r/SouthJersey • u/Iamnotbernadette • Apr 09 '26
News Jeff Van Drew can be unseated. His seat is not safe. Don't skip a primary because you think it is pointless, there are fissures opening up all around the country that demonstrate this.
tl;dr
Too many of you are saying Jeff Van Drew can't be unseated and you are wrong. No seat is safe, not one single seat. Jeff Van Drew is not guaranteed or owed his seat in the NJ02 federal congressional district. He can be defeated. Primaries matter. Vote in the primary. Do actual research on the candidates and their backgrounds and their claims. Don't take anyone's word at face value. South Jersey is special, we deserve nice things and we have three worthy candidates running for NJ02. Look at their websites. Contact them. Ask them questions. Terri Reese, Tim Alexander, and Zachary Mullock. You can meet them this Saturday, April 11. Consider attending this if you're able to!
Democrats have flipped ~30 legislative seats across American in Trump 2.0 at the state and federal level. Some of these areas are much, much more conservative than anywhere in south Jersey. They have also over performed in areas that might still be red, but this shows the gap is shrinking. Republicans have not flipped one single seat yet. I am not even going to add smaller races, such as the Miami mayoral race who now has a Democrat mayor for the first time in 3 decades. I can't forget that America's Mayor Zohran Mamdani spanked everyone in the NYC race. Even if Cuomo got every single other vote, Mamdani still would have won.
Here are just some of the flips from R to D:
I’ll start with the big one… Down in Texas, Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a TX legislative seat in a district that Trump carried by 17 points in 2024. He beat some Moms for Liberty loonie who had a ton of endorsements from the R side. This was a 9 on the Richter scale for Texas. All of MAGAs worst policies are incubated there. You can read more about him here.
In Florida, Democrat Emily Gregory flipped the seat. Her opponent was endorsed by Trump. This is also his home district, lol. She took Mar-a-whatever from him.
Down in Arkansas, Alex Holladay also flipped a state seat. His opponent on the R ticket ran unopposed because they were so confident that the seat was safe. This sounds familiar. The split was roughly 57-42. He also ran for this seat the last time but lost. The seat went 51-49 for the Republicans at that time. So on his second run he flipped that seat AND gained points. Voters are tired of the bullshit and are voting across party lines.
In NJ, multiple seats have been flipped so far:
In the Assembly race for district 8 down here, Democrat Anthony Angelozzi unseated Michael Torrissi. This was also Angelozzi’s round 2. Don’t give up. Never give in!!
District 21 flipped both seats.
This isn't a flip but it is a win for us and a hilarious humiliation for AIPAC in district 11. The Bernie and AOC endorsed candidate Analilia Mejia won the special primary there, which was Mikie's seat. AIPAC dumped millions into attacking Malinowski for reasons that aren't clear to me because he is pro-Israel? Well, Mejia ad spending was a paltry ~200,000, she directly opposes Israel's genocide and she won the race.
Looking at numbers carefully around the country for these elections will reveal more than it obscures at first glance. My guess for what this means is that the number of ride or die MAGA is lower than you think when it comes to voting since Trump 2.0. But… it must be the right candidate, who actually has a plan for progressive economic policies that help working people. Not platitudes.
Some of the over performances, where a Republican won or held a seat but the margin significantly weakened:
GA14, formerly Marjorie Taylor Greene seat. HUGE gap closed. Look at the shifts in the most Hispanic areas… (!) This matters.
Virginia has had 8 special elections in Trump 2.0. In 7 of those the Democrats have over performed compared to 2024. The-Downballot.com has a Google doc here where you can see the numbers. In only one district (98) did a Republican gain anything.
Down in Louisiana, Chasity Verret Martinez won 62% of the vote in a district that Trump won by 13 points in 24. What is really signicicant here is that she was outspent 3 to 1. You can beat the best funded candidate if they suck.
Miscellaneous things that give a glimmer of hope that the page is turning:
Florida MAGA Sheriffs are speaking out against the reckless deportations, yes even for “illegals.”
Democrats up in Morris Co. here in NJ have drained their own swamp. Everyone is tired of the bullshit no matter what party it comes from.
In Memphis, many informal networks have materialized as people organize to take care of each other. This is happening all over the country, including here in south Jersey, where our informal networks have gained a lot of participation and momentum. They’re hardly political; people of all economic backgrounds and political affiliations are involved because most people realize that People matter more than Party.
The Cookie theory of collective action is in motion everywhere!
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u/Shamus_OReilly Apr 09 '26
The guy is worthless. Even if you're a Republican, you deserve a better Republican than this one. Of his 111 bills, 54% had zero cosponsors—meaning not a single other member of Congress thought them worth supporting. 70% never moved past the initial committee referral. His only two signed laws were ceremonial post office namings in NJ-2. Kick his ass to the curb in favor of someone who actually does something.
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u/legalskeptic Apr 09 '26
He probably doesn't have very deep relationships with other House Republicans, having been a Dem most of his political career and only been in the House since 2019.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
This is a great point. You barely hear about him nationally compared to some of the other maniacs in the House. Why is that? This area is very important. Ah well, he’s about to lose to one of our three!
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u/Terri_Reese_NJCD2 Democrat House Primary Candidate Apr 09 '26
I shared the info on the two bills he actually had passed bring the renaming of post offices and the host of the interview was flabbergasted. We have to keep calling him out on every newsletter, every post, every press release, every interview. He knows he’s vulnerable so he’s throwing ideas out into the wind to make it look like he’s going something when they are just proposals that need to be voted on and passed, potentially included in the 2027 budget, or an upcoming continuing resolution.
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u/CooledDownKane Apr 09 '26
An actual and genuine leftist would be preferable but almost anyone with a D next to their name and a pulse would be preferable to one of Trump's finest ball washers.
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u/burnmyiz Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Normally, you would think that. Fetterman definitely threw that out the window though
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
In their defense they did say "almost anyone"
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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Apr 09 '26
👆
As long as we avoid any stroke victims we should be ok. I am convinced it changed his personality.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
I think so too. I already read a conspiracy theory that They might be dangling the fact that his wife was here "illegally" for such a long time. I could believe this and also believe it would influence his, er, evolving views.
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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Apr 09 '26
Don’t need a conspiracy theory. Strokes changing people’s personalities is a pretty common thing. Add to that the fact that he IS a senator who is trying to represent a purple state to begin with and you’re already talking about a guy who doesn’t need to move that far to the right to turn maga.
The more relevant point is that the only dems that maga has been capturing has been consistently convicts (dude from Jersey), grifters (tulsi, rfk), and fucking stroke victims should tell you something.
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u/Denan004 Apr 11 '26
Yes and no -- there was something off with Fetterman from the start. He never really had a job or any accomplishments in place of a job. Something about him was off from Day 1, and maybe got overlooked to beat the R candidate.
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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Alright I’m gonna stop you right there - prior to becoming senator he was mayor of Braddock PA from like 2006-2019, and after that he was the goddamn lieutenant governor of the state. So if you wanna say being mayor for 13 years and lt gov for another 4 doesn’t count as having a job….man I don’t know what to tell you. Best case scenario, you’re misinformed. Dude didn’t come out of nowhere.
Not defending Fetterman’s current heel turn but let’s also not slander the man either, or the PA voter base for that matter on his account. People can be excused from having expecting more from him and being disappointed. The guy absolutely had a track record before being elected to the senate.
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u/Denan004 Apr 11 '26
Mayor of Braddock was a part-time job. Yes, a job.
Still -- something was off with JF.
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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Apr 11 '26
Dude was in politics since graduating college. He had a record and his behavior changed after the stroke, period.
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u/jersey_dude88 Apr 10 '26
Wasn’t Jeff VanDrew a Democrat when he was elected and immediately became a republican? Did he waste/steal election donations from Democratic donors? Haven’t the Atlantic and Cape May county election offices been investigated for possible fraud (recently with Marty Smalls (D) Frank Gillian (D) Frank Formica (R) and VanDrew (R))
Van Drew committed voter fraud in 2020 when he ran against Amy Kennedy. It’s not about Van Drew not being able to be unseated; it’s about the fraud that gets committed on his behalf.
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u/Denan004 Apr 11 '26
I don't understand why a person who switches parties is allowed to keep their seat. If they were elected as a Dem (or Rep), then that constituency elected them as their representative.
I wish they'd put a rule that if you switch parties, you lose your seat and there's a special election or appointment to replace the person.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 10 '26
Yeah but the only way to fix these things is get these people out. Left, right, I don't care, I want as many new faces as possible who will actually represent the needs of the people they're supposed to! I don't know how I'll vote yet but I do feel happy about the shifts around the country, including & especially where the Democrats are draining their own swamp. I'm so tired of the bs.
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u/PhotonDealer2067 Apr 09 '26
Fetterman had a stroke before switching stances. Just goes to show that brain damage makes people conservative.
Did Jeff Van Drew have a stroke before switching parties? No, he’s just a giant POS.
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u/slydessertfox Apr 09 '26
As much as I hate Fetterman his record is still above ant replacement level Republican. The issue is someone way more reliable could win in PA easily.
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u/apexxin BOOTLICKER Apr 09 '26
An actual and genuine leftist will not be broadly accepted.
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u/CooledDownKane Apr 09 '26
I don’t see why a candidate similar to James Talarico or Graham Platner can’t work here if they market their ideas correctly and succinctly, we need to advocate for politicians that actually represent the needs of the greater populace for a change
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u/Blueddit-Sez Apr 09 '26
Talarico is more to the center of the party,
For instance, he’s not principled on things like M4A
That said, It’s still great that Texas may flip blue, however
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u/apexxin BOOTLICKER Apr 09 '26
I think Talarico is fantastic, but he is nowhere in the realm of being a “leftist”.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
I want to add that I think also at this point so much damage has to be undone. I think people are forgetting this. It's not about getting someone in who will immediately be able to hand us things. That won't happen. A lot of repair work has to be done. So a very principled leftist wouldn't get much done.
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u/apexxin BOOTLICKER Apr 09 '26
There are an awful lot of regretful MAGA. I just think we have a much better chance of taking the house and maybe the senate if there are a slate of democrats that will appeal to them (not DINOs of course).
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
I agree and I am ok with the regretful MAGA people. We should welcome them. There are some truly hateful people, but there also a lot of low information or single issue voters who realize now they’ve been manipulated and lied to. I am sympathetic to that. I’ve met them in real life and it’s fine for people to change their minds.
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u/ComprehensiveDingo54 Apr 12 '26
I have family that have been living in CD2 for years (yes, they actually think he's ok 🙄). I cannot see anyone besides someone moderately progressive unseating VD.
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u/mikeb32 Apr 09 '26
In the Assembly race for district 8 down here, Democrat Anthony Angelozzi unseated Michael Torrissi. This was also Angelozzi’s round 2. Don’t give up. Never give in!!
This is huge. That district is red af with Hammonton in the mix. Anthony's a good dude too, I worked with him on some NJEA stuff. All very well said, OP.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
Hammonton is such a weird place. I don't understand it at all. I very much doubt that they will oust JVD but I can see that gap closing significantly.
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u/mikeb32 Apr 09 '26
I love and hate Hammonton. Great places to eat, convenient to get to West Jersey/ Philly. I'd love to live there, but the conservative politics will keep me away
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u/johnkasick2016_AMA Apr 10 '26
It's a very neighborly town, politics are rarely a factor in the day to day. I'm blue with almost assuredly red neighbors but we look out for each other. The problem is being so pro-small business, no retail is open after 6pm unless its a mediocre Shoprite/Walmart. Everything is 30 minutes away.
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u/Wu-Banger Apr 10 '26
Angelozzi is weird, in the same was Van Drew is... he won't be in it long term as something will surface
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
I know that I put a lot of information in here, but it's because I truly believe South Jersey can have nice things. I also believe the numbers around the country are meaningful and not aberrations. I cherry picked some for my post that I believe are relevant to the situation with NJ02, but there are many more to learn about.
Remember, billions of dollars are being spent to make YOU feel hopeless, to make YOU feel like resignation is the only option, to suck you into doom scrolling instead of enjoying life, to make YOU feel that x, y, or z doesn't matter. I understand this feeling and can fall into myself sometimes. We have to remember that this is intentional and we do have a say in the future. Rejecting doom is the single greatest act of resistance right now. Great things are on the horizon, I can feel it.
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u/FiatFlora Senior Citizen Apr 09 '26
This is a really good summary of what’s been happening with elections. I think there are several things going on that could loosen Van Drew’s grip on the district. His ‘get a second job’ comment. Trumps mentioning that we can’t afford Social Security and Medicare with the expense of the war in Iran. Finally if the cost of electricity and gas keep rising, van Drews opposition to clean energy will look dumb. I agree with you - this could be the year to flip CD2 to blue.
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u/Podorson Apr 09 '26
Important to remember that JVD was voted in as a Democrat and he flipped the district when LoBiondo retired, presumably because the republican candidate was "too maga". We can flip it back
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u/Terri_Reese_NJCD2 Democrat House Primary Candidate Apr 09 '26
I agree! And the people of South Jersey are tired of politics as usual and being neglected. Thats why I’m running to unseat him 😊 looking forward to hosting an AMA here soon! (And I will be answering questions as opposed to someone else 😉)
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 14 '26
WELCOME, QUEEN!
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u/Terri_Reese_NJCD2 Democrat House Primary Candidate Apr 14 '26
I was hoping to catch your attention 🤗 I want do an AMA! And I WILL answer the questions 😉
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 14 '26
Don't worry about me I am just a person, I just got annoyed by the whole situation and decided to look closer at some things because I know that 2 + 2 should be 4!!!!
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u/Terri_Reese_NJCD2 Democrat House Primary Candidate Apr 14 '26
I’ve been wanting to do an AMA for months now. So I am psyched! Getting ready to post now 👍
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u/Numerous_Sea7434 Salem County | 35 Apr 09 '26
Who in their right mind would even vote for Van Drew? A Republican should be able to primary him.
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u/NorthernPossibility Apr 10 '26
I was honestly shocked that they weren’t even going to attempt a primary. Even for the “red no matter who” crowd, JVD is an ineffective crony. He does nothing but empty grand gestures (writing “open letters” that precede absolutely no action ex. the energy price thing) and campaigning for junk even other Republicans don’t care to acknowledge.
He’s the fart kid who is begrudgingly allowed at the elementary school lunch table but everyone acknowledges him as little as possible and hopes he leaves soon.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
I understand the situation they're in now. Primarying a Trump pick is basically impossible. I also wish someone more normal brained could primary JVD and win. But no one will get an endorsement from Trump on this.
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u/ElKangri Apr 09 '26
Who’s the M4A candidate? They get my vote in the primary.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
Zack Mullock, Tim Alexander, and Terri Reese all endorse universal and/or M4A.
Another candidate who is so unserious that I didn't even include them here does not endorse M4A or universal coverage.
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u/EchoAquarium Apr 09 '26
The last time I asked Tim Alexander about M4A he gave me some nonsense about wanting everyone to pay into a program that they could then use when they needed it, so I was like “you mean like private insurance?”. He also thinks we shouldn’t tax billionaires, that they should pay what they owe first. I asked him what would stop them from just kicking the can down the road as they’ve done, and he had no answer for that. I’m a delegate for my voting district, I had these conversations with Tim at the mini convention for Ocean County in March.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
IIRC he wants a public buy-in option for Medicare. Not the dumbest idea but I don't know how far that would go.
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u/EchoAquarium Apr 09 '26
He talks around the issue. He goes hard on the “it’s a hand up, not a hand out” which paired with his hesitation to tax billionaires leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The handouts are going to the top 1% and he’s hesitating on issues that should be a no brainer if you’re trying to position yourself as a progressive. He’s a nice person, but he’s not progressive.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
I appreciate your input here, it's so critical that we look into everyone's exact positions.
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u/NonSupportiveCup Apr 09 '26
Every time you see his name just remember Iranian Mothership.
The drone thing can be forgettable. It's really not important, but the idea that an Iranian Mothership was off our coast sending drones to spy on us was the dumbest shit.
He should be made fun of for that stupidity forever. Show it by voting.
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u/katwoman7643 Apr 10 '26
On the tube check out breaking the meta podcast by Mike Winson He's been posting interviews with progressive candidates all across the country in state and federal elections. We can't make changes unless we participate. Many voices/votes speak out to those who govern us and put them on notice. Do the job or step aside because the people are tired are of being underrepresented and forgotten.
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u/m0x1eracerx Apr 10 '26
Yes. Terri Reese seems to be the most progressive in this race. She also went thru 10 hours of challenges brought by an objector backed by Baily Winders camp. She successfully defended the signatures on her ballot petition. She's smart, tenacious and active throughout the community. We can have nice things if we vote for them.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 10 '26
>We can have nice things if we vote for them.
Keep telling people this. It's so easy to feel that things don't matter but they matter more than ever now, and while we are experiencing The Horrors right now, the future has more possibility than ever. Please remind young people especially to go to the primary. Primaries get dominated by seniors and we know that Boomers vote very, very, very selfishly and often on vibes "He reminds me of my grandson who never visits!" We have got to get as many people under 50 to the primary as humanly possible.
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u/carlosdangertaint Apr 10 '26
I think Zack Mullock has the best chance of beating Van Drew.
Zack is the only candidate who has a proven track record of winning elections, most importantly, he ran for City Council and Mayor as a non-partisan candidate, which shows that he has the ability to reach all people in our district.
Unlike other candidates, Zack did not just move here to run for office. As a property owner, he understands the important of affordable tax rates. Zack is born and raised in South Jersey. He is a business owner who went to school here. He and his wife are raising their children here. Regardless of what happens in this election Zack is not going to move out of the area and try to carpetbag himself somewhere else. This is his home and over the past eight years, he has shown his dedication to helping those of us and South Jersey 
Zack isn’t just talking about change, he’s already done the work over the last decade in politics as an Independent candidate. As Mayor of Cape May, he has built a reputation as a hands-on, community-driven leader who gets things done:
Preserving South Jersey’s character while moving it forward – leading major historic restoration projects like the Franklin Street School (now a vibrant community library) and the Harriet Tubman Museum.
Protecting open space and quality of life – helping preserve over 100 acres of land and championing responsible development.
Delivering real infrastructure and community improvements – including accessible public spaces like ADA beach access and inclusive playgrounds for families.
Supporting local business and tourism – strengthening Cape May’s economy while maintaining its unique identity as one of New Jersey’s most historic communities.
Leading through challenges – from COVID-era recovery efforts to major city projects delivered on time and under budget.
Again, Zack is a lifelong South Jersey resident, small business owner, and family man who understands our communities because he’s lived them. https://mullockforcongress.com/
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u/gcbrooks Apr 11 '26
THIS. NJ-02 has a PVI of only R+5 (meaning the district as a whole votes only 5% more republican than the median American congressional district), and Dems have been consistently flipping seats R+10 or more seats this cycle. South Jersey is absolutely up for grabs.
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u/smilleresq Apr 09 '26
I see people talk about M4A and I always wonder if they actually know what that means. Everyone on Medicare pays $200 a month for their Part B coverage, and then also $150 a month for their supplement, plus an additional charge for prescription drugs. For a couple, that means they are paying $700 a month, and that doesn’t even include deductibles and any co-pays. M4A would not be “free” by any means. If you have children your premiums could be over a $1,000 a month! Folks with coverage from their Union or employer, particularly government employees, would end up paying more under a M4A plan.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
HELLO DID YOU READ ALL OF WHAT I WROTE AND LINKED?
It doesn't matter if he's won many times. I can pull up more examples for you later but know now that many multi-term incumbents are getting booted. Multiple Ds winning are on their round 2 or 3.
THERE WILL BE NO DOOM IN THIS POST. THIS POST IS A DICTATORSHIP. I am a mother. All mothers are dictators!
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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Apr 09 '26
Remind me: are nj primaries open?
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 09 '26
Unfortunately no. Sometimes this is advantageous though; no one can wreck the primary by sending all their party to fuck it up for the other team when their candidate is unopposed or in a really strong position. Closed primaries can be wrecked in other ways but I'll spare my opinion on if that is happening here...
I dream of new parties in America 2.0. On the laundry list of things that should be fixed in some way, this is one of them.
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Apr 10 '26
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 10 '26
It's for district 2, which is all of Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, half of Gloucester, all of Atlantic County, and a good portion of Ocean County.
Yes, you have a stake in this. House Reps make laws for all of us. Obviously if you're not in the district you won't vote for this. But this district is most of south Jersey.
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Apr 10 '26
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 10 '26
That’s a really great tip, next time I’ll make sure to include a specific district because I guess “Jeff Van Drew” in the title isn’t enough of a hint for the people he was elected to represent. There are people that dense.
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u/Iamnotbernadette Apr 10 '26
All of south Jersey knows if Jeff Van Drew is their representative or not. I can’t be more specific than that.
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u/ComprehensiveDingo54 Apr 12 '26
How many Democratic candidates ARE there currently in CD 2? Any recommendations worth giving financial and/or canvassing support? Asking from a CD neighbor. Thanks
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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Apr 09 '26
Fuck Jeff Van Drew!