For months, it seemed like the Democratic field to take on Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) in the 2nd congressional district, a conservative South Jersey seat that some Democrats think could become competitive this year, looked pretty set. Today, a new entrant is arriving who could upend the race entirely.
Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock, who has led his small town on the southern tip of New Jersey since 2021, is making his 2nd district campaign official after spending the last few weeks reaching out to local party leaders. While he’ll have some catching up to do against the four other Democrats who have been competing for the district’s nomination for nearly a year, he’s got some day-one endorsers who will help make up the gap.
Amy Kennedy, who became a Democratic star in 2020 when she ran against Van Drew shortly after his party switch, is supporting Mullock, as is West Cape May Mayor Carol Sabo, the Democratic nominee for an overlapping State Assembly seat last year.
And State Sen. Jim Beach (D-Oaklyn), the chairman of the Camden County Democratic organization, is on Team Mullock as well. Although the 2nd district doesn’t include any of Camden County, Beach is one of South Jersey Democratic power broker Geroge Norcross’s top lieutenants; a Beach endorsement could signal that Mullock has the powerful South Jersey machine’s approval.
The 40-year-old Mullock, whose family owns the iconic local Chalfonte Hotel, was first elected to the city council in Cape May (pop. 2,768) in 2018, and unseated the city’s mayor in 2020; he was re-elected to a second term unopposed in 2024. Cape May holds nonpartisan elections, but Mullock said he’s been a registered Democrat throughout his political career.
In his five years as mayor, Mullock said he’s avoided raising taxes while still pursuing ambitious local projects like building a new firehouse, police station, and library. That kind of record, the mayor argued, is what voters should be looking for in their next member of Congress.
“They see the leadership that’s coming from the mayor’s office in Cape May, and they see all of the good things that we’ve done,” Mullock said. “They see the bipartisanship, and they know that that’s exactly what we need in our country right now.”
If he wants to be a U.S. representative by this time next year, Mullock faces two main obstacles, the first of which is the June 2 primary.
Four Democrats are already in the race for the 2nd district: civil rights attorney Tim Alexander, former USAID official Bayly Winder, local activist Terri Reese, and special ed math teacher Bill Finn. Alexander, who ran for the same seat in 2022 and 2024, is well-known from his prior runs and already has some key supporters in his corner, including the chair of the Atlantic County Democrats; Winder has raised by far the most money of anyone running (around $450,000 as of the end of 2025) and has earned a fair number of endorsements as well.
For Mullock to compete with them, he’ll need to build up a serious and well-funded campaign operation quite quickly; the Atlantic Democratic convention, the first and most important of the district’s local conventions, will arrive on March 8.
Mullock said his campaign will focus on affordability, particularly when it comes to utility bills, which he said “have been really weighing on people” in the district. And he said voters are also looking for someone who will be more willing to stand up to President Donald Trump when his administration takes actions like removing slavery exhibits in Philadelphia; “We need people to stand up and call things out when they’re wrong,” he said.
Which brings him to his second obstacle: convincing general election voters to give Van Drew, who has represented the 2nd district since 2019 and who won both of his last two elections by double-digit margins, the boot.
The 2nd district sprawls across six South Jersey counties, and while it includes some Democratic hubs like Atlantic City and Vineland, it also covers a huge amount of conservative territory that hasn’t supported a Democrat in years. Even Mikie Sherrill, who won the governor’s office in an unexpected landslide last year, still lost the district by seven points.
But given nationwide malaise over the Trump administration, Democrats still see some hope of defeating Van Drew if a large enough blue wave develops. Last year, a liberal group released a poll arguing that Van Drew could be vulnerable if the right Democratic candidate emerged – and national Democrats believe that candidate could be Mullock.
Mullock cited Van Drew’s frequent visits to the district and statements touting his bipartisanship as signs that the congressman is nervous about his re-election bid: “I think Jeff Van Drew knows that I would be his toughest opponent,” he said.
“I’ve had people ask me, are you a Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal? I appreciate that question – I think people have to ask it because they see me working with everybody,” Mullock continued. “As mayor, it has never been about the little letter next to somebody’s name. It’s always been about the problem and what solution we can get to. Anything that’s going to help the people of South Jersey is what I’m going to work for.”
This story was updated on March 4 at 3:37 p.m.: Cumberland County Democratic Chair Kevin McCann was originally included on Mullock’s endorsement list, but two weeks later disputed that he ever made such an endorsement.