Rep. Jeff Van Drew is considering the switch as he struggles in New Jersey politics. Internal polling has shown he was losing major support from Democrats in the district, Democratic sources told CNN on Saturday. Switching parties would allow Van Drew to avoid a Democratic primary challenge for his seat.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Saturday blasted the change, saying Van Drew is “willing to enable Donald Trump just to try to salvage his own election.”
“Betraying our values by siding with Donald Trump is the final straw and made it impossible for him to continue being supported by our party, as grassroots activists, local party leaders in his district, and I have made clear in recent weeks,” Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement. “This party switch is cynical and desperate, and I am confident that a Democrat who shares the values and priorities of our Democratic Party will hold this seat.”
The move, while a symbolic boost for Trump, likely won’t change the outcome of the House vote that would see Trump as only the third president in American history to be impeached.
CNN has reached out to Van Drew’s office and the Trump administration for comment. Van Drew, his chief of staff and communications director did not respond to the Post’s requests for comment Saturday.
According to the Post, Van Drew denied on Tuesday that he was switching parties.
“I’m not changing anything — just doing my job. I’m still a Democrat, right here,” he told the Post in a brief interview.
After voting against the formal inquiry in October, the New Jersey congressman said in a statement that “without bipartisan support I believe this inquiry will further divide the country tearing it apart at the seams and will ultimately fail in the Senate.”
Van Drew replaced a Republican in 2018 to represent New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, which Trump won in 2016.
The district had voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, before voting for Trump in 2016.
This breaking story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Jeremy Herb and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork