New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Currie released the following statement on U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-1) switching to the Republican Party:

“Jeff Van Drew just sold out his constituents and our party, and in the process revealed that his only real value is self-preservation. As Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, I pledge to work with Governor Murphy, local Democratic leaders in the 2nd District as well as national Democrats to identify a strong candidate to defeat Van Drew and bring this district the true democratic leadership it deserves.

“The Norcross political machine has a long history of cutting deals with Republicans and opposing progressive policies, so it’s fitting that one of its most prominent members has now taken the next logical step and actually joined the Republican Party. This just underscores how vitally important it is to stop our party from being taken over by Norcross, and why the Democratic State Committee members must vote to re-elect the Currie-Schaffer leadership team.”