Nation/World

Anti-impeachment Democratic congressman switches to GOP after personal plea from Trump

WASHINGTON - Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who emerged in recent weeks as a prominent anti-impeachment Democrat, switched parties Thursday to join the GOP, one day after he opposed both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump - and following weeks of courting by the president, his allies and top administration officials.

"Very big announcement . . . Jeff will be joining the Republican Party," Trump said Thursday, with Van Drew by his side in the Oval Office.

The announcement is one of the White House's first acts of political combat following Wednesday's impeachment vote, with the intent of casting the Democratic Party as consumed with investigating the president and inhospitable to moderates.

Van Drew and Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota were the only two Democrats who voted against both impeachment articles - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. On the second article, obstruction, those two and freshman Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted in opposition. Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who is running for president, voted "present" on each article.

Van Drew, a 66-year-old dentist, was elected in 2018 to represent a congressional district that was won by Trump in 2016.

Trump and top administration officials, along with outside allies, have been wooing Van Drew for weeks, urging him to switch parties and assuring him that Trump and the GOP will support his reelection bid.

Trump sealed Van Drew's commitment to a switch on Dec. 13 during a meeting in the White House residence, according to two top Republicans briefed on the meeting who were not authorized to speak publicly.

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Van Drew arrived quietly at the White House that day and was greeted by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who ushered the lawmaker through the White House. At one point, Van Drew and Conway walked past two television reporters - but the reporters did not recognize the largely unknown New Jersey Democrat, the people said, enabling Van Drew to proceed without notice.

Once at the residence, Van Drew, Conway and Trump talked at length about his political future and his concerns about the Democratic Party. Trump promised that he and the Republican Party would enthusiastically back him next year, including with events in his district, the people added.

A rally in New Jersey with Van Drew could happen as soon as January, according to one of the Republicans.

Beyond Conway, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Bill Stepien, the former White House political director who is now a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, were key players in engaging Van Drew and his political orbit and encouraged him to seriously consider a switch. Both Christie and Stepien - a former aide to Christie - have deep roots in Garden State politics.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., welcomed Van Drew in brief remarks at his weekly news conference earlier Thursday.

"Republicans are a very big tent. We're excited to have Jeff Van Drew. We welcome anybody that believes this new Democrat socialist party has left them behind," McCarthy said.

McCarthy, Vice President Mike Pence and Conway were with the president and Van Drew at the White House announcement.

Van Drew's polling numbers have reportedly been flagging in recent months, as some of the congressman's colleagues have pointed out. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, cited Van Drew's disappointing internal poll numbers as the reason behind his impending decision to leave the Democrats.

"What he's reacting to is public polling that shows he can't get renominated," Nadler said Sunday on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos." "His electorate in his district is 24% to renominate him and 60% to nominate somebody else."

The Post reported an internal survey last week that found 24% of respondents in Van Drew's district said they would support him in another run, and 58% said they would like a new Democratic candidate for his seat.

Already, one challenger has voiced her intent to oppose Van Drew as a Democrat. Brigid Callahan Harrison, a Montclair State University political science professor who plans to run for Van Drew's seat, slammed the sitting representative as a "traitor."

Amy Kennedy, a former public school teacher and the wife of former congressman Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., announced late Monday that she is considering running for the seat.

Van Drew will be the 10th member of Congress to switch parties in the past 20 years - two senators and eight members of the House. Six were Democrats who headed to the GOP side of the aisle, three were Republicans who joined the Democratic caucus and one, Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., left the GOP and has declined to caucus with either party.

Several immediately flopped in their new party's next primary, rejected by voters who never believed in the authenticity of their political conversion. Some never ran again, opting to end their congressional service without ever testing their electoral viability in the new party. But some managed to successfully win reelection and extended their careers by quite a few years, gaining prominence in the new caucus.

Van Drew suggested to reporters on Tuesday he would slot in as a moderate Republican, something of a dying breed in Congress.

"There are moderate Republicans, and there are a few - not too many - left. I guess Collins is one, I'm one," he said, an apparent reference to Maine Sen. Susan Collins. He then cut himself off because he has not formalized his switch.

At least six senior aides working for Van Drew resigned Sunday in a mass exodus.

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"Sadly, Congressman Van Drew's decision to join the ranks of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump does not align with the values we brought to this job when we joined his office," five Washington-based staffers wrote in a letter obtained by The Washington Post.

The officials who signed the resignation letter - legislative director and deputy chief Javier Gamboa, deputy chief Edward Kaczmarski, deputy chief Justin O'Leary, communications director Mackenzie Lucas and legislative staff assistant Caroline Wood - said they were "deeply saddened and disappointed" by their boss's decision. A sixth staffer based in New Jersey, Van Drew's director of constituency relations, CeCe Doherty, also reportedly resigned Sunday evening.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said on Twitter on Sunday night that the committee would hire the staffers who quit until they could find new jobs.

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The Washington Post’s Paul Kane and Katie Shepherd contributed.

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