Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock, who had served on the city's council, challenged Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew in New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District. The Democrat beat four-term Rep. Jeff Van Drew by about 3 percentage points.
Van Drew conceded roughly two hours after polls closed, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, a remarkably swift end to a race Van Drew had dominated in his two prior runs. He had won by 19 points in 2022 and by 17 points in 2024, according to a NJ.com report from earlier this year, and Donald Trump had carried the district by 12 points that same year. Mullock's win represented a swing of roughly 20 percentage points, per the Inquirer's reporting.
Mullock described his decision to run as a matter of principle, according to the Inquirer.
A District That Moved Almost Everywhere
The shift wasn't confined to Cape May. All 93 municipalities in the 2nd District moved toward Democrats compared with 2024, and Mullock won 21 towns that had backed Van Drew two years earlier, according to a town-by-town analysis from NJ.com. The outlet calculated a 19.7-point swing toward Democrats districtwide.
Cumberland, Gloucester and Atlantic counties were the three counties Mullock carried outright, per the same NJ.com analysis. Outside groups spent more than $1.5 million in the race, and former Camden County power broker George Norcross has since said he and a fundraising group tied to Gov. Mikie Sherrill supplied that outside money, according to the original NJ.com report on Mullock's rise. Sherrill herself campaigned for Mullock during the race's final weekend and joined his election-night celebration by helicopter, that report noted.
Who Is the Congressman-Elect
Mullock is a husband, father of three, and small-business owner who graduated from Mount Saint Mary's University and earned an MBA from Saint Joseph's University, according to his official City of Cape May biography. Before politics, and alongside it, he worked as vice president of his family's Cape May National Golf Club, the Inquirer reported. He served as volunteer general contractor for the Harriet Tubman Museum and helped found the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center.
Money was lopsided in the race. Mullock raised $850,948 plus a loan, while Van Drew raised $2.4 million, the Inquirer reported.
House Leadership
On the question of House leadership, Mullock has said he's comfortable backing Hakeem Jeffries for speaker, telling Axios, “You're going to have pretty strong support for Hakeem, and I'll be part of that support.”
What Comes Next for Van Drew
Van Drew, for his part, is considering a run to reclaim his former seat in 2028, according to the Inquirer's follow-up reporting.
Mullock will take his seat in the U.S. House after the midterms.
