South Jersey voters head to June 3 primaries in key congressional race

A surge of ballots in Vineland, Bridgeton and Millville could decide more than a primary winner. In Cumberland County, the June 3 vote will help set the tone for New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, where every local turnout push carries weight in a race that already has South Jersey watching closely.

The district runs across Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, along with parts of Gloucester and Ocean counties, making it the southernmost congressional district in New Jersey. It is held by Republican Jeff Van Drew, who was first elected as a Democrat in 2018, switched to the Republican Party in December 2019 and won reelection in 2024. That history has kept the seat firmly on the list of competitive South Jersey contests.

For Cumberland County voters, the stakes begin with geography and end with representation. The district reaches into Gloucester County communities including Clayton, Elk, Franklin, Greenwich, Harrison, Logan, Newfield, South Harrison, Swedesboro, Woolwich and part of East Greenwich, tying together shore counties, inland towns and working-class communities that often face very different day-to-day concerns. The congressional map now in use was adopted by the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission on Dec. 22, 2021, after the latest round of redistricting rearranged the political boundaries that shape this race.

The county’s election machinery is already in place. Cumberland County’s Board of Elections is bipartisan, with Russell Creech, Robin Wood, Tamara Davis and Judith Laning serving in leadership and commissioner roles. That local structure matters because primaries are often decided by the voters who show up early, know their polling place and turn out in a smaller, sharper pool than November elections.

That is why June 3 matters so much in Cumberland County. The candidates who survive the primary will define the fall contest in a district where Van Drew’s party switch and 2024 victory still shape how both parties approach South Jersey. For residents, the race is not just about who goes to Washington. It is about who gets to speak for Cumberland County when federal decisions reach the county line.