Van Drew and Republican Commissioners Win; Newcomers Prevail in School Board Race

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI and MADDY VITALE Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew cruised to a decisive Election Night victory over Democratic challenger Tim Alexander to win his third term in the 2nd Congressional District. Unofficial results showed Van Drew holding an overwhelming lead. He had 127,713 votes compared to 78,628 for Alexander. In another key race, Cape May County Republican Commissioner E. Marie Hayes and her running mate Andrew Bulakowski easily won election, beating back Democrat Julia Hankerson and independent candidate William Laffey. Ocean City’s hotly contested Board of Education election appeared to show all of the incumbents swept out of office and replaced with four new members. According to unofficial results, Catherine Panico, Kevin Barnes and Elizabeth Nicoletti won three-year terms on the school board, while Robin Shaffer was elected to a one-year expired term. Meanwhile, Van Drew declared victory shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Originally elected to Congress in 2018 as a Democrat, he switched to the Republican Party in 2019 and closely aligned himself with former President Donald Trump. In his victory speech Tuesday night, Van Drew blamed President Joe Biden and the Democratic majority in Congress for surging inflation that has resulted in higher prices for food, gas and housing. “In my opinion, the worst president in the history of the United States of America,” Van Drew said of Biden while addressing his jubilant supporters at the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle City. Van Drew maintained that Americans are struggling to buy groceries, fill their cars with gas, buy homes and make investments for their retirement. “This is going to be a yeoman’s task,” he said in an interview about bringing inflation under control.

As he did throughout the campaign, Van Drew sounded his theme about keeping America “strong.” He stressed that the country must remain focused on rebuilding the economy, protecting the border and supporting the police and military. “Be proud of America, and be strong,” he told his supporters. Alexander, of Galloway Township, spoke to a crowd of supporters at the Atlantic City Country Club. While the mood was somber, the candidate smiled as he spoke of his family, his team and his message. “I am very proud of our campaign,” Alexander said in an interview before addressing his supporters. Alexander, a private practice attorney who spent the majority of his career at the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, where he rose to the rank of captain, said his race was a clean one. “I said from Day One I would run on facts, and this campaign was all about facts,” he said. With the loss, Alexander said he was sorry that he would not be able to fulfill goals that he would have focused on if elected. “My biggest regret is we let the women down in this community. We let the veterans down,” he said. He noted that his campaign raised $500,000 compared to his opponent’s $2 million war chest. Yet he believes he still got his message out.

While he would not commit to another run for office, he also did not discount it. “We have to sit down together as a family and discuss it,” he said. He thanked his team, especially his wife, Anna, for supporting him through the campaign. When Alexander entered the room at the Atlantic City Country Club, supporters cheered for him. “To all of my supporters, thank you!” he shouted. Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman said it was a “rough night for the Democrats.” But he noted that Alexander made a strong run. “For the first time out, I think Tim did a great job,” Suleiman added. The 2nd Congressional District is the largest congressional district, geographically speaking, in New Jersey. It encompasses a vast swath of territory in the southern part of the state – eight counties and 92 towns. Trending increasing conservative in the Republicans’ favor, the district includes the Jersey Shore towns, the Delaware Bay and some of the state’s most rural communities. Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties make up the core areas, with parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Ocean counties also included in the district. As he has done in the past, Van Drew was able to tap his Cape May County base to propel him to victory in Tuesday’s race. In Cape May County, Van Drew had 23,681 votes, while Alexander had 12,714.

Van Drew wasn’t the only high-profile Republican to win in convincing fashion. The Cape May County Commission race saw Republican incumbent E. Marie Hayes capture her fourth, three-year term on the board that oversees county government. Hayes’ Republican running mate, Andrew Bulakowski, will join her on the board. Bulakowski, a labor leader and political newcomer, will replace veteran Republican Commissioner Gerald Thornton, the board chairman who decided not to seek re-election after serving in county government for 39 years. According to unofficial results, Bulakowski had 23,436 votes, while Hayes had 23,148. Hankerson had 12,768 votes and Laffey 1,611. In another race, the Ocean City Board of Education election proved to be a contentious battle that saw four incumbents lose, including Dr. Patrick Kane, Dr. Charles Roche, Greg Whelan and Ryan Leonard. Running as a team, newcomers Catherine Panico, Liz Nicoletti and Robin Shaffer prevailed. Another newcomer, Kevin Barnes, also won a seat on the board. Panico, Nicoletti and Shaffer were outspoken in their opposition to the Board of Education’s approval this year of state sex education standards that they assert are too graphic for schoolchildren. “I believe that the town did not want that. They were scared to death,” Nicoletti said of how she thought voters felt about the sex education standards. Nicoletti noted that she has friends who pulled their children out of the Ocean City school district because they objected to the sex education curriculum. Panico and Shaffer emphasized that, as new school board members, they want to repeal the sex education standards promulgated by Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. “My goal is to repeal and replace Murphy’s sex agenda standards with what we had on the books prior to this year,” Shaffer said. Panico responded “absolutely” when asked whether she wants to repeal the sex education curriculum. “I want to bring back integrity and respect for everyone in the school district and push back on the sex education standards,” she said.