Ahead of Jefferson Van Drew’s speech before the Republican National Convention tonight – his latest self-promotional, political stunt in his quest for national stardom – here’s what you need to remember about this wannabe national personality.
- Jefferson Van Drew abandoned the people of South Jersey when he chose to switch parties and pledged his “undying support” to Donald Trump in order to advance his own political career. Local press said it best, calling his party switch a “craven attempt… to extend his now soiled political career,” “an act of pure personal ambition,” and “a simple opportunistic move designed to save his seat.”
- Van Drew joined a party that is trying to take health care away from children and families. His party is still suing to repeal the ACA in the middle of a pandemic. Almost 700,000 New Jerseyans would lose their health insurance if Trump and Jeff Van Drew get their way.
- Jefferson Van Drew has marched lockstep behind Trump and Mitch McConnell on COVID-19 — opting not to wear a mask in public and promoting deadly and ineffective treatments like hydroxychloroquine. He has vigorously defended Trump’s response to the pandemic, which has cost millions of jobs and hundreds of thousands of lives, and he has no plan for helping South Jersey’s economy recover, aside from echoing Mitch McConnell’s opposition to funding for “blue states.”
- Van Drew is beholden to his special interest donors, voting to protect their profits at the expense of working people. He’s taken nearly $70,000 from the pharmaceutical industry, then voted to let them off the hook by letting them keep drug prices higher, even during the pandemic.
“Jefferson Van Drew’s record makes one thing clear: he isn’t really interested in fighting for folks in South Jersey, instead he’s fighting for his own political future, relevancy, and fame and is willing to abandon his community to advance his personal agenda,” said DCCC Spokesperson Christine Bennett.
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