Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew posted a strong Q4 on the road to reelection, Save Jerseyans, reporting a total haul of over $600,000 through his various fundraising committees.
Save Jersey has leared that the two-term congressman raised over $2 million for 2021 and currently has over $1 million cash on hand, the vast majority of which can be spent directly on campaign expenses. Van Drew’s current balance includes his share of the proceeds from a pre-Christmas Trump-attended fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
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“Congressman Van Drew is honored and excited to once again be running with President Trump’s “total and complete endorsement,” said Van Drew Campaign Manager Ron Filan.
“Our campaign is headed into 2022 in an even stronger position than we were two years ago when Congressman Van Drew famously became the first Republican ever to defeat a member of the Kennedy Political Machine at the Federal level,” Filan added. “New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, while still very competitive, has become more favorable for Republicans and just when you think President Biden’s approval ratings have hit rock bottom his Administration somehow finds a way to reach even more historic lows.”
Redistricting did (probably) make the 2nd Congressional District redder than it was before due in part to the inclusion of more portions of Ocean County. Jack Ciattarelli carried the newly-redrawn district by 25-points in November despite losing statewide by over 3-points; federal cycles feature different electorates than off-years, but it’s safe to say the new district is at least a couple of points less “blue.”
Van Drew’s camp also touted what they’ve spent, specifically $100,000 towards campaign storefronts in Atlantic and Cumberland and direct contributions to local GOP committees to assist the party’s down-ballot efforts. Continued help from the top of the ticket with “campaign infrastructure” will be critical in 2022 as South Jersey Republicans work to flip Gloucester and Cumberland counties.
Ex-prosecutor Tim Alexander and retired police captain Hector Tavarez are Van Drew’s most likely general election Democrat opponents.
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