If you live anywhere from Cape May to Salem, you may want to read that headline twice.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew called Democrat Zack Mullock to concede the race for New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday night, Nov. 3, according to the New Jersey Globe and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Associated Press had not yet called the race. As of 10:10 p.m., Mullock led Van Drew 52.6% to 46.5%, according to the New Jersey Globe. Independent Ramon Mora Jr. was also on the ballot.
Mullock, 41, the mayor of Cape May, unseats a four-term incumbent in a district most forecasters rated Likely Republican just weeks ago.
Van Drew won this seat by about 6 points in 2020, nearly 19 in 2022 and nearly 17 in 2024, according to the Inquirer. A swing from a 17-point win to a loss in two years doesn’t happen often.
It also reshapes New Jersey’s delegation. With Van Drew and Rep. Tom Kean Jr. out, Rep. Chris Smith will be the only Republican representing New Jersey in the House, the New Jersey Globe reported.
Van Drew, 73, a former dentist from Dennis Township, was first elected in 2018 as a Democrat. He switched to the Republican Party in 2019 after opposing President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, and he’s been one of Trump’s strongest supporters since.
Mullock, a small business owner and former professional golfer, ran on lowering costs and restoring some civility to politics. He went after Van Drew’s votes for Trump’s tax and spending bill, his position on the Iran war and the effect of tariffs on prices. In this district, that hit home. New Jersey gas prices climbed from $2.97 to $4.12 a gallon over 12 months, according to AAA figures cited by the Globe.
He was also outspent for most of the race. Through Oct. 14, Mullock had raised less than $1 million to Van Drew’s more than $2.4 million. A late surge in donations and a $1.5 million ad buy from a pro-Democratic super PAC helped close the gap.
Asked what voters actually wanted from him, Mullock told the Inquirer they ask whether he’ll “be a decent human being.” On the state of politics, he put it bluntly: “They have zero faith in the system.”
The 2nd District covers Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, plus parts of Gloucester and Ocean. For the first time since 2019, the people here will be represented by a Democrat, and by a mayor who knows what a summer season, a beach replenishment fight and a Shore town budget actually look like.
It also means Cape May needs a new plan at City Hall. Mullock will have to step away from the mayor’s office once he’s sworn in, so expect the city to sort out what comes next over the coming weeks.
This is still a district that voted for Trump three presidential elections in a row. Mullock won in a year when the national mood broke hard toward Democrats, and holding the seat in 2028, with a presidential race on the ballot, will be a different fight. Republicans will be back, and they’ll have a two-year record to run against.
And by the way – it’s called pork roll.
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