Nj cd-3 officially a mess after richter bails out of cd-2 race

TOMS RIVER-Incumbent Congressman Andy Kim is most likely smiling today as Republicans in Congressional District 3 have officially made another mess ahead of what now looks to be a very hotly contested primary.

That’s after David Richter who was running in CD-2 announced he would drop out of that race and switch to CD-3 and challenge current frontrunner, former Burlington County Freeholder Kate Gibbs. Richter was displaced by lifelong Democrat Jeff Van Drew after he jumped ship to the red team in January. Now, supporters of Richter and Gibbs are digging in behind their respective candidates.

Gibbs already has the endorsement and backing of the Burlington County GOP, but Ocean County GOP Chairman Frank Holman has indicated that he is leaning towards Richter. This now puts Burlington’s GOP in a tough situation as they have already endorsed Richter for CD-2 and Gibbs for CD-3, putting them at odds with the Trump Administration who traded rally tickets and endorsements in return for endorsements for Van Drew.

Lots of behind the scenes horsetrading has taken place to make room in the party for Van Drew, but Gibbs said she won’t be the horse left in the stable for the big race, despite obvious pressure from GOP leadership, the same leadership who last year called for more young, conservative women to run for office.

“Anyone who thinks they can push me around doesn’t know anything about #SouthJersey women,” Gibbs said. “I was raised by a single mom who taught me how to stand up for myself and never back down from a challenge. To our party leaders who like to talk about empowering and supporting young Republican women to run and serve, well, here I am. The ball is in your court.”

OC GOP Chairman Frank Holman has thus far passed on Gibbs despite his 2019 chairman rally cry to build a more diverse party full of younger candidates and women. Gibbs offers the chairman both, but last week signaled his leaning towards Richter.

Holman endorsed Van Drew after receiving pressure and VIP tickets from the Trump campaign to do so. Burlington County who had endorsed Richter over Van Drew missed the bus on the Trump praise and tickets, according to insiders. Whether Richter’s last-minute switch will bring the Burlington GOP club back into favor remains to be seen. If Holman can horsetrade in Wildwood for a Presidential endorsement of Richter, it could mean Ocean County’s support will go to the transplant.

Republican women in New Jersey don’t want to hear any of that according to the Women for Stronger New Jersey PAC.

“As individuals, outside of our affiliation with WSNJ, we are committed to supporting Kate Gibbs. We will ensure that she has the strong financial support necessary to get her message out in the primary and general election,” read a joint statement from State Sen. Diane Allen, Candy Straight, Kathy Hugin, Laura Overdeck and Stacy Schuster.

Gibbs said she won’t be bossed around by the men who for the most part run the party.

“I’ve worked at the grassroots level for years to elect Republicans in South Jersey, was the youngest elected Freeholder Director in the state, cut taxes every year I was in office, and am proud to be a leader for the state building trades. I’m not stepping aside for anybody.” she said. “Especially not a seat shopper who apparently believes he’s entitled to party support — somewhere, anywhere. My motivation for running isn’t to wear a pin and get a title; I am running to serve the people of Burlington and Ocean Counties and I intend to win.”

“The historic lack of support for women seeking office at all levels has resulted in a lack of diversity among Republican candidates and officeholders in the party,” Senator Allen and her allies said. “Fortunately, we’re beginning to see a reversal of that trend. That’s why we were thrilled to see Kate Gibbs step up to run for Congress this year.”

Two lines on the June ballot in Ocean County can have dire consequences up and down the line, especially for incumbent Ocean County Freeholder Joe Vicari, who by no fault of his own, could be faced with a primary challenge by default against him.

Tonight, the only candidate in this election smiling is incumbent Democrat Congressman Andy Kim who continues raising money unopposed to face whoever rises from the ashes of what is shaping up to be another brutal primary election tearing at the seams of the once indivisible Ocean County GOP Organization.

Phil Stilton Latest posts

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.