2nd Congressional District: Amy Kennedy Challenges Jeff Van Drew

SOUTH JERSEY — Congressman Jeff Van Drew is one of only two Republicans from New Jersey serving in Congress. He finds himself in a potentially tight race, running for reelection Nov. 3 against Democratic challenger Amy Kennedy.

Van Drew was first elected to Congress in 2018 after his tenure in state legislature. He won the election as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party last December.

The congressman is perhaps best known for pledging his "undying support" to President Donald Trump after switching parties. Van Drew said during Oct. 8's debate with Kennedy that this doesn't mean he always agrees with President Trump.

Kennedy is the education director for The Kennedy Forum, and her campaign has centered her experience in teaching and education. She was born and raised in Atlantic County. Kennedy has not served in elected office.

The 2nd District covers all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties, along with parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Ocean Counties.

Backgrounds

Van Drew's prior experience in elected positions includes local, state and congressional politics. He served as a Dennis Township committeeman and mayor and as a Cape May County freeholder.

He served in the New Jersey State Assembly from 1997-2003 and then the State Senate from 2008-18 before election to Congress. He also operated a dental practice for 30 years before retiring.

Kennedy worked in New Jersey public schools for more than a decade. Along with serving The Kennedy Forum, she is an advisory board member for Interaxon, a mental health technology company; Set To Go, a JED program helping teens transition from high school and college to adulthood; and Brain Futures.

Her husband is former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, the son of longtime Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.

On the Issues

Coronavirus Stimulus Package: During Oct. 8's debate, both candidates supported another round of stimulus funding addressing the financial difficulties brought on by the coronavirus.

"We need to get people back to work," Kennedy said. "But in the meantime, that necessary stimulus is going to have to be the bridge there. It's not just the airlines, but it's the small businesses that have really struggled. And I'd like to see that stimulus go to the small businesses and working families, as well as our frontline workers."

Van Drew, the incumbent Republican, wants another round of funding to pass but said "even some Democrats" found issues with the HEROES Act, which would release some prisoners and allocate funding to undocumented residents.

"All these ideas were squeezed in when most of the bill was good," Van Drew said. "So at the end of the day when we left, it didn't get done, and we are still where we are. I want to go back. I want to get it done."

Van Drew also said he believes in financially assisting states with expenses related to COVID-19 but not for poor budgeting.

Climate Change: Both candidates agreed at Oct. 8's debate that climate change is real. Van Drew pointed to his sponsorship of the land and water conservation bill, which "guarantees open space and open areas and maintaining waterways."

Van Drew also pushed support for Carbon Capture — a technological process of capturing up to 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and preventing it from entering the atmosphere — along with nuclear energy and incentivizing solar energy.

"What I don't believe in is sometimes we make deals with countries like China responsible for 28 percent of the carbon, 28 percent of the pollution, and then we give them a special deal where they can still go on and we'll pay for it."

Kennedy emphasized infrastructural projects to build climate resiliency in South Jersey, including natural dune protections for businesses and homes and a transition to green energy.

Both expressed support for beach replenishment as a short-term solution to beach erosion.

"In the short term, I think we need to continue to do it for for our tourism," Kennedy said. "But of course, if there's a more viable solution for the longterm then i hope we'll use that."

Van Drew brought up support for raising homes to help with flood insurance costs. Kennedy said flood insurance needs to remain available.

"This is a community," she said. "We know not everybody is moving away."

Policing: Van Drew said during the debate that police should receive additional funding and also invest in community policing.

"There should be reform in anything," he said. "Theres always more you can learn. There's always more you can do."

Kennedy said she has advocated for providing funding to police and using funds on causes such as mental health and substance abuse treatment.

She states on her website that schools shouldn't rely on police to discipline students and should instead have the resources they need for counseling, medical and mental health services.

Economy: Kennedy pushed for diversify the local economy through investments in infrastructure, which included broadband, climate resilience and building out research on green technology.

Van Drew added that he supports working with the Federal Aviation Administration's tech center in Egg Harbor Township on new technology and pushed for helping the tourism industry.

"It shouldn't be the only industry," Van Drew said of tourism. "But one of the shameful things that happened is every other state in the United States of America had a plan where areas that weren't hit as hard by COVID were able to open up earlier."

Van Drew has also pushed for bringing manufacturing jobs to South Jersey.

More information: Check out the "issues" webpages for Van Drew and Kennedy.

Polling Data

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes election, lists the 2nd Congressional District as a "tossup."

The Monmouth University Polling Institute reported Oct. 5 a 50 percent to 44 percent advantage in Kennedy's favor among likely voters in a high-turnout scenario. ALG Research determined Sept. 22 that Kennedy led Van Drew by four points in a four-way race and five points in a two-way race.

Despite Kennedy's recent polling advantage, FiveThirtyEight says Van Drew has a 53 percent chance of winning.