Democratic Rep in Swing State Switching Parties Amidst Impeachment

Democratic Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey is expected to change parties and become a Republican, according to media reports. He had previously opposed the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump. Van Drew's party switch highlights the precarious position Democrats in swing states are in as impeachment continues.

Van Drew, a first-term congressman and so-called Blue Dog Democrat, serves a purple district in southern N.J. His internal polling revealed his popularity was decreasing, according to NPR.

Specifically, Van Drew is losing popularity with Democrats, CNN noted. If he switches to the Republican ticket, the congressman would avoid a Democrat primary challenger.

President Donald Trump tweeted support to Van Drew on Sunday as news began to circulate of the potential switch.

“Always heard Jeff is very smart!” Trump wrote.

In response to the news, some of Van Drew’s staff resigned, NPR reported. They wrote in a letter to his chief of staff that his choice "to join the ranks of the Republican Party led by Trump does not align with the values we brought to this job when we joined his office."

As his popularity in his district has waned, so too has his standing with New Jersey’s top Democrats. Governor Phil Murphy said, according to NPR, “Despite knowing full well that the President has abused the powers of his office, he's now willing to enable Donald Trump just to try to salvage his own election."

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Mandi Merritt wrote on Twitter that Van Drew’s defection to the Republic Party showed the inner turmoil that the Democratic Party has faced due to impeachment.

“Even Democrats know this entire impeachment witch hunt is a sham,” Merrit wrote.

Other moderate freshmen Democrats in the House have largely supported the impeachment inquiry, but at the same time acknowledging the risks they are taking in doing so.

One such freshmen congresswoman is Susan Wild from Pennsylvania.

"It's very, very important for everyone to understand that nobody in this country, especially those of us in government and the president, are not above the law," Wild said, NPR reported.

They’ll soon find out if their decision to support impeachment worked in their favor as November 2020 rolls around.

The House of Representatives will formally vote on the two articles of impeachment Trump is facing on Wednesday. Most of the moderate Democrats are expected to vote with their party in support of the charges.