Republican Running Against Jeff Van Drew Knocks His ‘Opportunistic’ Party Switch

Jeff Van Drew‘s switch from the Democratic to the Republican party threw a wrench in the GOP primary race in the district, Politico reported yesterday, and one of the Republicans challenging him appeared on CNN this morning and criticized the incumbent’s “opportunistic” switch.

Van Drew was vocally against impeachment and voted against it in the House before officially changing parties and offering his support to President Donald Trump.

Jeff Van Drew, a House Democrat who opposed impeachment and then joined the Republican party, now faces a GOP primary.
David Richter, his challenger, says Van Drew "opportunistically decided that his best chance for reelection was as a Republican."https://t.co/Nt5Zk3AMV4 pic.twitter.com/YjalRw8u6p

— New Day (@NewDay) December 31, 2019

David Richter said on CNN today Van Drew’s record was pretty liberal overall, so he’s not “someone who saw the light.”

“This is someone who took a poll that showed he was about to lose his own Democratic primary with only 22 percent support among elected Democratic voters, and within days was in the White House begging to become a Republican,” he added.

CNN’s Jim Sciutto noted how before Van Drew’s switch Richter seemed like the “anointed one” for the GOP in that New Jersey district.

With respect to the president’s embrace of Van Drew, Richter acknowledged it was good for the White House, but it came down to a deal based on a misleading narrative.

“This is somebody who opportunistically decided that his best chance for reelection was as a Republican and didn’t leave the Democratic party, [he] was essentially thrown out of it,” he said.

You can watch above, via CNN.