NJ-02: A Kennedy, a machine-backed professor, and insurgent progressive vying to take on Jeff
For Brigid Callahan Harrison, 55, of Longport, it came in December, while she was at the Army-Navy Game with her daughter. The political science professor’s cell phone blew up with the news that Van Drew, a Democratic congressman, was switching parties to become a Republican.
For Amy Kennedy, 41, who is married to former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy and lives in Brigantine, it was the rally President Donald Trump held in January as a thank-you to Van Drew for defecting. She evoked the past of two storied families, marching in protest with Martin Luther King III in a chilly parking lot off the Wildwood boardwalk.
And for Will Cunningham, 34, it dates back to 2018, when the Vineland native first ran against Van Drew, then a Democrat. The progressive Cunningham repeatedly warned that Van Drew’s voting record “looks more like a Donald Trump wish list.” The party went with Van Drew.
Van Drew went on to capture the 2nd Congressional District seat long held by Republican Frank LoBiondo. But for Democrats the victory was short-lived. Now, the reelection bid of a Democrat-turned-Republican who has pledged his “undying support” to Trump in a swing district is one of the most closely watched House races in the country — with the added allure of a Kennedy vying to knock him off.
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/new-jersey/new-jersey-second-congressional-district-democratic-primary-20200701.html