Dem Congressman to Reportedly Switch Parties After Poll Shows Rejection — And After Meeting With Trump

Democratic Congressman Rep. Jeff Van Drew is reportedly not only opposing the impeachment of President Donald Trump – he’s also considering switching to the Republican Party.

Van Drew was one of two House Democrats to vote against formalizing impeachment proceedings and is now one of the only House Democrats to publicly oppose impeaching Trump.

Now according to The New York Times, Van Drew may be considering leaving the Democratic Party entirely following a meeting with Trump. The move was also apparently informed by a poll that showed him losing a primary if he voted against impeaching Trump.

“Conversations between Mr. Van Drew and top advisers to Mr. Trump intensified late last week, according to a Republican familiar with the discussions, with the New Jersey freshman making clear he was nervous about losing his seat, either in a Democratic primary or the general election.

Mr. Van Drew had initially been cool to the idea of changing parties, but after he saw the results of a poll conducted earlier this month that showed that a vote against impeaching Mr. Trump would damage his chances of winning his Democratic primary, he began considering the move in earnest, two people familiar with the situation said, insisting on anonymity.”

According an internal poll obtained by The New York Times, a whopping 71% of Democratic voters would oppose Van Drew if he voted for impeachment.

And according to The Washington Post, Van Drew has personally met with Trump on Friday about switching to the GOP.

“I’m not changing anything — just doing my job,” Van Drew said in a brief interview with the Post. “I’m still a Democrat, right here.”

Van Drew flipped the district blue in 2018 when he defeated a Republican challenger for a seat that was vacated by a retiring incumbent.