Van Drew concedes New Jersey's 2nd District to Democrat Zack Mullock

Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew conceded New Jersey's 2nd District to Democratic challenger Zack Mullock on election night, Nov. 3, according to the New Jersey Monitor and WHYY. Returns showed Mullock ahead, and the New Jersey Monitor described the result as a shocker and a Democratic pickup.

The New Jersey Monitor reported Mullock at 51% and Van Drew at 48%. WHYY noted that the Associated Press had not called the race late on election night. A concession by the incumbent is a strong sign of the outcome, but it is not an official result.

The seat has an unusual history. Van Drew first won it as a Democrat in 2018 and later switched to the Republican Party. He was a four-term incumbent seeking to hold the district. Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, won the 2026 Democratic primary to challenge him. Cook Political Report had rated the district solid Republican, which made a Democratic win a surprise.

The New Jersey Monitor also reported that New Jersey Democrats beat expectations in the midterms and took two House seats from Republicans. This district was one of them.

The question of which party wins the seat will be settled by the consensus of credible news reporting once all House races are conclusively called. If that consensus is ambiguous, official Federal Election Commission results decide.

What comes next is further returns and calls by major news organizations, which will show whether the result meets that standard. New Jersey's Division of Elections does not post a statewide live count. It directs readers to county results on election night, so the full tally may take time to piece together.