunteered with charitable organizations. After graduating from high school, he graduated from Brown University with a political science degree, and gave the commencement address at the University of Texas Law School.

He worked as a staffer for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker until 2016. He also worked on Booker’s senate campaign, as well as Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. He currently works as Investigative Counsel for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

He made his announcement on Tuesday atFirst Presbyterian Church of Vineland, according to The Press of Atlantic City. Cunningham said he will fight for his home district, particularly when it comes to better jobs and more opportunities.

LoBiondo, a moderate Republican who has held the seat since he was first elected in 1994, announced in November he would be retiring at the end of this year. National Democrats have targeted the seat as one that could be flipped, and speculation about who might pursue the seat began immediately. Van Drew's name was one of the first that came up in conversation, and later that month, Van Drew ended speculation when he announced he was running for the vacant seat.

The Second Congressional District covers all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, and parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Ocean counties. All eight Democratic county chairs support Van Drew's candidacy.

The deadline for filing in this year’s primaries is April 2. The primary, as well as the deadline to file as a third-party or independent candidate in the elections, is June 5. General Election Day is Nov. 6.

Patch file photo