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Democratic Primary, the Mejia Win, the Van Drew Problem, and What November Will Tell Us About America
Special Guest: Micah Rasmussen — Director, Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University
LIVE PRIMARY DAY: Today is the New Jersey Primary, June 2, 2026. Polls are open across the state. The NJ-2 Democratic primary is being decided today — four candidates competing for the nomination to face incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew in November. The NJ Senate Democratic and Republican primaries are also on today's ballot. This broadcast is live political analysis as the election is happening.
Guest Profile
Micah Rasmussen
Director, Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University | Former Press Secretary, Governor James E. McGreevey | Adjunct Professor of Political Science, 15+ years | Founder, New Jersey Model Congress
Micah Rasmussen is one of the most knowledgeable and credible voices on New Jersey politics in the state. As Director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University — named for his professor and mentor Dr. David Rebovich — he brings more than two decades of public affairs experience to the analysis of what New Jersey elections mean and why they matter. Rasmussen has lived New Jersey politics from the inside. As Governor James E. McGreevey's press secretary, he handled crisis communications during the Governor's historic 2004 resignation — one of the most extraordinary moments in modern New Jersey political history. He has served as Communications Director for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, worked in the New Jersey General Assembly, and managed several political campaigns. In the corporate world, Rasmussen served as Vice President for Executive Communications at Chubb, writing speeches for audiences throughout the world. As Director of Corporate Communications for New Jersey Resources and its primary subsidiary New Jersey Natural Gas, he led crisis communications that kept customers, public officials, and media informed throughout widespread system damage following Superstorm Sandy. An educator for more than 15 years as an adjunct professor of political science, Rasmussen earned his undergraduate degree at Rider University, where Dr. Rebovich was his professor and mentor, and his Master of Arts in Political Science from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University — one of the most respected political science programs in the country. He founded the New Jersey Model Congress, a civics education program. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Upper Freehold Township, where he advocates for the preservation of farmland and open space. When Rasmussen talks about New Jersey politics, he is not speculating. He has been in the room, managed the communications, understood the stakes, and now teaches the next generation what it all means.
The Landscape — What Is On The Ballot Today
NJ-2: The Van Drew Race — Today's Key Primary
⚠ THE INCUMBENT: Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis Township) was first elected to Congress as a Democrat in 2018.
In December 2019, he announced he was switching to the Republican Party after voting against the first Trump impeachment inquiry — the only House Democrat to do so. He is now described as 'Trump's closest ally in New Jersey.' He runs unopposed in today's Republican primary.
⚠ HIS RECORD: Van Drew has won two re-election campaigns as a Republican. In 2024, he received 58.1% of the vote, defeating Democrat Joe Salerno 58.1% to 41.2%. Cook Political Report rates NJ-2 as Solid Republican. The district has become steadily more conservative since Van Drew's party switch.
⚠ THE DISTRICT: NJ-2 covers Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties, plus parts of Gloucester and Ocean. Approximately 794,000 people. Shore towns, rural communities, small cities, and the Pine Barrens. A geographic and cultural contrast to the northern NJ suburbs that produced the Mejia win.
⚠ FUNDRAISING: Van Drew reported $1,529,764 in Q1 2026 receipts with $944,708 cash on hand. He has a significant financial advantage over any Democratic challenger.
Today's NJ-2 Democratic Primary — The Four Candidates
Tim Alexander — Attorney, former police officer. Has run for NJ-2 multiple times. Won endorsement from Cumberland Democrats and Salem Democrats. Most experienced in the district.
Zack Mullock — Cape May Mayor and businessman. Represents the shore community perspective. Geographic base in the district's southernmost county.
Terri Reese — Retail consultant. Grassroots candidate offering a different economic vision for the district.
Bayly Winder — Cybersecurity consultant, former USAID official. Launched late but raised $171,552 in a single week — the kind of fundraising surge that signals national Democratic interest. Former federal official background may appeal to voters focused on government competence.
Cook Political Report rates NJ-2 as Solid Republican. But national Democrats have 'signaled some interest in trying to flip the 2nd district' (New Jersey Globe) — particularly if the political environment continues to shift against Trump. The outcome of today's primary determines who has to build a campaign from scratch against a well-funded incumbent in five months.
NJ-11: The Mejia Win — The Bellwether
✅ APRIL 16, 2026: Analilia Mejia won the NJ-11 special election, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway. The Associated Press called the race seven minutes after polls closed. Her win was described as the best Democratic performance in NJ-11 since 1982.
✅ WHO SHE IS: Analilia Mejia was born in Elizabeth, NJ (1977). Master's degrees in public affairs and labor relations from Rutgers. Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy. Deputy Director of the Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor. National Political Director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. 25 years fighting for working families — won the $15 minimum wage and paid sick days in NJ.
✅ THE AIPAC FACTOR: AIPAC spent millions in the February Democratic primary attempting to defeat Tom Malinowski because he said he would not unconditionally support foreign military aid to Israel. Their campaign inadvertently boosted Mejia, who won with 29% of the vote in an 11-candidate field. Her victory was described as 'a massive own goal by pro-Israel groups.'
✅ WHAT IT MEANS: Mejia is now a sitting Congresswoman (sworn in April 20, 2026). She will face Hathaway again in the November general election for the full term. NJ-11 was considered a bellwether for November because it features a mix of suburban and urban areas with diverse voters.
The Broader NJ Context: Why These Races Matter Nationally
⚠ THE HOUSE MAJORITY: Democrats currently hold a 9-3 edge over Republicans in New Jersey's congressional delegation. Nationally, the House majority will be contested in November 2026. Every NJ race contributes to that count.
⚠ THE TRUMP FACTOR: Both the NJ-11 special election result and the national polling environment suggest significant voter backlash against the Trump agenda. The question for today's NJ-2 primary: can a Democrat emerge with enough message clarity and resources to make Van Drew work for his seat in November in a district that has been moving right?
⚠ THE MIDTERM PATTERN: The party of the president in power typically loses House seats in midterm elections. If that historical pattern holds in 2026, NJ-2 — currently rated Solid Republican — may move to merely Likely Republican or even Lean Republican, opening a window.
⚠ VAN DREW'S VULNERABILITY: Van Drew's transformation from Democrat to 'Trump's closest ally' gives his November opponent a specific, documented story about shifting loyalty to tell. He voted against the impeachment inquiry in 2019, switched parties, and has since anchored himself entirely to a president whose national approval is historically low.
Primary Day opening — this is live political analysis with votes being cast right now. Open with the energy of Election Day.
Welcome to Frontline Voices on WBAI 99.5 FM. It is Tuesday, June 2, 2026. It is New Jersey Primary Day. Polls are open. And today we are talking about what is actually at stake in these races — not just in New Jersey but for the country.
Six weeks ago, Analilia Mejia won the NJ-11 special election. The AP called it seven minutes after polls closed.
It was the best Democratic performance in that district since 1982. The woman who helped win the $15 minimum wage and paid sick days for New Jersey workers — who ran on a platform of fighting billionaires, private equity, and the MAGA agenda — is now a sitting member of Congress. And today she must win the June primary to hold that seat in November.
Today on the Democratic side in NJ-2, four candidates are competing for the nomination to face Jeff Van Drew in November. Van Drew is Trump's closest ally in New Jersey. He was elected as a Democrat in 2018. He switched parties in December 2019 after being the only House Democrat to vote against the first Trump impeachment inquiry. He has been re-elected twice as a Republican. Cook Political Report rates his district as Solid Republican.
Today, Democrats decide who tries to change that.
