Congressman Switching Parties Will Need New Staff

Jeff Van Drew, the New Jersey congressman who is leaving the Democratic party to become a Republican, will need to make some hires quickly. Six senior staffers resigned Sunday and more could follow this week in the wake of the news, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Van Drew has been a vocal opponent of President Trump's impeachment inquiry, and his decision to switch parties came after a private meeting with the president. The move "does not align with the values we brought to this job when we joined his office," reads a joint resignation letter, per Politico. All of the departing staffers will be hired by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, at least temporarily.

Van Drew's critics say he's switching parties because polls show that the freshman incumbent might lose to a Democratic challenger in the next primary anyway. "His electorate in his district is 24% to renominate him and 60% to nominate somebody else," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler on Sunday. If Van Drew were to get an endorsement from Trump, that gives him a decent shot at being the Republican nominee in the next election, notes the Washington Post. Van Drew's big complaint against the impeachment process has been that it's not bipartisan. (Van Drew will almost certainly be voting "no" when the House votes this week.)