[CAPTURE PORTAL] 119TH CONGRESS
Legislative Integrity Monitor
Goblin House Intelligence
Congress → Officials → Jefferson Van Drew

Jefferson Van Drew

Republican · Representative, NJ ·2

Jefferson Van Drew is the Republican U.S. Representative (NJ's 2nd congressional district). The platform has 6 voting records on file (2021-2025) and 50 verified facts on file covering this member's voting positions, financial disclosures, and stated platform commitments.

Score Components
57 MODERATE
Connection Density 20%
63 → 13
Donor Influence 15%
26 → 4
Silence Risk 25%
14 → 4
Contradiction Risk 25%
91 → 23
Intelligence Volume 15%
65 → 10
Constituency Deviation 0%
32 → 0
Voting Misalignment 0%
0 → 0
% = weight in composite score · Raw component 0–100 × weight = weighted contribution (→) · Sum of contributions = overall score. Hover a row for details.
Two other House Republicans—Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)—moved from nay in July to yea in December on H.R. 8404, demonstrating that the Senate amendment did satisfy some Republican religious liberty concerns, making the seven GOP flips more anomalous.
secondary · 2022-12-08 ✓ Verified
Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly suggested at a December 8, 2022 press conference that GOP members who flipped on H.R. 8404 did so because their July votes were cast for pre-election advantage and their December votes reflected their true preferences once the midterms had passed.
secondary · 2022-12-08 ✓ Verified
The Senate amendment to H.R. 8404 that Van Drew cited as the basis for his reversal added explicit protections for religious organizations' tax-exempt status — language that 12 GOP senators, including Mike Lee who previously opposed the bill, voted to approve. The amendment made the bill more conservative; Van Drew voted against the more conservative version.
primary · 2022-11-29 ✓ Verified
Van Drew did not publish a press release on his House website explaining his initial July 2022 yea vote on H.R. 8404, nor did he issue a standalone statement explaining his December 2022 reversal—limiting the public accountability record to a single quote given to NorthJersey.com.
secondary · 2022-12-10 ✓ Verified
NJ state health officials estimated the OBBBA would cause approximately 350,000 New Jerseyans to lose NJ FamilyCare coverage and result in a loss of $3.3 billion per year in hospital and public health funding.
secondary · 2025-07-17 ✓ Verified
More than 100 constituents rallied outside Van Drew's Northfield office on July 17, 2025 to protest the OBBBA Medicaid cuts, with organizers reporting they were told by Van Drew's staff that 'he understands how critical Medicaid is.'
secondary · 2025-07-17 ✓ Verified
Van Drew's district (NJ-2) has 176,849 total Medicaid enrollees including 82,185 children under age 19, per CMS data cited by Rep. Frank Pallone's office. Over 66,000 children — 40% of all children in the district — depend on NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid.
secondary · 2025-02-24 ✓ Verified
On June 16, 2025 — 17 days before his final yea vote — Van Drew publicly acknowledged that the Senate version of the OBBBA 'could unintentionally hurt the people Medicaid is meant to help,' yet voted for the final bill.
primary · 2025-06-16 ✓ Verified
Van Drew signed an April 14, 2025 letter with 11 other House Republicans to Speaker Mike Johnson pledging they 'cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations' — a coalition pledge he later broke by voting yea on H.R. 1.
primary · 2025-04-14 ✓ Verified
When asked by NJ Spotlight News if he could identify any bills he voted for that contained his earmarks, Van Drew replied 'I'd have to look at my record on some of those,' and his spokeswoman did not respond to follow-up questions about the voting record.
primary · 2024-08-28 ✓ Verified
NJ Spotlight News identified the three largest Van Drew earmarks as $32 million for an Army Corps of Engineers project in Ocean County, $10 million for a federal sea wall in Cape May County, and $6.9 million for a drone project at Woodbine Municipal Airport.
primary · 2024-08-28 ✓ Verified
The Cape May County Herald reported that the $1.7 trillion FY2023 omnibus contained $15.6 million specifically for Cape May County projects, including $2 million for a general aviation hangar at Cape May County Airport, and Van Drew voted against the final legislation.
primary · 2023-01-20 ✓ Verified
Van Drew's own campaign website published a statement on December 23, 2022 titled 'Van Drew Says NO to Biden's $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill,' explicitly confirming he voted against legislation containing his earmarks.
primary · 2022-12-23 ✓ Verified
On March 9, 2022, the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471) by a recorded vote of 260-171; only 9 Republicans voted in favor, and Van Drew was not among them according to contemporaneous news reports.
secondary · 2022-03-09 ✓ Verified
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Hispanic population share: 18%
secondary ✓ Verified
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: bachelor's degree or higher: 31.3%
secondary ✓ Verified
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: homeownership rate: 74.8%
secondary ✓ Verified
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: poverty rate: 8.3%
secondary ✓ Verified
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: median household income: $85,261
secondary ✓ Verified
[constituency_baseline] Ballot measure: New Jersey Public Question 1 — Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment (2023) — passed, margin 62%-38%
secondary ✓ Verified
Scott Bessent donor Van Drew's top contributing sector is Finance/Insurance/Real Estate, and Bessent is a financier, but no direct documented contribution or relationship.
Chuck Schumer colleague Van Drew served in the House while Schumer was Senate Majority Leader. No direct documented interaction, but Schumer represents New York, adjacent to Van…
Donald Trump affiliation Van Drew left a voicemail on November 30, 2019 stating he would not vote for Trump, then switched parties less than three weeks later and pledged 'undying…
Stagwell Inc donor No direct documented connection. However, Van Drew's fundraising includes Finance/Insurance/Real Estate sectors, and Stagwell is a marketing/consulting firm…
Boeing employment While Boeing is not a top employer in the district, the district includes the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center (3000 employees), and Van Drew secured a…
SAM.gov mentioned together in database SAM.gov appears in the same list of known entities as Jefferson Van Drew, indicating both are entries in the investigative database.
Frank Pallone colleague Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey was cited regarding CMS data showing that Van Drew's district (NJ-2) has 176,849 total Medicaid enrollees including 82,185…
AIPAC / United Democracy Project donor AIPAC was Van Drew's top PAC donor for the 2023-2024 cycle, contributing $13,600. Van Drew voted for $26 billion in Israel military aid (H.R. 8034) on…
Mike Johnson political correspondence Van Drew signed an April 14, 2025 letter with 11 other House Republicans to Speaker Mike Johnson pledging they 'cannot and will not support a final…
American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (1 contribution), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00797670/
Boots On The Ground - Federal donor $10,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (2 contributions), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00726729/
Buckeye Liberty PAC donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (1 contribution), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00693796/
Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC) donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (1 contribution), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00592089/
Wakefern Food Corp. Political Action Committee donor $10,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (2 contributions), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00489005/
National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC (Nbwa PAC) donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (2 contributions), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00144766/
National Association Of Convenience Stores Nacspac donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (1 contribution), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00126763/
Concretepac donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (1 contribution), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00114025/
American Crystal Sugar Company PAC donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (1 contribution), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00110338/
National Association Of Realtors PAC donor $5,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (3 contributions), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00030718/
Engineers Political Education Committee (Epec)/International Union Of Operating Engineers donor $10,000 to Jefferson Van Drew's principal committee in the 2026 cycle (2 contributions), FEC Schedule A line 11C. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00029504/
BillVoteDateAlignment
PROOF Act Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United… Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
Ratepayer Protection Act Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
An Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow early childhood… Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
Water Resources Development Act Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
National Fraud Enforcement Division Act Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
Retire through Ownership Act Yea 2026-09-16 unknown
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
GUARD Act Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Tax Relief for Fraud Victims Act Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers… Nay 2026-09-15 unknown
Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes… Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United… Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Providing for consideration of the bills H.R. 9576 and H.R. 10326, providing… Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Fostering the Use of Technology to Uphold Regulatory Effectiveness in… Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Providing for consideration of the bills H.R. 9576 and H.R. 10326, providing… Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
Whistleblower Protection Act Yea 2026-09-15 unknown
National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act Not Voting 2026-09-14 unknown
Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act Not Voting 2026-09-14 unknown
Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act Yea 2026-09-03 unknown
Protecting Domestic Mining Act Yea 2026-09-02 unknown
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require… Yea 2026-09-02 unknown
Providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436, and H.R… Yea 2026-09-01 unknown
To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period… Yea 2026-09-01 unknown
To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period… Nay 2026-09-01 unknown
Providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms… Yea 2026-09-01 unknown
In the matter of allegations relating to Representative Chuck Edwards Yea 2026-09-01 unknown
AGOA Extension Act Yea 2026-09-01 unknown
Providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436, and H.R… Yea 2026-09-01 unknown
Local Access to Courts Act Yea 2026-08-31 unknown
Last contradiction analysis: Never
reversal 90/100
Platform: "Van Drew left a voicemail to a constituent on November 30, 2019 saying 'I haven't voted for him, I didn't support him, I will not vote for him,' in reference to Donald Trump."
Vote: on "Less than three weeks later, Van Drew announced he was switching from Democrat to Republican and…"
Van Drew told a constituent on November 30, 2019 that he would not vote for or support Trump. Less than three weeks later, he switched parties, visited the Oval Office, and pledged 'undying support' to Trump. This was a complete reversal of his stated political position within a three-week period, coinciding with his…
[ Show full analysis ]
Van Drew told a constituent on November 30, 2019 that he would not vote for or support Trump. Less than three weeks later, he switched parties, visited the Oval Office, and pledged 'undying support' to Trump. This was a complete reversal of his stated political position within a three-week period, coinciding with his opposition to Trump's impeachment.
reversal 90/100
Platform: "Van Drew voted 'Yea' on the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) in July 2022 to codify same-sex marriage protections."
Vote: on "Van Drew flipped to vote 'Nay' on the final version of the Respect for Marriage Act in December…"
Van Drew voted for the Respect for Marriage Act in July 2022, then reversed to vote against the identical bill in December 2022. He cited religious liberty protections, but the December bill included the same religious liberty amendments that had earned his earlier support. This was a rare same-Congress flip on the…
[ Show full analysis ]
Van Drew voted for the Respect for Marriage Act in July 2022, then reversed to vote against the identical bill in December 2022. He cited religious liberty protections, but the December bill included the same religious liberty amendments that had earned his earlier support. This was a rare same-Congress flip on the same bill.
statement_vs_disclosure 90/100
Platform: "Van Drew stated 'I will never support any legislation that cuts benefits to eligible, legal Americans' regarding Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and pledged in April 2025 that no budget resolution would cut…
[ Show full platform position ]
Van Drew stated 'I will never support any legislation that cuts benefits to eligible, legal Americans' regarding Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and pledged in April 2025 that no budget resolution would cut these programs.
"
Vote: on "Van Drew voted 'Yea' on H.R. 1 (the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act') in July 2025, which the CBO…"
Van Drew repeatedly pledged never to cut Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, including in an April 2025 press release, but voted for H.R. 1 in July 2025. The nonpartisan CBO projected $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts from the bill. His defense that the bill 'does not cut' these programs is contradicted by the CBO…
[ Show full analysis ]
Van Drew repeatedly pledged never to cut Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, including in an April 2025 press release, but voted for H.R. 1 in July 2025. The nonpartisan CBO projected $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts from the bill. His defense that the bill 'does not cut' these programs is contradicted by the CBO analysis.
Last silence detection: Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:50:22 GMT (via scheduled run)
other / unclassified
Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association PAC, American Revival PAC, Anti-Woke Fund (amounts: $6,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026)) — interest area: other / unclassified
corporate pacs, industry unlisted
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. Political Action Committee (Pegpac) (amounts: $9,500 (2024)) — interest area: corporate pacs, industry unlisted
colleagues' leadership pacs
Eye Of The Tiger PAC, Patriots In Action, Mr. Southern Missourian In The House PAC, Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC), Americans For Legislating Excellence PAC, Buckeye Liberty PAC, Boots On The Ground - Federal, Support Taxfighters…
[ Show full donor-interest summary ]
Eye Of The Tiger PAC, Patriots In Action, Mr. Southern Missourian In The House PAC, Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC), Americans For Legislating Excellence PAC, Buckeye Liberty PAC, Boots On The Ground - Federal, Support Taxfighters & Elect Effective Leaders PAC, Freedom Force PAC, Empire Strike PAC, Mvl PAC (amounts: $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024), $6,600 (2024), $6,600 (2024), $10,000 (2026)) — interest area: colleagues' leadership pacs
National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC (Nbwa PAC) Alcohol & tobacco $5,000 (2026)
Anti-Woke Fund Other / unclassified $10,000 (2026)
Mvl PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $10,000 (2026)
Empire Strike PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $6,600 (2024)
American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC Law & lobbying firms $5,000 (2026)
Freedom Force PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $6,600 (2024)
Baps Public Affairs, Inc. PAC (Baps PAC) Law & lobbying firms $5,000 (2026)
Support Taxfighters & Elect Effective Leaders PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $5,000 (2024)
Boots On The Ground - Federal Colleagues' leadership PACs $10,000 (2026)
Buckeye Liberty PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $5,000 (2026)
Americans For Legislating Excellence PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $5,000 (2024)
American Revival PAC Other / unclassified $5,000 (2024)
Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC) Colleagues' leadership PACs $5,000 (2026)
Mr. Southern Missourian In The House PAC Colleagues' leadership PACs $5,000 (2024)
Patriots In Action Colleagues' leadership PACs $10,000 (2026)
TopicPriorityAlignmentDeviation
Jan 6, Impeachment, and Democratic Norms 60 30 55
Environment and Water Quality 80 45 40
Healthcare Access and ACA Protections 88 55 30
Atlantic City and Casino/Gaming Economy 83 68 22
Education and School Funding 72 65 20
Agriculture and Farm Economy 75 70 18
Taxes and Cost of Living 85 72 18
Energy Costs and Grid Reliability 79 75 15
Gun Rights and Second Amendment 70 75 15
Immigration and Border Security 72 80 12
Fishing, Coastal Economy, and Offshore Wind 92 85 10
Veterans Affairs and Military/Coast Guard 78 82 8
No platform commitments archived
No committee memberships recorded
Scoring Methodology

The Capture Risk Score is a composite 0–100 index measuring potential regulatory capture of elected officials. It is computed from seven weighted components:

ComponentWeightSignal
Contradiction Risk30%Stated positions contradicted by the record (recent findings boosted)
Donor Influence20%Distinct documented donors (FEC Schedule A PACs); inferred donors do not count
Connection Density20%Mapped relationships to lobbyists, contractors, interest groups; donor links excluded
Silence Risk15%Topics where donors have interests but the official is silent
Intelligence Volume15%Documented facts from verified sources
Constituency Deviation0%Shown, not weighted — a model estimate, not a record
Voting Misalignment0%Shown, not weighted — needs platform commitments almost nobody has; the roll-call record on /votes is the vote signal

Each component is the member's standing among all scored members of Congress, and the weighted sum is the overall score. Tiers are ranks: Critical is the top 5%, High the next 10%, Elevated the next 20%, Moderate the next 30%, and Low the rest.

Officials without at least 2 documented facts, 1 contradiction analysis, 1 voting record, or 1 constituency baseline are marked Insufficient Evidence and excluded from numeric ranking.

Contradiction findings from the last 180 days receive a recency boost. High-severity contradictions (score ≥ 70) receive additional weight.

Full methodology: /congress/methodology

[PUBLIC COST ESTIMATE]
Documented financial relationships span 0 money flow chains, while 10 elected officials hold documented connections.
$3.0BDonor Contributions
0Money Chains
0Traced Hops
Connected Officials
Calculation Methodology

Contract values are summed from documented money flow chains where this entity appears as a source or destination node. Amounts are drawn from USASpending.gov, FEC filings, SEC EDGAR, or LD-2 lobbying registrations.

Donor contributions aggregate documented amounts from the donor_interests table, sourced from FEC individual and PAC contribution filings.

Connected officials are elected officials in our database with a mapped relationship (lobbying, board membership, campaign contribution, etc.) to this entity.

Annualised flow represents the total documented dollar amount traced through money flow hops involving this entity. Where hop-level amounts are unavailable, the chain-level documented total is used as a conservative upper bound.

All figures are drawn from public filings. Estimates are conservative — undisclosed transactions, dark money, and vanish-point hops are excluded from totals. This is a minimum documented floor, not a ceiling.

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