This House Republican just lost reelection. He plans to keep doing the job for another two years anyway

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) was ousted from the U.S. House in a surprise midterm loss to Democratic Rep.-elect Zack Mullock (D-NJ), but he plans to continue helping out his district in a de facto representative role after leaving office.Van Drew told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that he plans to serve as a “Congressman Emeritus” over the next two years to best serve his constituents. He is also already eyeing a comeback bid for his seat in 2028. Recommended Stories “I’m going to be doing an exploratory – just going around talking to people, listening, enjoying South Jersey,” Van Drew said Wednesday. “Just really touching base with the district and helping people where we can, when we can, in that position of, you know, once you’re a congressman, you’re always a congressman.” Van Drew said he is keeping his campaign office open full time, maintaining his political director, and moving his chief of staff from his congressional team to his political team. The outgoing congressman said that with his new “Congressman Emeritus” letterhead, he’ll find ways to help constituents and elected officials in his district while he is not on Capitol Hill.He explained he would be helping elected officials with questions such as, “How do I file? What do I do? How do I get involved? How should I campaign?”DEMOCRAT-TURNED-REPUBLICAN OUSTED FROM NEW JERSEY SEAT LIKENS BLUE TSUNAMI TO WATERGATEVan Drew has held his seat in Congress since 2018. He initially represented South Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party in 2020 after saying the Democrats had moved too far left. He is an ally of President Donald Trump, who had endorsed him for reelection this cycle.Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, New Jersey, shocked the Garden State when he defeated Van Drew in the typically red South Jersey seat by 2.8 points. He also apparently shocked himself, telling reporters after the election that he probably knows “less than any other elected official” in the U.S. House, adding that he “had to Google the salary of a Congressperson just two days ago.”