Cape May, New Jersey, Mayor Zack Mullock won the Democratic primary to face U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, The Associated Press projected.

Mullock, 40, defeated Bayly Winder, the best-funded candidate with experience in the federal government, civil rights attorney and former nominee Tim Alexander, and grassroots candidate Terri Reese to become the Democratic nominee for New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District.

Mullock voted with his family at the Our Lady Star of the Sea Church on Tuesday and later celebrated with supporters at the Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, which his family owns.

He raised nearly $200,000 and loaned his campaign $110,000, leaving him with the second most money in his coffers – though Winder still had more than double – as of May 13.

The sprawling South Jersey district includes parts of the Philadelphia suburbs and covers farmland, shore towns, and Atlantic City casinos. Van Drew was first elected to the seat in 2018 as a Democrat, but he became a Republican one year later and declared loyalty to President Donald Trump.

“For the last eight years, I’ve been working across the aisle to accomplish things, and, frankly, speaking the language of people that we’re going to need to talk to to win this election,” Mullock said in an interview last month, referring to his time on the local city council and as mayor in the nonpartisan local government.

National Democrats haven’t prioritized the district compared to more competitive races – including several in Pennsylvania and Central Jersey’s 7th District – but local Democrats see November as their best opportunity to flip the seat blue as part of an anticipated blue wave. If Mullock is successful, he could help Democrats flip the House.

To win in November, Mullock will have to appeal to voters outside of the Democratic base. More voters in the district are registered as Republican than Democratic while the largest group of voters is unaffiliated.

Andrew Ratliffe, 40, of Woodstown, cast his vote for Mullock on Tuesday because he believes the mayor would focus more on places like his home Salem County, the least populous county in the state. Ratliffe, who works in food management, criticized Van Drew’s “bait and switch” to the Republican Party.

“We’re under-represented and need someone to do things like filter more tourism down here to help businesses,” he said.

While Democratic voters cast their ballots thinking about the best way to oust Van Drew in the fall, Republican voters were glad to keep supporting him.

Helene Denafo, 98, a Republican who retired from the Ventnor Board of Education, said at the polls that she’s been happy with Van Drew’s constituent services.

“If you had a problem, he helped you,” Denafo said. “He always spoke to you.”

Mullock was born and raised in South Jersey and has three kids ages 12, 10, and 7. The candidate and his family are well known in the historic shore town.

With his family, Mullock helped found the Harriet Tubman Museum and the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center. His family also owns the Cape May National Golf Club, where he works as vice president. He also serves on the Atlantic Cape Community College Board and as a general contractor.

At Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Hall, where Mullock voted earlier that day, Barbara Hughes, 84, said she voted for her mayor.

“You bet I did,” said Hughes, a descendent of the prominent Hughes family, whalers with roots in Cape May dating to the 17th century. “He’s done a good job.”

She recalled this winter’s near-blizzard when Mullock came around people’s snowed-in homes on his own personal tractor to help. The retired school counselor said she found Republican Van Drew “generally acceptable,” but preferred Mullock.

The Cape May mayor was the last Democrat to join the race. He said he had been thinking about the lack of economic investment in South Jersey, and he ultimately decided to run because of how dismayed he’s become with Van Drew, whom he’s known for decades.

Mullock said he maintained a good relationship with the representative until a meeting a few months ago, when he said he “legitimately didn’t recognize the person that I was talking to.”

Around the same time, the Trump administration was pushing for the removal of a slavery exhibit at the President’s House across the river in Philadelphia. Van Drew’s silence was that final push Mullock needed.

“To think that by the decree of one man, they would take down the history of slavery, and our representative just stood silent, and that just bothered the heck out of me,” he said.

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(Staff writers Amy S. Rosenberg, Al Lubrano, and Dana Munro contributed reporting.)

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