Jeff Van Drew weighs a 2028 run after shocking loss to Zack Mullock: ‘Just see what people are thinking’
Van Drew said Congress is his “love” and emphasized a close race
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew is keeping his campaign going as he weighs running again in 2028 amid his shocking loss to U.S. Rep.-elect Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May.
“I’m going to visit and travel the depth and breadth of my district … and just see what people are thinking and how,” Van Drew said on the phone Monday, confirming that he’s exploring a 2028 run.
The South Jersey Republican conceded to Mullock two hours after polls closed in a race many expected would go red. Mullock, 41, swung the district approximately 20 points after Van Drew, 73, won reelection in the double digits in 2022 and 2024. Van Drew, of Cape May County’s Dennis Township, was first elected as a Democrat in 2018 before switching his party to Republican and vowing his “undying support” to President Donald Trump one year later.
Van Drew will continue to employ campaign staff, who will help with his fundraising and scheduling. They will take a deep dive into the election results, and also help local Republican candidates, he said on the phone.
“This is a tough time to be a Republican Eagles fan,” he joked.
Van Drew compared his exploration to candidates who start campaigning two years early for president or governor to feel out their district. But he said he doesn’t think he would run for a different role.
“I’ll look at everything, but you know, Congress is my love,” he said. “We’ll see.”
Despite the giant swing, the candidates were still just over 7,000 votes and less than 3 percentage points apart with 97% of votes counted. Van Drew won reelection by nearly 6 points in 2020, 19 points in 2022, and 17 points in 2024.
He said he expects the district to continue to be “more conservative than not” in the future.
“This was a very very close election in the worst of times. I mean, this is Watergate 2,” he said, repeating a comparison he made right after conceding.
Van Drew’s congressional campaign announced that he is maintaining a full-time political operation “as he weighs options looking ahead to 2028″ in a post on Facebook.
“Congressman Van Drew isn’t done fighting for A STRONG AMERICAN and A STRONG SOUTH JERSEY,” spokesperson Ron Filan said in a statement. “He will continue to stand up, speak out, and remain as active in the community as he always has been.”
Filan added, in underlined bold: “Our campaign office will remain open and a full time staff in place as he weighs the options ahead.”
The statement comes just a day after Mullock, who ran as an everyday guy, went viral on Sunday for saying he had to look up the salary just the day before new member orientation in Washington.
The announcement is a decisive shift from Van Drew’s tone on Tuesday.
In his concession speech Tuesday, Van Drew said he was weighing his options but that he wouldn’t necessarily seek political office. He said he had to organize his thoughts after his improbable loss.
Early in his speech, before even sharing that he conceded to Mullock, Van Drew noted, “I’m not good at just tinkering around the house and driving my wife crazy, so I’m going to do something. And I’m not talking about running for anything, or any of that. But that’ll work out. It’ll work out in time.”
Later in his 8-minute remarks, after thanking his staff, he added: “I’m not going to go away. That doesn’t mean I’m running for office again.”
But he emphasized that he would “be around” and continue to share his “strong feelings about America and American exceptionalism, and what we have to do.”
The 2nd Congressional district touches six South Jersey counties, spanning from Gloucester County across to Ocean County and down to Cape May County.
Mullock and his campaign manager Chris Carroll did not immediately comment on Van Drew’s campaign announcement on Monday.
