New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 13
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: N/A
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 10 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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| New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 30, 2020 |
| Primary: July 7, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Jeff Van Drew (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in New Jersey |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th New Jersey elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
Incumbent Jeff Van Drew (R) defeated Amy Kennedy (D) in the general election for New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District on November 3, 2020.
Van Drew was first elected in 2018 as a Democrat after defeating Seth Grossman (R) 53% to 45%. Van Drew succeeded Frank LoBiondo (R), who held the seat from 1995 until his retirement in 2019.
In December 2019, Van Drew switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican. The day before, he was one of two House Democrats to vote against both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump (R).[1]
The Cook Political Report's David Wasserman wrote, "This blue-collar seat voted for Trump 51 percent to 46 percent in 2016, and Trump embraced Van Drew after he voted against impeachment and switched parties. But now Biden is running neck and neck here and Van Drew may be paying a price."[2]
Kennedy, a former teacher, was endorsed by former President Barack Obama (D) and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Click here to see more noteworthy endorsements in this race.
The 2nd District is located in the southern portion of the state and includes all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties and parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Ocean counties.[3] Salem and Gloucester are the two Pivot Counties in New Jersey—Obama won them in 2008 and 2012, and Trump won them in 2016. Click here for more information.
The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. All 435 seats in the House were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232 to 198 majority over Republicans. The Libertarian Party had one seat. Four seats were vacant. Democrats defended 30 districts Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. Republicans defended five districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.
This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.
For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
Post-election analysis
The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.
| Presidential and congressional election results, New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Presidential | U.S. House |
| Democratic candidate |
47.9 | 46.2 |
| Republican candidate |
50.8 | 51.9 |
| Difference | 2.9 | 5.7 |
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
New Jersey modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Mail-in were ballots sent to all registered voters in the general election.
- Candidate filing procedures: Candidates were allowed to collect and submit petition signatures via electronic means. The petition deadline for unaffiliated candidates for non-presidential office was postponed to July 7, 2020.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 2
Incumbent Jeff Van Drew defeated Amy Kennedy, Jenna Harvey, and Jesse Ehrnstrom in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeff Van Drew (R) | 51.9 | 195,526 |
 | Amy Kennedy (D) | 46.2 | 173,849 | |
 | Jenna Harvey (Justice Mercy Humility Party) | 1.1 | 4,136 | |
 | Jesse Ehrnstrom (L) | 0.8 | 3,036 | |
| Total votes: 376,547 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2
Amy Kennedy defeated Brigid Callahan Harrison, Will Cunningham, John Francis III, and Robert Turkavage in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 on July 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Amy Kennedy | 62.1 | 43,414 |
 | Brigid Callahan Harrison | 22.3 | 15,560 | |
 | Will Cunningham | 12.8 | 8,946 | |
| John Francis III | 1.5 | 1,061 | ||
| Robert Turkavage | 1.3 | 938 | ||
| Total votes: 69,919 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2
Incumbent Jeff Van Drew defeated Bob Patterson in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 on July 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Van Drew | 82.4 | 45,226 |
 | Bob Patterson | 17.6 | 9,691 | |
| Total votes: 54,917 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Richter (R)
- Brian Fitzherbert (R)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[4] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- U.S. House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2019)
- New Jersey State Senate (2008-2019)
- New Jersey General Assembly (2002-2008)
- Mayor of Dennis Township (1994-1995; 1997-2003)
- Cape May County Freeholder (1994-1997)
Biography: Van Drew earned his B.S. from Rutgers University and his D.D.S from Fairleigh Dickinson University Dental School. He worked as a family dentist. Van Drew was a member of the Ocean View Fire Company as of the election. He switched his affiliation from Democratic to Republican in December 2019.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 in 2020.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Kennedy received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Penn State University and a master's in environmental education from Nova Southeastern University. She worked as a secondary education teacher in Northfield, N.J. At the time of the election, Kennedy served on the Mental Health America board and worked as the education director at the Kennedy Forum, founded by her husband, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.).
Show sources
Sources: Amy Kennedy's 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 18, 2020; YouTube, "Amy Kennedy for Congress, Videos," accessed September 18, 2020; Vimeo, "Who I am," January 27, 2020; LinkedIn, "Amy Kennedy," accessed July 3, 2020; Kennedy's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Amy," accessed July 3, 2020
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 in 2020.
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
| New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020: General election polls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date | Van Drew
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Kennedy
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Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | Sponsor |
| Stockton University | Oct. 22-27 | 45% | 46% | 9% | ± 3.7 | 676 | -- |
| Monmouth | Sept-26-Oct. 1 | 44% | 49% | 6% | ± 4.1 | 588 | -- |
| RMG Research | July 30-Aug. 5 | 42% | 39% | 19% | ± 4.5 | 500 | -- |
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[5] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[6] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Van Drew | Republican Party | $4,326,539 | $4,138,861 | $191,878 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Amy Kennedy | Democratic Party | $5,048,012 | $5,042,549 | $5,463 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Jenna Harvey | Justice Mercy Humility Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Jesse Ehrnstrom | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+1, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage point more Republican than the national average. This made New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District the 231st most Republican nationally.[7]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.05. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.05 points toward that party.[8]
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[9]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[10][11][12]
| Race ratings: New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Tilt Democratic | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Democratic | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
Noteworthy endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.
| Noteworthy endorsements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Van Drew (R) | Kennedy (D) | ||||
| Newspapers and editorials | ||||||
| The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board[13] | ✔ | |||||
| The Star-Ledger editorial board[14] | ✔ | |||||
| Elected officials | ||||||
| President Donald Trump (R) | ✔ | |||||
| Governor Phil Murphy (D) | ✔ | |||||
| Individuals | ||||||
| Former President Barack Obama (D) | ✔ | |||||
| 2020 Democratic presidential nominee/former Vice President Joe Biden[15] | ✔ | |||||
Timeline
2020
Campaign advertisements
This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.
Jeff Van Drew
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Amy Kennedy
Supporting Kennedy
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Opposing Van Drew
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Debates and forums
October 8, 2020
NJTV and the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University co-sponsored a debate. View the video here.
Campaign themes
- See also: Campaign themes
Jeff Van Drew
Van Drew's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Agriculture New Jersey is the Garden State and that is because we have one of the biggest and best agriculture industries (valued at over $1 billion a year) in the country. Here in South Jersey, we have a strong farming history and these family farms work every day to put food on our tables. It is imperative that we promote policy that will protect this industry and its huge contribution to our economic success. College Affordability Education is the essence of American opportunity. A quality education levels the playing field and makes the system fair, but it has become unaffordable for so many South Jersey families. The skyrocketing costs of a college education are saddling many with outrageous student loan debt, which stops young families from becoming first-time home buyers and stagnates economic growth. We must get serious about this financial crisis, and reduce the existing burden so that we can grow our economy. Civil Rights In Congress, I will strongly defend the civil rights of every person. Our civil liberties are fundamental to what it means to be an American. I will fight every day to ensure that every American is treated equally regardless of race, religion, color, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Economy The Great Recession, coupled with the collapse of four casinos and the loss of 10,000 jobs, hit South Jersey harder than almost any other region in the United States. Atlantic County has the highest foreclosure rate in the Nation, and for years we have lagged behind the rest of the country in unemployment. Thankfully, Atlantic City appears on the rebound, which will be further bolstered by the legalization of sports betting. But we must do more. We have to work to bring manufacturing jobs back to South Jersey. We have to do all that we can to promote our vital tourism economy. Government needs to do more to help, not hinder, our agriculture and fishing industries. There is so much potential here in South Jersey, and I will work every day to fight to bring jobs back here for our working families. Equal Pay I’m proud of the work we have done in New Jersey to tackle income inequality by passing laws to ensure equal pay for equal work. Now, I want to champion that policy in Washington and require equal pay for every woman in America! The time is now. Fishing Commercial and recreational fishing combine to make one of the biggest industries in New Jersey, and an industry that is vital to coastal South Jersey. Cape May, Atlantic City, and Barnegat Light are three of the busiest fishing ports on the entire East Coast, bringing in billions of dollars of economic activity to our State and its working families. Gun Rights Congressman Van Drew is a lifetime member of the NRA and a proud gun owner. New Jersey already has the strictest gun laws in the country which is why as a state legislator Van Drew regularly sponsored legislation to reduce burdens on legal gun owners. When he is re-elected, Congressman Van Drew will oppose efforts to make it more difficult for law abiding Americans to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights which would include efforts to turn those rights into privileges or unnecessarily expand prohibited categories. If bills substantially similar to HR-8 and HR-1112 came up in the next Congress he would oppose them. Healthcare As a Dentist, I have a firsthand understanding of the American healthcare system and the need to make it both accessible and affordable. Instead of working to address the root problem of the high cost of healthcare, Congress has increased costs on all of us, and are even trying to make it tougher for those with preexisting conditions to get the coverage they need. Together, we must focus on reforms to the Affordable Care Act that protect our families and small businesses, and work to lower the high cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. Immigration America is a place of hope and opportunity where you can work hard, support your family and create a better life. That dream has become increasingly harder to reach because of our broken immigration system, and we need new approaches that are tough, practical, and fair. We need comprehensive reform that must start by strengthening border security and cracking down on employers that knowingly circumvent the law. Additionally, by requiring employers to verify workers we will reduce the hiring of unauthorized workers, increase the accessibility of visas for high-skilled workers, and allow law-abiding immigrant families to come out of the shadows, pay taxes, play by the rules, and earn their citizenship. We need realistic approaches to protect children that came here as minors and grew up identifying as American, and policies that treat them fairly. Israel There is arguably no more important relationship in the world than that of the United States of America and Israel. Our two countries have had a unique relationship since President Truman was the first Head of State to formally recognize the State of Israel in May, 1948, and that special bond continues today. It is a relationship that extends beyond the purely tactical, but speaks to a commonality of shared ideals and values. The United States must never waiver from its steadfast position that the State of Israel has an undeniable right to exist and thrive with the same sense of security and economic self-determination as any other nation in the Middle East. I believe that we must continue this relationship, and do everything we can to strengthen this bond. I will fight to continue this relationship as it is imperative to our national security. Net Neutrality As a longtime advocate for consumer protections, I strongly support net neutrality. The attacks on net neutrality directly drive up costs for consumers, shortchange innovation, and limit our freedom. Net Neutrality protections require internet service providers to give their subscribers equal access to every website, saving consumers money; now that is has been repealed, Internet Service Providers have been given license to charge separate outlandish rates for basic services that Americans use daily. This is unacceptable, and I will fight to restore net neutrality, and a free and open internet, for generations to come. North Jersey Gaming The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority recently called reigniting expansion of casino gaming to North Jersey a “top priority,” despite voters’ rejection of this failed ballot question in every single county, and by more than a 3:1 margin statewide. Just as Atlantic City is experiencing new-found economic momentum and excitement over our victory to bring sports betting to South Jersey, the wolves are back at our door. And we will not back down. As Congressman, I will fight against North Jersey casinos and will never let it happen! We must not allow anyone to breathe life into this failed idea, and I guarantee they will face the wrath of our region as we stand united to protect South Jersey families. Offshore Drilling For years, I have fought to protect our shore-based economy, and I authored the law to prevent offshore drilling in New Jersey. In response to our efforts, Congress is pushing a radical scheme to financially punish New Jersey taxpayers with hundreds of millions of dollars in federal fees. You can count on me to block this irresponsible legislation, which violates our State’s rights, puts our shore in peril, and would blackmail our residents. This will never happen, not on my watch! Social Security & Medicare As a cornerstone of America’s safety net, Social Security enables millions of Americans to retire with an invaluable peace of mind, and Medicare is an effective tool that provides greater healthcare access to millions of low-income Americans, preventing greater poverty. Social Security and Medicare are two of the most successful public programs ever created, and have shielded generations of older Americans from poverty. These programs are a handshake agreement between the federal government and senior citizens that must be honored, and I will not stand for any attempts to undermine this commitment. Paying these benefits today is not enough; we must ensure the long-term solvency for future generations. As Congressman, I continue to:
Tax Reform I have always fought for tax cuts that benefit our families and small businesses that create local jobs. It is time for middle-class tax cuts that benefit hard-working South Jersey families and small businesses. Veterans There is no commitment more important to our country than that of defending it, as millions of brave men and women have done. Our veterans are the heroes of our nation and deserve to be treated as such for being staunch defenders of our freedom. It is shameful that returning veterans often lack job opportunities, access to education, and critical healthcare services, and it is even more shameful that some of our heroes are left homeless and unemployed. I will fight to reverse these failures and I will work tirelessly until this is no longer the sad reality for the brave men and women of our military. Voting Rights As it is embedded in our constitution, I believe the right to vote is universal and inalienable for all Americans. I fully support the Voting Rights Amendment Act, which would restore vital voter protections lost in the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has documented 148 separate instances of voter discrimination between 2000 and 2014. We must eliminate this injustice and ensure that our citizens will not be intimidated or discriminated against when exercising their right to vote.[21] |
” |
| —Jeff Van Drew's campaign website (2020)[22] | ||
Amy Kennedy
Kennedy's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Workers’ Bill of Rights Our towns and neighborhoods in South Jersey were built up by middle class families. Now, thanks to the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans, the biggest corporations are paying almost nothing in taxes while those families are forced to move away to find good-paying work. It doesn’t have to be this way. By empowering our workers, expanding access to and protecting hard-earned benefits, and investing to create good-paying jobs, we can build an economy that works for everyone. In Congress, I will fight to protect workers’ fundamental rights, including: The Right to Collectively Bargain. I will always support the right to organize and bargain collectively, and I will never back down from that commitment. But it is not enough to protect the rights we already have—especially after decades of attacks by Republicans, corporations, and the courts. We need to make it easier for workers to organize. We need to expand and grow unions and increase their bargaining power. And when corporations violate workers’ rights, we need to hold them accountable. In Congress, I will support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. This historic legislation will strengthen workers’ right to organize for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions—and impose stricter penalties on employers when they break labor laws. The Right to High-Paying Jobs. Everyone who wants to work should have the right to full-time employment. To get there, Congress needs to do much more to support job creation. And they should start by rebuilding our infrastructure—from our roads, bridges, and waterways; to our drinking water system and electric grid. Infrastructure investment boosts our economy, creates good-paying jobs, and attracts and supports local businesses. I will work every day to secure the major infrastructure investments we need for our district. I will also fight efforts to privatize, outsource, or contract out public-sector jobs. Privatization replaces good jobs with benefits with low-quality jobs with few benefits, resulting in reduced wages and worker power. It also allows corporations to reap profits off the provision of public services, even as they provide lower-quality services less efficiently. Protecting public employees—from our teachers and support professionals, to our emergency responders and public safety officers—is good for our economy and our community. The Right to a Secure Retirement. Every worker should have the right to retire with dignity. That’s why I will fight to protect Americans’ hard-earned pensions and strengthen and expand Social Security. As a first step, we should pass the Butch Lewis Act, which would create a loan program to help get pensions back on solid ground. While the federal government must be more fiscally responsible, I am outraged by politicians who suggest that we should use workers’ savings to balance our budgets. People who work and pay money into retirement programs their whole lives deserve a safe and secure retirement. The Right to a Safe Workplace. While the law requires employers to provide a safe workplace, far too many workers remain at serious risk of injury, illness, or violence. Unsafe workplaces impose enormous costs on workers, their families, and our health care system. I will fight for the resources regulators and employers need to keep workplaces safe. I will also push the administration to strengthen occupational health and safety protections, including for health care workers responding to the coronavirus. By partnering with unions to train workers and employers, we can avoid unnecessary risks and give workers a voice in their safety and health. The Right to Health Care. Every worker should have access to high-quality health care. Many workers bargain for high-quality health insurance plans, and I will fight to protect these health care benefits. I also believe that Congress should expand access to programs like Medicare, so that everyone who wants or needs to buy health insurance can do so affordably. And I will work to lower workers’ out-of-pocket costs by cutting prescription drug prices and holding pharmaceutical companies accountable. The Right to Overtime Pay. People who work more should be paid more. But the federal overtime law isn’t indexed to the cost of living, leaving far too many low- and middle-income workers without a right to overtime time for overtime work. By updating our labor laws, Congress can restore this right and give millions of workers a well-deserved raise. The Right to Equal Pay for Equal Work. The Equal Pay Act became law more than 50 years ago, yet an enormous wage gap remains. For every dollar a man makes in New Jersey, a woman earns just 79 cents, and the gap is far higher for women of color. We need to strengthen the Equal Pay Act, hold employers accountable for pay discrimination, and bar them from retaliating against women who discuss their pay. We also need to increase the minimum-wage, because more than two-thirds of low-wage workers are women. By raising wages and making it easier for women to enter high-paying careers, we can finally realize the right to equal pay for equal work. The Right to Balance Work and Family. Every parent should be able to care for a newborn child or sick family member. Yet more than 100 million Americans do not have access to paid family leave through their jobs. It is far past time for the United States to guarantee paid, family medical leave to every worker. No one should have to choose between their paycheck, their loved ones, and their wellbeing. The Right to Benefits and Legal Protections. Too many workers—including many “gig economy” workers—are improperly misclassified as independent contractors. Employers misclassify their workers in order to pay lower wages, without benefits, depriving workers of legal protections like unemployment insurance, workers compensation, and the right to collectively bargain. Congress should make it harder for employers to misclassify workers—and impose strict penalties on employers who do so. Healthcare My Plan to Strengthen Our Health Care System Health care is a human right. Everyone should have access to high-quality, affordable care. Achieving that goal will be my top priority in Congress. It is shameful that President Trump and Congressional Republicans are trying to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. Their efforts threaten to take health care away from millions of New Jerseyans—including young children—and they have already caused premiums to rise. We should be building on the ACA instead of undermining it. In Congress, I will always fight to protect Americans’ health care. I will work to improve the Affordable Care Act to lower health care costs and protect coverage for preexisting conditions. I will stand up to pharmaceutical and health insurance companies to reduce drug prices and out-of-pocket costs. And I will fight to protect and expand Medicare and Medicaid, so that everyone that wants to, can buy insurance coverage. I will also provide the leadership New Jersey needs to respond to the coronavirus. COVID-19 is a crisis of national and global scale, and it demands a bold and serious response. That response must leave the U.S. better-prepared to fight future crises and make sure every American has access to emergency and preventative medicine. We will all be safer and healthier if everyone is able to afford their copays and receive the care they need without fear of cost. Give everyone access to high-quality, affordable health care. No one should get sick because they can’t afford to go to the doctor or go into debt to pay their hospital bills. No one should have to make the choice between essentials like groceries and rent and paying for life-saving treatment. And no one should avoid seeking coronavirus care because they are uninsured or afraid of the cost. In Congress, I will fight to:
The coronavirus pandemic has caused millions of people to lose their jobs and their employer-sponsored health insurance. We cannot continue to tie health insurance to employment without providing greater protections—especially now, when it is vital that people receive coronavirus care.
Invest in minority and underserved communities. South Jersey was already facing severe public health challenges before the coronavirus pandemic. Everyone should have equal access to quality, community health care—no matter who they are, where they live, their income, or the color of their skin. In Congress, I will fight to:
Reduce prescription drug prices by holding pharmaceutical companies accountable. Skyrocketing drug prices are crushing American families while large pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars in profits. I will stand up to drug and health insurance companies to reduce families’ out-of-pocket costs and expand access to life-saving care. In Congress, I will fight to:
Expand our hospital and treatment capacity. The U.S. has fewer hospital beds and physicians per capita than most other countries impacted by the coronavirus. This is due in part to failed and misguided cost-cutting measures that led cities and states close hospital beds, especially in rural areas. We need to immediately increase our hospital capacity, both to respond to COVID-19 and to ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality care when they need it. In Congress, I will fight to:
Allowing big corporations to undermine our health care system is dangerous and immoral. Congress must act to break up medical-equipment monopolies, ensure domestic production of vital medicines, and incentivize and reward companies that rebuild our manufacturing capacity here at home. Protect America’s health care workers. Our physicians, nurses, health care aides, and first responders have responded heroically to the coronavirus crisis, risking their own lives to save the lives of others. But thanks to our broken health care system and government inaction—and President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ refusal to take the coronavirus seriously—too many people are on the frontlines without the personal protective equipment and workplace policies they need to do their jobs. Protecting and supporting our health care workers must be our top priority. In Congress, I will fight to:
Congress should provide additional funding to ensure that hospitals maintain staffing and pay. And it should direct the Department of Labor to put strong, mandatory workplace safety protections in place to reduce health care workers’ risk of exposure to coronavirus. Fund a strong mental health response. Nearly half of Americans say that stress or worry about the coronavirus pandemic has harmed their health. I have already put forward a comprehensive plan for revolutionizing mental health and substance abuse treatment in the United States. In addition to fulfilling that plan, I will fight in Congress to:
Protect long-term public health. President Trump and Congressional Republicans ignored the coronavirus threat for months, leaving America grossly and unnecessarily unprepared to respond to the pandemic. The same leadership vacuum that allowed coronavirus to spread in the U.S. will limit our ability to prevent, contain, and treat infectious diseases in the future. We must act immediately to strengthen our health care system and prepare it to handle future crises. In Congress, I will fight to:
We can afford better health care. President Trump and Congressional Republicans have provided trillions of dollars in giveaways to giant corporations and the wealthiest Americans in recent years. That includes a new $170 billion dollar tax break for wealthy real estate investors that was tucked into the latest coronavirus response act. By restoring the corporate tax rate and making other long-overdue reforms, we can make the investments we need provide everyone access to high-quality, affordable health care. More importantly, we cannot afford to maintain the health care system we have. The coronavirus has uncovered enormous hidden costs, chief among them an unpreparedness that has brought America into what we hope will be a short but deep economic crisis. Fixing our broken health care system will save lives and protect our economy from future disruptions. It is more important than ever that Congress act to reform and strengthen it. Education Both of my parents were public school teachers, and I taught public middle school for more than a decade in South Jersey. I am proud that New Jersey has the best public schools in the nation, and I will be a champion for our students, educators, and support professionals in Congress. That means working to increase teacher pay, reduce class sizes, improve school infrastructure, and make free preschool available to every child in America. Finally, I believe that every student should be able to afford a college education or industry-credentialed training program that leads to a high-paying job. We already have great higher education models in South Jersey, from the Cumberland County Technical Education Center to Rowan University. But we need to do more to ensure that college and training programs remain a pathway to future success—not a pathway to crushing debt. Our Economy Rebuilding South Jersey’s Economy The COVID-19 pandemic is solidifying the fact that we have two South Jerseys: one that is wealthy and will continue to have jobs and health care throughout this crisis, and another that is struggling to provide for their families, make a living wage and might never recover. As we begin to re-open society and move toward whatever our new “normal” will become, we cannot afford another recovery that leaves some people behind and only benefits others. More than ever for South Jersey and for our country, leadership matters. We need leaders, at the national, state and local levels who will fight to help our country and our community build back better and stronger—so that everyone has access to good-paying jobs in safe workplaces; so that children born in Atlantic City have the same chance of success as kids in other parts of the district; and everyone who works hard still has the right to retire with dignity. In Congress, I will fight to make families whole from the economic catastrophe caused by the coronavirus, leading efforts to create jobs, help small businesses, support working families, and build a stronger, more equal economy in South Jersey. Support Working Families Working families have been falling behind for decades because of stagnating wages, growing inequality, and the skyrocketing cost of health and childcare. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these trends, devastating millions. We need bold solutions to help working families get ahead and recover. In Congress, I will fight to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. These important programs put more money in the pockets of middle-class and low-income families, making sure that parents can keep up with the rising cost of basic necessities. They are also proven to increase employment and reduce poverty and inequality. I am proud to endorse the Working Families Tax Relief Act, which will expand both programs and allow more than 1 million families in New Jersey to keep more of what they earn. I am also proud to endorse the American Family Act, which will dramatically expand the Child Tax Credit to make sure that parents can keep up with the rising cost of housing, healthcare, and childcare. This ambitious but commonsense proposal would cut child poverty in half nationwide. Additionally, I will co-sponsor the Raise the Wage Act, which by raising the federal minimum wage will increase the incomes of more than 33 million Americans. And I will work to update our labor laws to restore the right to overtime work for overtime pay. Because the federal overtime law isn’t indexed to the cost of living, far too many low- and middle-income workers have been left without a right to be paid more for working more. By expanding overtime protections, Congress can give millions of hard-working Americans a well-deserved raise. Help Small Businesses Lead the Recovery Small and independent businesses are the backbone of our South Jersey community and they have been devastated by COVID-19. While vital, the emergency loan programs funded by Congress have not done enough, especially for businesses in New Jersey. Unprecedented leadership, investment, and support is necessary for our independent business community to survive and thrive. In Congress, I will fight to foster a small business-led recovery, one that creates and protects jobs, wealth, and opportunity across South Jersey—including through:
Invest in Infrastructure Everyone who wants to work should have the right to full-time employment. To get there, Congress needs to do much more to support job creation, especially as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. And they should start by rebuilding our infrastructure, from our roads, bridges, and bulkheads, to our drinking water system and electric grid. Infrastructure investment is one of the best ways to boost our economy, create good-paying jobs, and attract and support local businesses. Yet President Trump and Congressional Republicans have done nothing to advance it. I will work every day to secure the major infrastructure investments we need for our district, including in:
Update and Strengthen Our Unemployment System More than 1 million New Jerseyans have filed unemployment claims since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Yet thanks to an under resources and antiquated unemployment insurance system, thousands of desperate workers were forced to wait weeks to receive the benefits they were owed. New Jersey is sadly not unique. Over the past 11 weeks, nearly 43 million Americans have filed for unemployment. Our current unemployment insurance system isn’t built to withstand this crisis, nor is it built to protect employment or speed economic recovery. In Congress, I will support efforts to establish an employment insurance system—one that allows businesses to keep workers employed part-time instead of laying them off, with the government making up the difference in lost wages. Twenty-seven states have already established employment insurance, or work-share, programs, but Congress needs to do more to help the remaining states establish them and to reward and compensate businesses and states for participating. That way, workers can keep their jobs and their benefits during economic downturns, and businesses can ramp up more quickly as the economy recovers. Vice President Biden has put forward a plan for transitioning to employment insurance, and I fully support it. Make Childcare Affordable We have a childcare crisis in New Jersey. Childcare costs more than $10,000 a year on average, and across the country, COVID-19 has brought our fragile childcare system to the brink of collapse. Making childcare affordable and accessible is critical to helping New Jerseyans return to work as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. While parents can already get a tax credit if they spend money on childcare, the credit is capped too low and doesn’t benefit lower-income families. In Congress, I will work to give all working families a refundable childcare tax credit that actually offsets the cost of childcare. I will also support efforts to increase the federal investment in state childcare programs. And I will fight to make free preschool available to every child in America. Strengthen and Reform Our Healthcare System The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of people to lose their jobs and their employer-sponsored health insurance. We cannot continue to tie health insurance to employment without providing greater protections, especially now, when it is vital that people receive coronavirus care. And we cannot continue to have a health care system where people get sick because they can’t afford to go to the doctor or go into debt to pay their hospital bills. That is why I have put forward a comprehensive plan to make sure that everyone has access to local, quality, affordable health care—and why fighting to realize that plan will be my top priority in Congress. Congress also needs to act immediately to establish a national COVID-19 testing and tracing strategy. It is outrageous that President Trump continues to oppose a national testing program, and that Republicans repeatedly tried to block Congress from funding coronavirus tests. Testing gives people the confidence they need to return to work, and to reopen restaurants and small businesses—and we cannot restart our economy without it. Target Relief to Workers, Not Wall Street Congress has provided COVID-19 relief loans and other assistance to businesses of all sizes, recognizing that companies large and small are dealing with a public health crisis not of their making. But when we provide federal aid to corporations, strings must be attached to that money. Stronger safeguards were needed to make sure that federal dollars flowed directly to workers—not to Wall Street or corporate executives. In Congress, I will hold accountable corporations or financial institutions who have engaged in pandemic profiteering. I will oppose any efforts to give liability protections to big corporations who allowed their workers or customers to contract the coronavirus. I will work to repeal the outrageous $170 billion tax cut Congress gave real estate investors in the CARES Act. I support efforts to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to bailout fossil fuel companies who took on bad debts before COVID-19 hit. I also support strong oversight measures to ensure accountability and transparency in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. And I will fight to ensure that any future relief funding is kept out of the hands of wealthy investors who are only trying to enrich themselves. End Hunger and Food Insecurity Far too many families in our district faced food insecurity even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In Atlantic County, nearly one in five residents had run out of food and been unable to buy more, and nearly one in three could not afford to purchase healthy meals for their family. COVID-19 made these problems much worse, leaving our community food banks struggling to keep up with the rising demand for assistance. I believe that no one should go hungry. I also believe that every family should have access to healthy, affordable food in their community. That’s why I will always fight to protect and expand funding for food stamps and other nutrition assistance programs, and to quickly ramp up these programs during emergencies like COVID-19. In addition to being one of the most effective ways to help families during recessions, food stamps benefit local retailers, who accepted nearly $1 billion in benefits last year; and local farmers, by driving demand for their products. I will also work to achieve universal access to free school meals, including during the summer months and during emergencies like COVID-19. And by fighting to raise wages and create jobs, I will work to ensure that all families in South Jersey can keep up with the rising cost of living. Prepare for Future Crises Programs like expanded unemployment insurance, expanded nutrition assistance, direct payments, and aid to states have been critical to responding to COVID-19. While Congress worked quickly to put these measures in place, emergency aid would have been even more effective had it kicked in automatically once the economy began to deteriorate. That’s why I will support efforts to incorporate “automatic stabilization” measures into key safety-net programs. These triggers ensure that additional benefits are made available to Americans quickly and automatically at the onset of an economic crisis. Similar automatic stabilizers should also be used to decide when to end expanded benefits, so that Americans can continue to access needed support until the economy is in recovery. Children and Families No child in America should live in poverty. That’s why I am proud to endorse the American Family Act, a bold but commonsense plan to increase family incomes by expanding the child tax credit. This important legislation would put more money back in the pockets of middle class families, making sure that parents can keep up with the rising cost of basic necessities like housing, healthcare, and childcare. It would help more than one million children in New Jersey and cut child poverty in half nationwide. Our Environment Climate change poses an existential threat to our district—from the Jersey Shore to the South Jersey farms that make up the majority of agricultural land in our state. At the same time, the Trump Administration has worked with polluters to roll back critical protections for our air and water, putting the health and safety of our families at risk. Protecting South Jersey’s environment is critical to both our economy and our identity. In Congress, I will fight to protect our air, land, water, and shores and make our communities more resilient. I will also work to accelerate the transition to clean and carbon-neutral energy, so we can meet the targets necessary to avoid the most serious impacts of climate change. And I will stand up to fossil-fuel lobbyists and other big polluters who put profits before people—and whose degradation of our environment disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. Now is a critical time to act. The coronavirus crisis has devastated our district, and much more relief is needed for our economy to recover. Congress must take action to create good-paying jobs, increase resiliency, and help our communities “build back better.” Investments in clean energy and resilient infrastructure satisfy all of those goals—and fighting for them will be one of my top priorities in Congress. Protecting Our Coastal Communities South Jersey is uniquely vulnerable to climate change. Our homes, businesses, beaches, and parks are already at risk and our economy relies on fragile coastal ecosystems to support our tourism and fishing industries. While we have made difficult and important progress since Superstorm Sandy, there is far more we need to do to make our coastal communities resilient from rising sea levels and coastal storms. In Congress, I will fight for the infrastructure South Jersey needs to protect our shoreline. We need continued federal investment to repair and replace bulkheads, seawalls, dams, and levees to prevent and minimize the damage from floods and storms. We need to preserve and restore beaches and other coastal habitats that serve as natural buffers to storm surges and waves. And we need to make resiliency a priority every time we repair or upgrade our infrastructure, including our roads, bridges, and public buildings. These infrastructure investments are some of the best ways we can create good-paying, union jobs in South Jersey. I will also provide leadership to reform and strengthen the national flood insurance system. We saw the current system’s shortcomings after Superstorm Sandy: insurance companies’ denied far too many families’ claims, in part due to mismanagement and abuse. I will fight for a stronger, affordable, and more sustainable flood insurance program that protects family homes and businesses in case disaster strikes. Finally, I will fight to block oil drilling off of New Jersey’s shoreline, now and for generations to come. Offshore drilling threatens the health and safety of our families and our ecosystem and could cause irreparable economic damage. Fossil fuel companies should never be allowed to profit at our community’s expense. Transitioning to 100% Clean Energy I believe that we can and must power our economy entirely with clean and carbon-neutral energy. That’s why I am proud to support the 100% Clean Energy Economy Act. This bold legislation directs the federal government to use all of its authorities to reach a net-zero economy by 2050. It also puts important protections in place to ensure that we transition to clean energy in ways that don’t leave workers or communities behind. And it helps communities that are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change—like South Jersey—become more resilient. I also recognize that our transition to clean energy will only be successful if states and the private sector help lead the way. In Congress, I will fight for legislation like the CLEAN Future Act, which will give states, local communities, and the private sector the support and flexibility they need to address climate change. By settings bold standards to reduce emissions from buildings, industrial sources, electric utilities, and cars and trucks, we can leverage every sector of our economy to meet our climate goals. Fortunately, New Jersey is already leading the way toward 100% clean energy. Atlantic City is poised to be home to New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, which will provide more than half a million New Jersey homes with renewable power. And Governor Murphy has put forward a bold plan for reducing emissions and deploying renewable energy. But there is more we can do to invest in clean energy and transportation infrastructure, like building charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and making buildings and housing more energy efficient. These investments will create high-paying jobs in our district and make our economy cleaner, stronger, and more competitive. Preserving Clean Air, Land, and Water Access to clean air, water, and land is a human right, one that I will always fight to protect in Congress. I want to make sure South Jersey is a safe and healthy community where all children have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. Sadly, pollution threatens the health of too many families in our district, including many families of color. And decades of discrimination have allowed industrial pollution to concentrate in low-income neighborhoods. I will fight for environmental justice, recognizing that we cannot address climate change if we continue to leave impacted communities behind. President Trump has made it much harder for our communities to ensure access to clean air and water. He has rolled back 100 environmental rules—allowing polluters to pump toxic mercury, lead, and chemicals into the environment; weakening emission standards for power plants, cars, and trucks; eliminating safety measures that protect against oil spills; and more. I will fight to block, repeal, or reverse Trump administration regulations that help polluters or threaten our environment. And I will always stand up to fossil fuel lobbyists who put their own bottom lines before our community’s health. I will also protect our open spaces. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, and our public lands and parks are vital to our sense of community and wellbeing. Moreover, public lands create and support good-paying jobs. In Congress, I will support investments to grow our outdoor economy; support recreation and tourism, especially as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic; and rebuild crumbling infrastructure within our parks, lands, and forests. I will oppose all efforts to privatize or undermine our public lands. Supporting Our Farmers and Rural Economy One of the reasons I am so concerned about climate change is because of the threat it poses to farmers and producers in our district. South Jersey needs leaders in Washington who will fight for the resources and support needed for our agricultural industry to effectively respond to climate change. That’s why I will support the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program in Congress, and work to greatly expand them so that more farmers are rewarded for using sustainable practices like cover crops and soil conservation. I will fight for investments in local and regional food markets, in organic and urban agriculture, and in programs that help veterans and new farmers start agricultural careers. And I will work to expand funding for rural energy programs to support clean and distributed electricity generation. We need to do more to encourage and reward farmers and rural businesses for using clean energy or energy efficiency to reduce their energy costs. In Congress, I will also support a bold research and development program geared towards helping agriculture become more resilient, more profitable, and more environmentally sustainable. At the same time, I recognize that family farmers and producers need a strong safety net to weather the uncertainties caused by climate change. I will fight to protect and strengthen risk management programs, while making sure that family farmers in South Jersey have access to the workforce and markets they need to compete and prosper. Real Criminal Justice Reform Our criminal justice system should treat everyone fairly—no matter their net worth or the color of their skin. It should keep us safe, without wasting billions of taxpayer dollars incarcerating people for low-level offenses. And it should help people exiting the system rejoin their communities, by providing job-training and mental health treatment and by restoring their right to vote. As a former public school teacher who saw many of my students’ lives destroyed by our criminal justice system, I will fight to break the school-to-prison pipeline. Schools should not need to rely on police officers to discipline students. They should have the resources they need to provide counseling, medical, and mental health services to every child. I am also wholeheartedly in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. I am outraged by how the overzealous prosecution of those possessing even small amounts has disproportionately impacted people of color. We should expunge criminal records of nonviolent possession charges and invest in the communities most hurt by unjust, unequal, and unnecessary enforcement. Our jails and prisons are ill-equipped to provide people with treatments and support they need, leaving too many incarcerated people in crisis or unable to reenter their communities. We should also expand mental health and drug courts, which allow people to enroll in long-term treatment and recovery programs instead of receiving jail sentences. And we should provide mental health and addiction screenings for everyone who comes in contact with the justice system so that we can identify treatment needs and opportunities for rehabilitation. Mental Health and Addiction My Plan to Revolutionize Mental Health and Addiction Care The United States and New Jersey are in the middle of a mental health and addiction crisis. Drug-related deaths in our state have increased by 150 percent since 2012—and the highest fatal overdose rates are in South Jersey. The crisis among our youth is especially alarming. And fewer than half of returning veterans in need of mental health services receive any treatment. This crisis is heartbreaking—but it is not inevitable. I believe that our country must respond to the mental health and addiction crisis with the same urgency that we finally used to respond to other crises like HIV/AIDs. To do so, Congress needs to make mental health and addiction a national priority. We must partner with state and local governments, providing the resources they need to protect and heal our communities. We must respond with conviction, determination, and hope. Sadly, our political leadership in Washington is failing us. While President Trump talked a big game, his actions belie his words. He largely ignored the recommendations of his Opioid Commission. He has callously called for throwing people with mental health conditions into institutions. And he has joined with House Republicans to try to take life-saving treatment options away from our neighbors. I have dedicated my career to advocating for people with mental health and substance use disorders—and I will continue to fight for them in Congress. My Ten Goals for Mental Health and Addiction Care GOAL 1. Hold opioid manufacturers and insurers accountable Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma lied about the addictive nature of opioids. And too many insurers continue to illegally discriminate against people with mental health and substance use disorders. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 2. Expand treatment options There are many effective treatment options for mental health and addiction. But too few patients have access to some of the most effective, evidence-based therapies. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 3. Promote universal screenings Our health care system should prioritize prevention and early intervention so that we can prevent, identify, diagnose, and treat mental health and substance use disorders as early as possible. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 4. Protect and improve American’s health care. The Affordable Care Act dramatically expanded access to mental health and addiction treatment. But President Trump and Republicans in Congress are trying to take health insurance coverage away from millions of people. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 5. Equip our first responders Our first responders are on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. They must have the tools and resources they need to provide life-saving care. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 6. Reform our criminal justice system Our criminal justice system is broken. We spend billions of taxpayer dollars incarcerating people who actually just need in mental health or addiction treatment. And our jails and prisons are ill-equipped to provide such care, leaving too many incarcerated people in crisis or unable to reenter their communities. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 7. Invest in our schools It is critical that we provide mental health and wellness services both in schools and in early childhood learning centers. By prioritizing social and emotional learning from the earliest grades, we can help give our children the tools they need to succeed in school and throughout their lives. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 8. Honor our veterans The men and women who put their lives on the line to serve our country deserve world-class care when they come home. Yet every year we lose thousands of our veterans to the invisible wounds of war. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 9. Meet our communities’ needs The mental health and addiction crisis affects virtually every family in our district, including my own. In Congress, I will fight to:
GOAL 10. Improve suicide prevention Suicide rates are increasing dramatically across the United States. Suicide is sadly now the second-leading cause of death among young people. This has had a tragic impact on New Jersey. More than 100 preteen girls tried to overdose in New Jersey between January 2018 and May 2019; and at least three students died by suicide at Rowan University last semester alone. In Congress, I will fight to:
Election Reform My Plan to Fight Political Corruption In order to get anything done in Washington, we need to get money out of politics. Special interests and big-money lobbyists are standing in the way of everything we want to accomplish – from lowering drug prices and the cost of health insurance, to addressing gun violence and climate change. I believe corporate lobbyists shouldn’t decide what laws we pass. I believe politicians shouldn’t get to choose their voters through partisan gerrymandering that decides the outcomes of our elections. And I believe that whether or not people run for office shouldn’t depend on how much special interests spend to help them. I also believe that Washington can change. For the first time in decades, there are elected officials fighting to get corruption out of Congress. They are refusing to take corporate money, passing anti-corruption legislation, and putting small-dollar donors first. Progress is finally possible. In Congress, I promise to work for the families of South Jersey — not corporate lobbyists or political machines. Together, we can restore our moral compass and return political power where it belongs — with the people. I pledge not to accept contributions from corporate PACs. Campaigns reflect how candidates will govern. That’s why I’m proud to take the No Corporate PAC Money pledge. I will always have voters’ backs. Your voices matter far more to me than special interest donations ever could. I pledge to support the For the People Act, which will end the culture of corruption in Washington. Elections matter. In 2018, a record number of anti-corruption Democrats were elected to Congress. Together, they passed the historic For the People Act, or H.R. 1, through the House. This democracy reform legislation returns political power back to the voters, in three key ways:
The only way that Washington will get things done is if it listens to voters and cleans up its own act. We are so close to making the For the People Act law, and I promise to fight for this critical legislation in Congress. I will fight to overturn Citizens United. The Supreme Court’s decisions in Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC opened our elections to record-breaking spending by Super PACs and corporate special interests. As a result, legislators are forced to spend more and more of their time catering to big-dollar donors instead of serving their constituents. In Congress, I will cosponsor the Democracy for All Amendment, which would effectively overturn Citizens United and the other Supreme Court decisions that undermine our democracy. I promise to fight to make our elections clean, free, and fair. Our election system is broken: Instead of allowing voters to choose their representatives, it allows politicians to choose their voters. That’s outrageous, un-democratic, and un-American. I pledge to fight to make our elections fair and transparent by:
We also need to greatly expand early, vote-by-mail, and same-day voting. Millions of eligible Americans never make it to the polls because politicians have made it so hard for them to do so. I will always support commonsense reforms that make it easier for Americans to exercise their right to vote.
Veterans Honoring Our Veterans and Military Families Veterans are a core part of South Jersey’s identity and community. More than 350,000 veterans live in New Jersey, and the counties with the highest concentration of veterans—Cape May, Salem, Ocean, and Burlington—are all in our district. Veterans make up almost nine percent of the population of Cape May County, which is also the proud home of the fifth-largest Coast Guard base and sole accession point for the service’s entire enlisted corps. Supporting South Jersey’s veterans is therefore both a moral and an economic imperative. Yet South Jersey is too rural to have its own veterans hospital, forcing former servicemembers to drive hours or wait months to receive critical benefits and care. Too many veterans in our district still lack access to quality housing, training, and job opportunities. And despite the enormous sacrifices they make for our country, too many women veterans and military spouses struggle to get by and provide for their families. America promises our men and women in uniform that, in exchange for their selfless dedication to our country, our government will dedicate the resources necessary to support them when they return home. Honoring and fulfilling that promise will be one of my top priorities in Congress. I will always be a champion for South Jersey’s veterans and military families, including by fighting to: Expand access to mental health and addiction care The men and women who put their lives on the line to serve our country deserve world-class care when they come home. Yet every year we lose thousands of our veterans to the invisible wounds of war. In Congress, I will fight to:
Reform and strengthen the Veterans Administration Veterans in South Jersey are too often required to travel significant distances to receive Veterans Administration care. Our veterans should not be forced to go to other states for treatment or wait months to receive critical services.The men and women who put their lives on the line to serve our country deserve world-class care when they come home. Yet every year we lose thousands of our veterans to the invisible wounds of war. In Congress, I will fight to:
Help veterans transition back into their communities from active duty Congress should do everything in its power to help servicemembers reenter civilian life, working closely with veteran service and community organizations to connect veterans with education opportunities and good-paying jobs. In Congress, I will fight to:
Support military families Military families make enormous sacrifices that too often go unnoticed and unaddressed. We have a moral obligation to ensure military spouses and children have access to good-paying jobs, education and training, childcare, and other family-friendly services. In Congress, I will fight to:
Ensure all veterans receive fair and just treatment Too many veterans have lost access to critical services due to discrimination or small infractions—including discharges related to undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. In Congress, I will fight to:
Protect veterans from COVID-19 Our veterans health system is playing a critical role responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Protecting veterans, their families, health care providers, and VA staff from COVID-19 remains an urgent priority. In Congress, I will fight to:
Empower local veteran leadership I pledge to partner with local leaders to implement my veterans and military families plan. I will stand up a South Jersey Veterans Advisory Board to identify pro-veteran policies and help fight for those policies in Congress. Together, we can ensure that South Jersey veterans have the support and congressional leadership they deserve. LGBTQ Our country has made enormous advances in protecting LGBTQ rights in recent years. But President Trump and Republicans in Congress continue to threaten the progress we’ve made, and federal, state, and local laws continue to allow and even promote discrimination toward LGBTQ Americans. I will be an ally to the LGBTQ community in Congress, working hand-in-hand with LGBTQ leaders to achieve equality once and for all. Pass the Equality Act No one should be fired from their jobs, refused housing or health care, or denied services because of who they are or whom they love. Yet in the majority of states, LGBTQ individuals lack such basic legal protections. I am proud that House Democrats passed the Equality Act in 2019. This historical legislation would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination across all walks of public life—including in employment, credit, education, housing, jury selection, federally-funded programs, and public accommodations. I will co-sponsor the Equality Act in Congress and fight to make these vital protections law. Ensure Access to Healthcare Health care is a human right. Every American—including LGBTQ Americans—must have access to high-quality, affordable care. This is especially true now as we combat COVID-19. The pandemic poses an especially great risk to LGBTQ people, who are more likely to be exposed to the virus at work and almost one-fifth of whom are uninsured. In Congress, I will fight to:
Treat and Prevent HIV and AIDS Ending HIV and AIDS is possible—but reaching this goal will require bold leadership and investment in America and around the world. I will lead efforts in Congress to implement a national HIV/AIDS strategy to expand treatment and prevention and ensure that Americans living with HIV and AIDS are free from stigma and discrimination. In Congress, I will fight to:
Prevent Bullying and Harassment Bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students sadly remains widespread, and existing federal programs do not address the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ youth. As a mental health advocate and former public school teacher, I know how important it is that we address and prevent bullying and harassment and provide all students access to mental health and wellness services from the earliest grades. In Congress, I will fight to:
Address Prevent Anti-LGBTQ Violence Violence against LGBTQ people has grown in recent years, impacting especially communities of color. At least 26 transgender women of color were killed in 2019, which was the deadliest year on record for transgender people. Congress must provide the leadership needed to end this epidemic of violence—and to address the stigma and lack of opportunity that prevent LGBTQ Americans from living safe and secure lives. In Congress, I will fight to:
Support LGBTQ Families While LGBTQ families have won important protections in recent years, far more work remains to ensure their safety and equality in states across the country. In Congress, I will:
Stand Up for LGBTQ Veterans and Servicemembers No qualified American should be excluded from military service due to their gender identity, and no honorably-serving member should live under the threat of discharge simply because of who they are. In Congress, I will work to ensure that transgender service members are allowed continue to serve in or join the military. I will also fight for justice and fair treatment for veterans discharged from service due solely to their sexual orientation or gender identity. We must grant honorable discharges and benefits access to these veterans—and prevent bias from being used to undermine our military our hurt our veterans community. Women’s Policy Supporting South Jersey Women America has made enormous progress in expanding opportunity for women in recent decades. Yet our economy remains unequal. Our support for working women and women-owned businesses remains inadequate. And women’s access to health care remains under attack. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequities, causing more women than men to lose their jobs and devastating industries like education, health care, retail, and hospitality where women workers predominate. In Congress, I will be a champion for women and their families, fighting to support and empower them and to build an economy that values the many contributions women workers and entrepreneurs make every day. Realize Equal Pay for Equal Work The Equal Pay Act became law more than 50 years ago. Yet for every dollar a man makes in New Jersey, a woman still earns just 79 cents, and the gap is far higher for women of color. We need to strengthen the Equal Pay Act, hold employers accountable for pay discrimination, and bar them from retaliating against women who discuss their pay. We also need to increase the minimum-wage, because more than two-thirds of low-wage workers are women. In Congress, I will fight to enact the Paycheck Fairness Act and to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. I will also co-sponsor Raise the Wage Act, which will increase the incomes of more than 33 million Americans. By raising wages and making it easier for women to enter high-paying careers, we can finally realize the right to equal pay for equal work. Protect Access to Reproductive Care I fully support a woman’s right to choose. Decisions about whether to adopt, end a pregnancy, or raise a child are best left to patients. I will always work to protect Roe v. Wade and oppose any effort to undermine safe, legal abortion access. In Congress, I will also work to ensure all people have access to preventative reproductive care. I will protect and strengthen the ACA, which provided more than 60 million women access to preventative care without co-pays. I will fight efforts to allow employers to flout the ACA’s contraceptive coverage requirements. And I will work to protect Title X so that low-income women have equitable access preventative reproductive services. Reduce Infant and Maternal Mortality Atlantic City has by far the highest infant mortality rate in the state: a child born to an Atlantic City family is nearly twice as likely as a child born in Newark to die before her first birthday. And while we have made progress under Governor Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy’s leadership, South Jersey remains one of the highest-risk places in the country for pregnant women. In Congress, I will fight for the investments we need to ensure all women have early access to local, high-quality pre- and postnatal care. In particular I will work to expand Medicaid coverage for new and expectant moms, including to one-year postpartum. Because Medicaid covers nearly half of all births, expanding coverage is the most important thing we can do to improve infant and maternal health. I will also fight to increase funding for clinical training and maternal care provider networks, especially in rural and other underserved areas where access remains limited. Support Working Families Working families have been falling behind for decades because of stagnating wages, growing inequality, and the skyrocketing cost of health and childcare. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these trends, devastating millions of women. We need bold solutions to help working families get ahead and recover. In Congress, I will fight to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. These important programs put more money in the pockets of middle-class and low-income families, making sure that parents can keep up with the rising cost of basic necessities. They are also proven to increase employment and reduce poverty and inequality. I also believe that every parent should be able to care for a newborn child or sick family member. Yet more than 100 million Americans do not have access to paid family leave through their jobs. It is far past time for the United States to guarantee paid, family medical leave to every worker. No one should have to choose between their paycheck, their loved ones, and their wellbeing. Make Childcare Affordable We have a childcare crisis in New Jersey. Childcare costs more than $10,000 a year on average, and across the country, COVID-19 has brought our fragile childcare system to the brink of collapse. Making childcare affordable and accessible is also critical to helping New Jerseyans return to work as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. While parents can already get a tax credit if they spend money on childcare, the credit is capped too low and doesn’t benefit lower-income families. In Congress, I will push to give all working families a refundable childcare tax credit that actually offsets the cost of childcare. I will also support efforts to increase the federal investment in state childcare programs. And I will fight to make free preschool available to every child in America. Invest in Women-Owned Businesses Women entrepreneurs play a critical role in our economy, opening new businesses whose innovation and dynamism strengthens our business sector as a whole. Yet while the number and size of women-owned businesses has grown dramatically in recent years, New Jersey lags behind. The economic clout of our 280,000 women-owned businesses ranked 41st in the country in 2018 and 44th in terms of the number of new jobs created. And the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated businesses of all types, including many smaller and women-owned businesses in our district. In Congress, I will fight to foster a small business-led recovery, one that creates and protects jobs and opportunity across South Jersey—and invests in women entrepreneurs to help their businesses survive and thrive for years to come. That includes making direct grants and loans to women- and minority-owned smalls businesses as part of any future COVID-19 recovery efforts. That also includes reforming and investing to expand women-owned businesses’ access to credit and capital, which remains highly unequal. And it includes efforts to ensure that women-owned businesses receive their fair share of government procurement dollars. End Violence Against Women For more than 25 years, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has created and funded programs to help communities prevent and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The legislation and the programs it supports have always been bipartisan, but last year, Congressional Republicans decided to block VAWA’s reauthorization. The resulting lapse has caused enormous uncertainty for providers who work with and protect survivors and has prevented important new housing and economic protections from taking effect. It is long past time for Congress to come together to reauthorize and strengthen VAWA—and to continue supporting programs that end violence against women and make our communities safer for all. Infrastructure Rebuilding South Jersey’s Infrastructure Infrastructure investment is one of the best ways to boost our economy, create good-paying union jobs, and attract and support local businesses. Yet for four years, Congressional Republicans have done nothing to advance it. I will work every day to secure the major infrastructure investments South Jersey needs—in our roads, rail, and bridges; our bulkheads, seawalls, and levees; and our drinking water systems, schools, and electric grid. Now is a critical time to act. The COVID-19 crisis has devastated our district, and much more relief is needed for our economy to recover. Congress must make take action to create good-paying jobs, increase resiliency, and help our communities “build back better.” Infrastructure investments satisfy all of those goals—and fighting for them will be one of my top priorities in Congress. Roads, Bridges, and Rail New Jersey has more than 39,000 miles of roadways, enough to circle the equator 1.5 times. Our high volume of use means we spend more on our roads than any other state. And nearly one in ten of our more than 6,600 bridges are structurally deficient; almost one in four are functionally obsolete. In order for South Jersey to clear our maintenance backlog, make upgrades, reduce congestion, and increase resiliency, federal leadership is essential. But Congress has long relied on short-term, patchwork transportation bills that don’t provide the level of investment we need. In Congress, I will fight for bold and consistent federal investments in our roads, bridges, and rail systems. These investments should be made directly to states; to the cities and counties that oversee our roads; and through competitive grant programs that support strong regional transportation systems. They should also seek to reduce traffic and pollution, connect working families with economic opportunities, support local businesses, and revitalize communities through innovation and smart regional planning. Public Transit South Jersey’s public transportation infrastructure was under enormous strain even before COVID-19. Though transit ridership has grown dramatically in recent years, capacity has not, and Superstorm Sandy caused significant damage to transit infrastructure that communities are still working to repair. Our region remains underserved by NJ Transit, especially in more rural counties, limiting mobility and making it difficult for many residents to access jobs and public services. There is no question that greater coordination and connectivity is needed between public transit agencies at the state level. But Congress must also boost funding for our transit systems, both to help them survive the pandemic and to help our economy build back better. I will fight for flexible federal investments that support new and existing rail and bus lines, connect commuters to work and school, and provide more frequent and reliable transit service. Aviation We are incredibly fortunate to have the William Hughes Technical Center in our district. This world-class aviation research and development facility is home to the Federal Aviation Administration’s research and development efforts and anchors New Jersey’s Aviation Research Triangle. It is also the primary support facility for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen—the cutting-edge federal program to modernize air travel and make it safer, more efficient, and more predictable. For years, Congress relied on short-term extensions to fund the FAA. That is not sustainable, especially in light of COVID-19’s devastating impact on the aviation industry. The industry supported $1.5 trillion in economic activity and over 10 million U.S. jobs before the pandemic hit. We need to make sure the FAA can modernize and support the aviation industry’s recovery and continued growth. I will be a champion of FAA and the Hughes Technical Center in Congress. Environmental Infrastructure Climate change poses an existential threat to our district. Our homes, businesses, beaches, and parks are already at risk and our economy relies on fragile coastal ecosystems to support fishing and tourism industries. While we have made difficult and important progress since Superstorm Sandy, there is far more we need to do to increase the resiliency of our coastal communities. In Congress, I will fight for the infrastructure South Jersey needs to protect our shoreline. We need continued federal investment to repair and replace bulkheads, seawalls, dams, and levees to prevent and minimize the damage from floods and storms. We need federal support for more localized mitigation measures such as pumping stations and tide valves. We need to preserve and restore beaches and other coastal habitats that serve as natural buffers to storm surges and waves. And we need to make resiliency a priority every time we repair or upgrade our infrastructure, including our roads, bridges, and public buildings. I will also provide leadership to reform and strengthen the national flood insurance system. We saw the current system’s shortcomings after Superstorm Sandy: insurance companies’ denied far too many families’ claims, in part due to mismanagement and abuse. I will fight for a stronger, affordable, and more sustainable flood insurance program that protects family homes and businesses in case disaster strikes. Clean Drinking Water Access to clean water is a human right, one that I will always fight to protect in Congress. I want to make sure South Jersey is a safe and healthy community where all children have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. In Congress, I will work to secure the flexible funding states and communities need to repair water pipelines and sewer systems and replace lead service lines. I will also work to protect our drinking water from dangerous chemicals and pollutants. New Jersey is, for example, among the states most impacted by poly or perfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemical contamination. These chemicals are long-lived and have been linked to certain cancers, problems with fetus development, and immune system and thyroid disruption. Approximately 1.6 million New Jerseyans have been exposed to elevated PFOA and PFOS levels, including many people in South Jersey. Elevated levels have been found in the drinking water systems of Gloucester, West Depford, Paulsboro, and Atlantic City. I am proud of our recent state’s efforts to address contamination by setting strict drinking water standards. And I will support federal legislation, like the PFAS Action Act, to set long overdue national standards for these dangerous substances, make polluters pay for the damage they have caused, and provide funding to New Jersey and our water supply companies for testing and treatment. Clean Energy South Jersey’s energy infrastructure, farming, and shore tourism interests are uniquely vulnerable to climate change. Transitioning to renewable and low-carbon fuels will set an example for other states to follow while protecting our shores and farmland for generations to come. As we accelerate that transition, we also need to upgrade our energy infrastructure to make it more resilient to rising sea levels, floods, and coastal storms. I will fight for investments that give states, local communities, and the private sector the support and flexibility they need to address climate change and make our electricity system stronger and more reliable. By settings bold standards to reduce emissions from buildings, industrial sources, electric utilities, and cars and trucks, we can leverage every sector of our economy to meet our climate and energy goals. Fortunately, New Jersey is already leading the way toward 100% clean energy. Atlantic City is poised to be home to New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, the Orsted wind development, which will provide more than half a million New Jersey homes with renewable power. And Artificial Island in Salem County has been selected as the staging area where the turbines and other components of the wind farms will be assembled. This creates a tremendous job opportunity for South Jersey. I will be working hard to provide for the transportation and warehousing infrastructure and the job training needed to make South Jersey the hub for this new industry. And Governor Murphy has put forward a bold plan for reducing emissions and deploying renewable energy. This will involve investment in clean energy and transportation infrastructure, like building charging stations and infrastructure for electric vehicles, expanding offshore wind production, and making buildings and housing more energy efficient. These investments will create high-paying jobs in our district and make our economy cleaner, stronger, and more competitive. Broadband Broadband is fundamental to a modern, competitive economy. Yet too many families in South Jersey cannot afford to access it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that means that thousands of our neighbors can’t work remotely, can’t access health care, and can’t easily participate in online learning. In Congress, I will fight to close New Jersey’s digital divide. That will require greater federal investments in broadband infrastructure, especially in rural areas. I support the recent House-passed Invest in America Act that provides subsidies to promote broadband expansion into underserved communities. I also support efforts to foster greater competition among broadband companies, so that everyone has access to a low-cost provider in their community. By increasing subsidies to help families purchase high-speed internet and doing more to help states increase adoption, we can achieve universal broadband access in South Jersey. Education Infrastructure One of the most important and effective infrastructure investments we can make is in our public education system. Our schools are aging, and many are unsafe and unhealthy, especially in rural communities and in communities of color. Others are not equipped with modern technology and should be retrofitted to improve energy efficiency and climate resilience. And every school district needs help updating ventilation systems and making the other changes necessary for safe, socially-distanced learning. That is why I have called for immediate, additional federal aid to state and local governments, both to ensure that schools can reopen safely and to provide the digital infrastructure needed for remote education. I also support the Rebuild America’s Schools Act as part of a future recovery package. This important legislation will invest more than $100 billion to rebuild crumbling schools while creating nearly two million good-paying jobs. And I will fight to protect existing jobs in our public schools throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting recession has put an enormous strain on state and local government budgets and federal leadership is needed to protect teachers, staff, and services as our economy recovers. Senior Housing and Care Facilities Senior care facilities like nursing homes, continuous care facilities, assisted living facilities, and age-restricted housing need to expand to meet the needs of our growing senior population. This presents an opportunity for South Jersey, where costs are lower than other parts of the state. Rowan University also has a new medical school that could play a role in staff training. I will push for greater investments in long-term care—and take a hard look at existing federal assistance programs that can better assist in the construction and safe operation of these facilities. Together, these infrastructure investments represent an historic investment in American communities. To maximize its impact, each investment must be made in a way that supports local businesses and creates good-paying middle class jobs. Federally-funded infrastructure investments should always support union workers, American manufacturers, and apprenticeship programs. They should also protect our frontline transportation workers, who work in increasingly dangerous environments and whose jobs are threatened by the COVID-19 recession. I will work every day to build up our vital transportation networks, support and protect the essential workers who keep these systems running, and secure the major investments we need for our district.[21] |
” |
| —Amy Kennedy's campaign website (2020)[23] | ||
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Two of 21 New Jersey counties—9.5 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Gloucester County, New Jersey | 0.48% | 10.77% | 12.16% | ||||
| Salem County, New Jersey | 15.00% | 1.31% | 3.92% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New Jersey with 55.5 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 41.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, New Jersey voted Democratic 46.67 percent of the time and Republican 53.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New Jersey voted Democratic all five times.
Candidate ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for 2nd Congressional District candidates in New Jersey in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in New Jersey, click here.
| Filing requirements, 2020 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| New Jersey | 2nd Congressional District | Qualified party | 200 | Fixed number | N/A | N/A | 3/30/2020 | Source |
| New Jersey | 2nd Congressional District | Unaffiliated | 100 | Fixed number | N/A | N/A | 7/7/2020 | Source |
District election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 2
The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Van Drew (D) | 52.9 | 136,685 |
 | Seth Grossman (R) | 45.2 | 116,866 | |
 | John Ordille (L) | 0.7 | 1,726 | |
 | Steven Fenichel (Time for Truth Party) | 0.4 | 1,154 | |
 | Anthony Parisi Sanchez (Cannot Be Bought Party) | 0.4 | 1,064 | |
 | William Benfer (Together We Can Party) | 0.3 | 868 | |
| Total votes: 258,363 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2
Jeff Van Drew defeated Tanzie Youngblood, Will Cunningham, and Nathan Kleinman in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Van Drew | 57.0 | 16,901 |
 | Tanzie Youngblood | 18.5 | 5,495 | |
| Will Cunningham | 16.2 | 4,795 | |
 | Nathan Kleinman | 8.3 | 2,467 | |
| Total votes: 29,658 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sean Thom (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2
Seth Grossman defeated Hirsh Singh, Samuel Fiocchi, and Robert Turkavage in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 2 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Seth Grossman | 39.0 | 10,215 |
 | Hirsh Singh | 30.5 | 7,983 | |
 | Samuel Fiocchi | 23.3 | 6,107 | |
| Robert Turkavage | 7.1 | 1,854 | ||
| Total votes: 26,159 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- James Toto (R)
- Brian Fitzherbert (R)
- Mark McGovern (R)
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Frank LoBiondo (R) defeated David Cole (D) and several third party candidates in the general election on November 8, 2016. LoBiondo faced no challenger in the Republican primary, while Cole defeated Costantino Rozzo in the Democratic primary. The primary elections took place on June 7, 2016. LoBiondo won re-election in the November 8 election.[24][25]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Frank LoBiondo Incumbent |
59.2% | 176,338 | |
| Democratic | David Cole | 37.2% | 110,838 | |
| Libertarian | John Ordille | 1.3% | 3,773 | |
| Make Government Work | James Keenan | 0.9% | 2,653 | |
| Representing the 99% | Steven Fenichel | 0.5% | 1,574 | |
| People's Independent Progressive | Eric Beechwood | 0.5% | 1,387 | |
| For Political Revolution | Gabriel Brian Franco | 0.4% | 1,232 | |
| Total Votes | 297,795 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
David Cole |
81.1% | 33,961 | ||
| Constantino Rozzo | 18.9% | 7,932 | ||
| Total Votes | 41,893 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections |
||||
2014
The 2nd Congressional District of New Jersey held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R) defeated Bill Hughes, Jr. (D), Gary Stein (I), Bayode Olabisi (I), Costantino Rozzo (American Labor Party) and Alexander Spano (Democratic-Republican) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank LoBiondo Incumbent |
61.5% | 108,875 | |
| Democratic | Bill Hughes, Jr. | 37.3% | 66,026 | |
| Independent | Gary Stein | 0.3% | 612 | |
| Independent | Bayode Olabisi | 0.3% | 471 | |
| American Labor Party | Costantino Rozzo | 0.3% | 501 | |
| Democratic-Republican | Alexander Spano | 0.4% | 663 | |
| Total Votes | 177,148 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections | ||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ AP, "Trump celebrates Rep. Van Drew’s switch from Democrat to GOP," December 19, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Cook Political Report, "House Rating Changes: Democrats Now Favored to Expand their Majority," August 14, 2020
- ↑ NJ Spotlight, "NJ Election 2020: District 2," June 24, 2020
- ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Choose Amy Kennedy over Jeff Van Drew in N.J.’s Second District | Inquirer Endorsement," October 16, 2020
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Star-Ledger, "Van Drew must go. Elect Amy Kennedy in the 2nd District | Editorial," October 19, 2020
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 New Jersey Globe, "Joe Biden endorses Amy Kennedy for Congress," September 15, 2020
- ↑ Inside Elections, "House Ratings," October 28, 2020
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2020 House race ratings," accessed October 1, 2020
- ↑ Monmouth University, "Party-Switching CD02 Incumbent Trails," October 5, 2020
- ↑ U.S. Term Limits, "US Term Limits Survey of 500 Registered Voters in NJ-02, Conducted July 30-August 5, 2020," accessed September 18, 2020
- ↑ Press of Atlantic City, "Obama endorses Amy Kennedy for Congress," August 3, 2020
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jeff Van Drew's 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 18, 2020
- ↑ Amy Kennedy's 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 18, 2020
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Candidates for House of Representatives for Primary Election 6/7/2016," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "Candidates for House of Representatives," accessed September 7, 2016
