Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew has conceded to his Democratic challenger, Zack Mullock.
Van Drew told supporters that he had already conceded to Mullock, despite the race having not been called by major media outlets.
“He is and will be our new congressman for the next 2 years and I wish him the very best,” Van Drew said.
The Associated Press has not yet called the race in favor of Mullock at 11:06 p.m. Mullock was ahead by less than 4 percentage points with 70% of votes counted.
The Cook Political Report rated the race as “solid Republican,” adding that a “huge wave” would have to put the seat in play.
Mullock tied Trump’s unpopularity to Van Drew, who became a Republican in 2019 during a publicized meeting in the Oval Office where Van Drew pledged his “undying support” to the president. It was shortly after Van Drew was elected to Congress as a Democrat.
