In his bid to regain the presidency in 2024, Donald Trump tonight tapped Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) to chair his New Jersey campaign.
“I have known Jeff for a long time and consider him to be one of the best political minds anywhere,” Trump said. “He feels, as do I, that because the Biden Administration has been so bad to the Garden State, that we have a very good chance of winning New Jersey.”
Van Drew is one of Trump’s top allies in New Jersey. He endorsed Trump a week after the 2022 general election.
For now, Trump faces a high-profile New Jersey challenger: former Gov. Chris Christie.
Van Drew spent 17 years in the New Jersey Legislature, assembling a fairly moderate-to-conservative record in a Republican part of the state, and was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 2018, but switched parties in December 2019 after refusing to vote for Trump’s impeachment. He was re-elected as a Republican.
Sitting with the president in the Oval Office, Van Drew pledged his “undying support” for Trump.
“I believe that this is just a better fit for me,” Van Drew said at the time. “This is who I am.”
“We will put it on our list for rallies and all other forms of events, and make a concerted effort to Win! I spend a great deal of time in New Jersey, love the State, and its people. With what is going on in our country now, open and broken borders, record setting crime, high taxes and regulations, disrespect of our military and vets, the worst Inflation in 72 years, and a terrible economy, we will win New Jersey, and possibly by a lot,” said Trump. “Jeff Van Drew will put his talents on display for all to see.”
Trump mentioned Van Drew as a possible running mate during a fundraiser for the New Jersey congressman’s re-election campaign Wednesday night in August 2022.|
The former president called a Trump-Van Drew ticket “a really good idea.”