Republican incumbent Jeff Van Drew pushed back against his opponent Democrat Zack Mullock on accusations that he accepted money from data center developers such as John Ruga. Van Drew claims that he was friends with cement contractor Ruga, the CEO of Northeast Precast, for years. Photo credit: Jayden Parente/NJ State House News Service
By Jayden Parente
NJ State House News Service
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Democratic candidate Zack Mullock challenged and repeatedly interrupted incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew in a combative debate at Stockton University Thursday, the sole face-off in pursuit of New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district seat.
Mullock’s accusations that Van Drew accepted money from data center developers sparked loud denials from Van Drew.
“His campaign is sponsored by data centers,” said Mullock, who accused Van Drew and his GOP colleagues of abdicating regulatory oversight of unpopular data centers, including one in the South Jersey congressional district. “He’s doing absolutely nothing, and it’s pathetic what you’ve done to Vineland. … It is no coincidence that the poorest county in the state is being taken advantage of.”
“Bold face, 100% lie,” responded Van Drew, who said the money was from a local contractor who worked on homes and golf courses, in addition to a data center.
That wasn’t the first or last time the debate became combative: Mullock repeatedly said Van Drew was under the command of his “daddy,” President Donald Trump. Van Drew accused the Democrat – who is the nonpartisan elected mayor of Cape May – of being a Democratic Socialist.
Mullock also noted that Van Drew made procedural votes that opposed speedy release of the files of accused pedofile and trafficker Jeffery Epstein.
“He knew that some girls as young as 14 had been sexually assaulted … He only signed it after his daddy Trump said it was OK to sign it,” said Mullock.
Van Drew noted he was a cosponsor of the original Epstein Transparency Act, which would allow the federal government to release any files to the public in a searchable format.
The candidates were able to find shaky common ground on voting during the livestreamed debate held without an audience at Van Drew’s request citing safety concerns. He has faced criticism for only holding remote town halls.
“Certainly we should not have anyone who is not a citizen voting in our elections,” said Mullock, who went on to claim that Van Drew’s campaign had once employed someone who was currently serving a prison sentence for voter fraud. Van Drew claimed the person was only a contractor.
Van Drew said he supported the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a federal bill pushed by Trump that would require documentation of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections.
Both candidates also agreed on guardrails for artificial intelligence, without specifics.
Van Drew, along with other House Republicans, this week subpoenaed Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration for voter registration records following the discovery of more than 6,000 non-citizens who were mistakenly registered to vote. The Sherrill administration has pushed back, saying that the issue had been handled but House Republicans said it took the state almost two years for these voters to be removed.
“Democrat socialists, which my opponent represents, will change the structure and substance of America forever,” Van Drew warned.
Prior to serving in public office, Van Drew worked as a dentist after attending Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University Dental School.
For nearly 30 years, Van Drew has served in a variety of elected positions in New Jersey including the state Assembly and mayor of Dennis Township. Van Drew was elected to Congress in 2019 as a Democrat, but jumped to the GOP following his opposition to the impeachment of Trump in 2020. Trump won the district by 13 points in 2024.
Mullock is currently serving in his second term as the mayor of his hometown, Cape May. He began his first term in 2020 and was reelected four years later.
Jayden Parente is a journalism student at Rowan University with a concentration in writing.
