The 2nd Congressional District is the southernmost in the state, covering Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, and parts of Gloucester and Ocean. The Gloucester County communities are Clayton, Elk, Franklin, Greenwich, Harrison, Logan, Newfield, South Harrison, Swedesboro, Woolwich and part of East Greenwich. The Ocean County municipalities are Barnegat Light, Barnegat, Beach Haven, Eagleswood, Harvey Cedars, Little Egg Harbor, Long Beach, Ocean Township, Ship Bottom, Stafford, Surf City, Tuckerton and part of Berkeley and Lacey.
The redrawing of district boundaries made the district essentially evened party registration between the two major parties. Democrats and Republicans each make up about 31% of registrants, while roughly 36% are unaffiliated.
Republican Jeff Van Drew, in his second term, is the incumbent. He lives in Dennis Twp. Two candidates filed to challenge him: Sean Pignatelli of Fortescue and John Barker of Bayville.
Vying for the Democratic nomination are Carolyn Rush of Sea Isle City and Tim Alexander of Oceanville.
CANDIDATES
REPUBLICANS
Jeff Van Drew (Incumbent)
Van Drew, a self-proclaimed Trump endorsed Republican, is seeking a third term. He won the seat as a Democrat in 2018, then joined the Republican party in 2019 and won re-election as a Republican in 2020. Van Drew previously served in both the State Senate and Assembly as a Democrat. The Dennis Township resident and grandfather of two says he wants to continue to defend gun rights, oppose vaccine mandates and fight against abortion, although he said he was pro-choice and supported the Roe v. Wade ruling as recently as 2018 and had received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood as a state senator.
Follow this link for more information.
John Barker
Barker, a Berkeley Township native and father of two, is a former army veteran and business owner. He says he wants to improve benefits for veterans, protect 2nd Amendment gun rghts and create a better tax system. This is Barker’s first time running for public office.
Follow this link for more information.
Sean Pignatelli
Pignatelli, a member of the carpenter’sunion and a father of three, who lives in Cumberland County. His priorities are to further protect our veterans, provide police departments with more funding and to help American farmers who are struggling to cope with climate change.
Follow this link for more information.
DEMOCRATS
Tim Alexander
A retired law enforcement officer for the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Alexander is an advocate for gun violence prevention, social justice and civil rights. He also said he wants to protect a woman’s right to an abortion. Alexander lives in Mays Landing with his wife and two children. He previously worked for the Philadelphia District Attorney.
Follow this link for more information.
Carolyn Rush
A Lockheed Martin engineer, Rush says she has a plan to make healthcare more affordable and ensure the economy works for all. Rush is an advocate for gun violence prevention, women’s reproductive rights, and police reform. She lives in Sea Isle City and is a mother of five.
Follow this link, for more information.