One of the candidates looking to unseat Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), Ashley Bennett, responded to comments about whether she was concerned that local political leaders have rallied around her Democratic primary challenger, Brigid Harrison.
Bennett, who currently serves as freeholder of Atlantic County, responded Tuesday saying that local elections shouldn’t be dictated by local party leaders, but rather by the voters themselves.
“I’m running not necessarily for the leadership — I’m running for the people because we need to have a say in who we have as our elected official and who is going to advocate for us in Washington” Bennett said.
“I’m running for their endorsement — not for the endorsement of leadership,” she added, noting that the race has only just begun.
Van Drew’s decision to vote against President Trump’s impeachment and switch political parties to become a Republican earlier this month has inspired a number of candidates to run in his southern New Jersey congressional district in 2020.
Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University, has also launched her own bid. In a statement announcing her run, she said that Van Drew had “repeatedly ignored the voices of our community” and “sold his soul, cutting backroom deals with the White House.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, meanwhile, has yet to formally back a candidate in the race.
Bennett first gained national attention for defeating then-Atlantic County freeholder John Carman in 2017 after the Republican mocked the Women’s March.
On the day of the Women’s March, Carman posted a meme that featured a woman in a kitchen and the message, “Will the women’s protest be over in time for them to cook dinner?”
“Just asking?” he wrote alongside the meme.
Though Carman later apologized, Bennett said she was angered by the image. Following a meeting with the Republican official, she said she decided right then and there that she would run against him for his freeholder seat.
“I contacted my local party and shortly after that I sat with them and went through the process. They had a few other people that they were interviewing to possibly run and I got a call a week before our convention and they said ‘congratulations, you’re our candidate,’ ” Bennett told Hill.TV.
Bennett said the experience taught her not only how to win a race but how to serve in government. New Jersey has freeholders that function as the equivalent of county commissioners in other states. As part of the county legislature, they oversee everything from city grants to maintaining roads and managing local budgets.
“I have not had the same experience that previous candidates have had because I am a city elected official so I have proven myself,” she said.
—Tess Bonn
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