Still, aside from being vehemently against impeachment, is there anything else the guy has in common with the GOP? I'd be wary of welcoming him with open arms. He better start VOTING like a Republican too.
Actually, after googling it, he’s pretty decent by RAT standards. Not on the level of Virgil Goode but he’s actually a “moderate” RAT, instead of a socialist just claiming to be “moderate” (Joe Lieberman, Joe Biden, etc.) because it polls well with his voters.
Blue Dog Coalition
Van Drew said during his campaign that, if elected, he would not support Nancy Pelosi to be the next Speaker of the House, His first vote in Congress was “no” for Speaker.
During his congressional primary campaign, Van Drew had a 100% rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA).In 2013, Van Drew voted as the only Democrat against a series of 10 gun control bills following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
In 2012 as state senator, Van Drew voted against a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey, one of two Democrats in opposition. In 2013 during his reelection campaign, the non-profit New Jersey Family First sent out flyers stating that Van Drew “supports traditional marriage and letting the people vote on the definition of marriage,” while his Republican opponent Susan Adelizzi Schmidt was in favor of same-sex marriage.
Also in 2012, Van Drew voted against raising the state minimum wage above the federal minimum wage of $7.25, the lone Democrat to dissent.
In 2019 he joined Republican John Rutherford to introduce the Atlantic Coastal Economies Protection Act, which would prohibit seismic air gun testing in the Atlantic Ocean. The state senator previously voted to withdraw from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and supported the construction of a pipeline through the Pinelands.
Of course he does represent a district that was formerly held by a Republican, so he probably “has to” throw voters a bone now and then. And he will still have to move significantly to the right to be a typical GOP congressman.
I don’t know what his voting record is in Congress, yet, since the ACU hasn’t released them for this year.
But for prior ACU ratings, Van Drew was ranked the most “Conservative” Democrat in the NJ Senate for 2018, but it was an embarrassing 19% (81% leftist) with a 36% rating (64% leftist) in 2017 and a 30% lifetime (70% leftist). That still placed him far away from the Stalinist wing of the NJ Demonrats, which were all closer to 0%.