DENNIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Jeff Van Drew may have lost his seat, but he apparently isn’t packing up his political operation.
Harry Hurley reported Saturday at WPG Talk Radio that the South Jersey Republican will keep his campaign headquarters open for the next two years following his narrow defeat to Democrat Zack Mullock in NJ-02.
Hurley also reports that chief of staff Allison Murphy will remain working full time with Van Drew’s operation — significant commitments suggesting a potential 2028 comeback.
Van Drew lost reelection this week by a margin that will likely settle below 3-points once the final vote-by-mail tallies are completed. It was a stunning upset in a blue wave year after Van Drew, a former Democrat, won reelection as a Republican in 2022 and 2024 with 17-point margins in the deep South Jersey district which includes Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, and Atlantic counties in addition to portions of Gloucester and Ocean.
There’s an important distinction: Van Drew has not yet announced another campaign and these are early days. Hurley’s observation that he will run again is based on the infrastructure and personnel remaining in place, obvious indications of the congressman’s present intention to, at the very least, keep the door ope.
For Republicans surveying the wreckage of Tuesday’s election, the report offers an early indication that one of South Jersey’s most recognizable political figures could already be preparing for another round.
