Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock's win over Jeff Van Drew is official, the Associated Press says
Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock officially won the race against U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew with a more than 7,000 vote difference, the Associated Press reported 2 days after the Republican's concession.
Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock’s shocking victory over incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew in South Jersey is official, according to the Associated Press.
Van Drew conceded to Mullock two hours after the polls closed Tuesday, much to the surprise of supporters of both candidates. The AP officially called the race two days later, at 4:29 p.m. Thursday, with a difference of just over 7,000 votes and 2.5 percentage points between the two candidates.
» READ MORE: South Jersey shocker: Four-term GOP U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew concedes to Democrat Zack Mullock
Mullock garnered 137,166 votes, or 49.2%, and Van Drew received 130,084 votes, or 46.7%, with 97% votes tabulated, according to the AP.
It’s a spectacular flip for the red-leaning district, which spans from Gloucester County down to the Jersey Shore. The district’s electorate, as of Election Day, is nearly 35% unaffiliated, nearly 34% Republican, and nearly 30% Democrat.
“The direction of our country and what Donald Trump has been doing, I just felt like we need a strong Democratic voice to show that there is another alternative, especially here in South Jersey,” Mullock said in an interview Wednesday.
National analysts predicted the race would be solidly Republican and shifted its rating to likely Republican in the final stretch — not even viewing it as lean Republican or a toss-up, let alone a Democratic win.
» READ MORE: Video: N.J. Democrat Zack Mullock reacts to defeating four-term GOP U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew
But Mullock’s campaign felt the energy on the ground in the months leading up to the election across the political spectrum.
The election was largely a referendum on President Donald Trump amid high gas prices and an unpopular war in Iran. But Mullock, a local mayor with deep roots in Cape May, was also a strong fit for the district, which also faced local hot topics like a massive data center.
Van Drew was elected to the U.S. House as a Democrat in 2018 after holding local and state positions for years. He switched his party to Republican the following year and vowed his “undying support” to Trump. But with deep connections in the district himself, he warded off his 2020 challenger by almost 6 points and was reelected by double digits the last two cycles.
» READ MORE: Video: U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew speaks after conceding to Zack Mullock
He said in his concession speech that he will contemplates what’s next for him, but pledged to continue speaking about about his values of “American exceptionalism.”
“His success is our success, so I do wish him well,” Van Drew said about Mullock in an interview right after his concession speech. “To wish him ill is wrong. It’s not faithful, and I am a Christian, and I try to be faithful. And also, it’s not productive. If he fails miserably, so does America. That’s not good.”
