Jeff Van Drew facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeff Van Drew
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 2nd district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Frank LoBiondo |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 1st district |
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| In office January 8, 2008 – December 31, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Nicholas Asselta |
| Succeeded by | Bob Andrzejczak |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 1st district |
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| In office January 8, 2002 – January 8, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | John C. Gibson |
| Succeeded by | Matthew W. Milam |
| Member of the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders | |
| In office January 1, 2001 – January 8, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Videtto |
| Succeeded by | Leonard C. Desiderio |
| In office January 1, 1995 – January 1, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Jessel |
| Succeeded by | Mark Videtto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 23, 1953 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (since 2020) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (until 2020) |
| Spouse |
Ricarda Van Drew
(m. 1974) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BS) Fairleigh Dickinson University (DMD) |
Jefferson H. Van Drew (born February 23, 1953) is an American politician. He currently serves as a U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 2nd congressional district. He has held this position since 2019. Before 2020, he was a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2020, he has been a member of the Republican Party.
Before joining Congress, Van Drew held many public jobs. He was a fire commissioner and a town committee member. He also served as the Mayor of Dennis Township, New Jersey. He was a Freeholder for Cape May County. He represented New Jersey's 1st legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2008. He then represented the same district in the New Jersey Senate from 2008 to 2018.
Van Drew was the Democratic candidate for his district in the 2018 election. He won with 52.9% of the votes. He was one of two Democrats who voted against the first effort to remove President Donald Trump from office. Soon after, he switched to the Republican Party. He was reelected in 2020.
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About His Life and Early Career
Van Drew was born in New York City. He went to Rutgers University and earned a degree in science. He later studied at Fairleigh Dickinson University. There, he received a degree to become a dentist.
He worked as a dentist in South Jersey for 30 years. After that, he retired from his dental practice.
His Start in Politics
Van Drew began his political career in local government. In 1991, he served on the Dennis Township Committee. He was also the mayor of Dennis Township from 1994 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 2003. He was a Freeholder for Cape May County from 1994 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2002. He also served as a Fire Commissioner for Dennis Township from 1983 to 1986.
In 1994, Van Drew strongly supported creating a local community college. In 2002, work began on the Atlantic Cape Community College campus in Cape May County. During his time in local office, Van Drew was a member of the Democratic Party.
Serving in the New Jersey Legislature
Van Drew represented the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2008. He then served in the New Jersey Senate for the same district from 2008 to 2018. He was a Democrat during these years.
In 2007, he was elected to the New Jersey Senate. He won against the Republican who held the seat. He was reelected in 2011 and 2013. In 2013, he won by a large margin.
In the Senate, he led the Community and Urban Affairs Committee. He also served on the Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee. In 2008, he supported a law to help lower prescription drug prices.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
His Elections
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2018 Election
The 2nd congressional district in New Jersey had been represented by a Republican since 1995. The previous representative decided to retire in 2017. This district is the largest in New Jersey by area. It includes farms, the Jersey Shore, and Atlantic City.
In November 2017, Van Drew announced he would run for this open seat. He wanted to bring more jobs to South Jersey. Many local Democratic leaders supported him. He won the Democratic primary election in June 2018. After his primary win, experts thought the district was likely to vote Democratic. In the general election on November 6, Van Drew defeated his Republican opponent. His district was one of four in New Jersey that changed from Republican to Democratic in 2018.
2020 Election
In late 2019, Van Drew said he would stay a Democrat. However, he was against the effort to remove President Trump from office. In December 2019, reports said he was thinking about switching to the Republican Party. This was because polls showed his stance on impeachment was hurting him with Democratic voters. After a meeting with President Trump, many of his staff members quit.
On December 19, Van Drew announced he would join the Republican Party. He officially switched his party on January 7, 2020. President Trump held a rally for him in New Jersey. After the primary, Van Drew faced Democratic candidate Amy Kennedy. He won the general election, defeating Kennedy by about 20,000 votes.
Later Elections
Van Drew ran for reelection in 2022. He won the Republican primary with 82% of the votes. He then won the general election with 59.3% of the votes.
In December 2023, Van Drew announced he would run for reelection in 2024. He decided not to run for the U.S. Senate. He said he was honored to be asked to run for such a high office.
His Time in Congress
Van Drew was the first Democrat to represent his district since 1995. When he first joined Congress, he voted against Nancy Pelosi becoming the Speaker of the House.
In October 2019, he said he would oppose the effort to remove President Trump from office. He was one of only two Democrats to vote against the rules for the impeachment investigation. He also voted against both articles of impeachment in December 2019. Before switching parties, Van Drew voted with Democrats most of the time.
On December 19, 2019, Van Drew publicly announced he was joining the Republican Party. He told President Trump he would give him his "undying support." President Trump then supported Van Drew for reelection.
In December 2020, Van Drew was one of many Republican House members who supported a lawsuit. This lawsuit challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election. On January 6, 2021, Van Drew was one of 147 Republican lawmakers who objected to the certification of the 2020 election votes. This happened after supporters of President Trump entered the U.S. Capitol.
In February 2021, Van Drew voted against removing another Republican lawmaker from her committee roles. In May 2021, he voted with most Republicans to remove a leader from their party. He said she was not helping to unite the party. In November 2021, Van Drew and 12 other House Republicans voted with Democrats for a large infrastructure bill.
His Political Views
Foreign Policy
In 2021, Van Drew voted for a bill that would require women to register for military service. He also voted for a bill to increase the number of special visas for Afghan allies who helped the U.S. military. This bill passed the House by a large margin.
Van Drew voted against providing $40 billion in emergency aid to the Ukrainian government. He was also one of 18 Republicans who voted against Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
Equality and Rights
In 2021, Van Drew supported a bill that would protect people from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It also aimed to protect religious freedom. He also voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act. This law expanded protections for transgender people.
Van Drew was one of 31 Republicans who voted for a bill to help LGBTQ businesses get equal credit. In July 2022, he voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. This law would protect the right to same-sex marriage across the country. However, he later voted against the final version of this law in December 2022.
Other Views
In 2007, Van Drew said he was proud to be a Democrat because the party supported working and middle-class people. He was known as one of the more conservative Democrats in the state senate.
Van Drew has a strong record of supporting gun rights. He received a 100% rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA). He has supported laws that would allow people to carry handguns after background checks and training. He also voted against many gun control bills.
In 2012, while in the State Senate, Van Drew was one of two Democrats who voted against a bill to allow same-sex marriage in New Jersey. He also voted against raising the state minimum wage above the federal level.
Van Drew is against offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. In 2019, he helped introduce a bill to stop seismic air gun testing in the Atlantic.
Committees He Serves On
Van Drew is currently a member of these committees:
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
He has also served on these committees in the past:
- Committee on Homeland Security
- Committee on Education and Labor
Personal Life
Van Drew and his wife, Ricarda, have two children. They live in Dennis Township. He has been the president of the New Jersey Dental Society. He was also an expert on the New Jersey Board of Dentistry.
Van Drew is a Freemason and belongs to a lodge in South Seaville, New Jersey. He is a Roman Catholic.
Images for kids
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Official portrait of Jeff Van Drew.
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Van Drew during the 116th Congress.
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Van Drew in October 2019.
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