Before Becoming A Republican, Van Drew Voted With Trump Only Seven Percent Of The Time. According to The Detroit News, “Overall, Van Drew has voted with Trump 7% of the time, according the data tracking website fivethirtyeight.com. That’s one of the higher scores among House Democrats and far beneath the lowest loyalty score for any Republican, which was 35%.” [Detroit News, 12/17/19]
Before He Became A Republican, Van Drew Promised He Would Not Switch Parties And Said There Were “So Many Issues” Democrats Needed To Address, Such As Health Care And Social Security. According to Press of Atlantic City, “U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd, reassured constituents Thursday night he has been a Democrat all his life and will remain one, even as he continues to oppose impeachment proceedings against Republican President Donald Trump. […] ‘We are a country where we can love each other, take care of each other and move forward and do good,’ Van Drew said. ‘There are so many issues we need to take care of.’ He cited issues including health care, drug costs, veterans care, Social Security and election security. And some callers asked questions about each of those issues.” [Press of Atlantic City, 11/22/19]
As A Democrat, Van Drew Was Highly Rated By The AFL-CIO And In 2019 Voted In Line With Democrats 82 Percent Of The Time. According to NJ.com, “In the 2019 AFL-CIO scorecard, Van Drew, then a Democrat, received a 100% score and Smith 76%. Fitzpatrick received 86%. […] As a Democrat in 2019, Van Drew backed his party 82% of the time, the third lowest then as well. His break with his former party came after was he was one of only two Democrats to vote against both articles of impeachment against Trump. Even after joining the GOP in January 2020, Van Drew continued to go his own way. He was one of only six Republicans to support outlawing logging and mining in more than 1 million federal wilderness acres in the western United States, and one of only five who supported making it easier for workers to organize.” [NJ.com, 3/8/21]
Van Drew Reportedly Told His Congressional Colleagues That Trump Was Stupid, Mentally Unstable, And “Crazy.” According to the Daily Beast, “Behind closed doors, Van Drew has told colleagues that the president was stupid and mentally unstable—and that his opposition to impeachment stemmed from his belief that impeaching Trump would ensure his re-election, according to two Democrats present at closed-door discussions with the congressman. A third verified Van Drew had disparaged the president in harsh terms, calling him ‘crazy.’ ‘He was almost obsessively anti-Trump,’ said one of the Democrats. ‘His only justification, and this was adamant, was that he thinks that [impeachment] will help Trump win.’” [Daily Beast, 12/17/19]
Three Weeks Before Van Drew Pledged His “Undying Support” To Trump, Van Drew Sent A Voicemail To A Voter Saying He Did Not Support And Would Not Support Trump. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Three weeks before New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew cemented his defection to the Republican Party with a pledge of ‘undying support’ for President Donald Trump, he sent a constituent a very different message. ‘I haven’t voted for him, I didn’t support him, I will not vote for him,’ Van Drew said of Trump in a Nov. 30 voicemail to a voter in his South Jersey district. Addressing his opposition to impeaching Trump, which ultimately led to his break from the Democratic Party, Van Drew said: ‘I’d rather just beat him in a normal election.’” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/24/20]
Van Drew Lost Support From New Jersey Democrats After He Opposed Impeaching Trump. According to Politico, “But none of that stopped the Democratic establishment from coalescing behind Van Drew as soon as the 2nd Congressional District’s longtime Republican incumbent, Frank LoBiondo, announced in 2017 that he wouldn’t seek reelection. That same day, power broker George Norcross — the undisputed if unofficial leader of South Jersey Democrats — issued a statement saying he encouraged Van Drew to run and was offering his full support. But cracks in that support began to appear when Van Drew’s stance against impeaching President Donald Trump started affecting local elections in New Jersey and tanked his Democratic support in his district, which encompasses the southern tip of the state including Atlantic City. Van Drew made the national media rounds, even getting a supportive tweet from Trump after an appearance on Fox & Friends.” [Politico, 12/15/19]
Van Drew’s District Was More Supportive Of Trump Than Surrounding Districts, And Van Drew Barely Won Against A Largely Unfunded Trump Republican In 2018. According to Politico, “But while Van Drew was part of that Democratic wave, his large and mostly rural South Jersey district shares little in common with the districts father north where suburban backlash fueled the anti-Trump tide. In fact, Van Drew won a relatively narrow victory over a largely unfunded pro-Trump Republican candidate who had little money and had even lost support of national Republicans by approvingly sharing white supremacist propaganda on social media.” [Politico, 12/15/19]
Van Drew Claimed That Voters In His District Did Not Care Whether He Was A Democrat Or A Republican. According to NJ Spotlight News, “Aron: So, many Democrats in the state have been wildly critical of what you’ve done here. Van Drew: That’s a surprise. Aron: Gov. Murphy called it pathetic, Senate President Sweeney said Jeff is for Jeff and he called it a betrayal. What do you think when you read things like that? Van Drew: I think people have rights to make decisions in their life, and to deal with their own lives, and their own politics, and their public policy in the way that they think it appropriate. I think what is pathetic and unfortunate, whenever people rely on calling people names or saying mean things about them. So, I’m going to surprise you here, but I don’t think so because you know me, I’m not going to say anything about them. I’m going to talk about the fact that I feel like I did the right thing, and I’ll let the voters decide. And if the voters decide to reelect me, then I will be a happy man and do my best. And I think they will. And from all the signs we’ve seen, they will. We just had two people right before you were here, from a very urban area, and we’re talking about some of the issues that are coming up, and both of them said to me, I just want to let you know, I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat, I’m voting for you because you’re Jeff Van Drew. That’s always been my history.” [NJ Spotlight News, 12/30/19]
Van Drew Dodged A Question About How He Would Reconcile His Policy Stance On Key Issues, Like Climate Change, With Trump. According to NJ Spotlight News, “Aron: You’re joining a party full of climate deniers, starting from the top on down. How do you reconcile your environmental record with that of national Republicans who are rejecting the idea of climate change? Van Drew: I was very clear to everyone when I spoke about the fact of changing that there would be some things that we disagree on, people should disagree, that’s a natural and normal thing. I believe that climate change is an issue. I believe that we should deal with the issue intelligently. I don’t believe in the Green New Deal because I think we can really hurt and destroy our economy. I think we can have a good economy, a good business climate, and deal with climate change and the issues… Aron: With Trump in the White House we can deal with climate change? Van Drew: I hope that we can, I hope that maybe I will influence him a little bit. I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” [NJ Spotlight News, 12/30/19]