Toms River Republican Leader Under Fire Over Anti-Trump Stance

Posted by Phil Stilton

3 mins read

August 12, 2026

Screenshots circulating online show the Republican club's re-elected chairman previously identifying himself as a "Never Trumper" and commenting "8647" on a social media post about President Donald Trump.

Toms River, NJ – Earlier this year, Peter Van Dyke, a Toms River lawyer, won his re-election bid for the chairmanship of the Toms River Republican Committee, an influential committee that chooses candidates to be on the ballot as Republicans in the township.

Now, Van Dyke is under fire by Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick for his past criticism of President Donald Trump and is accused of being a “Never Trump” Republican.

A post shared widely on the internet today is being attributed to Peter Van Dyke.

“He’s a Democrat, he’s always been a Democrat and he hates Trump,” Mayor Rodrick said on Wednesday.

Van Dyke is the chairman of the Toms River Republican County Committee that will play a major role in determining who will be the next Republican Party-endorsed mayor in the next election.

This week, Van Dyke, whose name has been mentioned in political circles to run for mayor in Toms River in 2027, has drawn attention to social media posts in which he publicly described himself as a “Never Trumper” and supported the controversial phrase “8647” in connection with President Donald Trump.

We reached out to Van Dyke and other Toms River GOP leaders to confirm his anti-Trump stance, but have not received any responses.

Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick, who has shown his support for President Trump’s initiatives, says that Peter Van Dyke’s comments do not represent him or the township. Rodrick, a Republican, has been at odds with the Toms River Regular Republican Club and the Mo-Hill backed Republicans for Toms River Club.

The two clubs recently announced a unification to restore and regain control of the township’s professional contracts, appointments, and confidential assistant jobs cut under Rodrick’s cost-cutting measures, and to push to overturn Rodrick’s anti-over-development agenda in the township.

Part of that agenda includes reversing Rodrick’s denial of the downtown twin towers affordable housing apartment building in Downtown Toms River. Van Dyke’s law office is also located in the Downtown Toms River Business Improvement District (BID).

In June, the Toms River GOP announced Van Dyke’s re-election in a Facebook post congratulating him on another term as chairman, along with Ashley Lamb on her election as vice chairwoman, earlier this year. Lamb, the President of the Toms River School Board and recently appointed deputy clerk for Ocean County

“Their leadership, dedication, and commitment to our community continue to strengthen the Republican organization here in Toms River,” the club wrote. “We look forward to working together to advance conservative values and serve the residents of our township.”

Rodrick says Van Dyke, who is a former registered Democrat who changed parties after he was hired by former Mayor Thomas Kelaher is neither a Republican or conservative.

“He only became a Republican because Kelaher hired him,” Rodrick said. Rodrick said he also has other audio and video depicting the Van Dyke’s anti-Trump and anti-Republican stances.

Social media posts resurface

Following the announcement, screenshots from Peter Van Dyke’s Facebook activity began circulating online; it is not known where they originated.

In one screenshot, a Peter Van Dyke commented on a Facebook post asking, “Who can honestly say that they never supported Donald Trump even for a single moment?”

Peter Van Dyke replied, “Been a Never Trumper since the 80s.”

In another comment visible in the same screenshot, Van Dyke added “8647.”

The phrase “8647” has been used in political discussions online with differing interpretations. Some people use “86” as slang for “remove” or “reject,” while others have interpreted the phrase as implying violence toward the 47th president. Federal officials have previously investigated public uses of the phrase in other contexts after it appeared in social media posts involving President Trump.

No public response

As of Wednesday, Peter Van Dyke has not publicly addressed the resurfaced screenshots of the “8647” or anti-Trump sentiment shared by the Toms River GOP Chairman.

Shore News Network has reached out to Peter Van Dyke and the Toms River Republican Club for comment regarding the alleged screenshots and will update this story if a response is received. We have also reached out to the Toms River Republican Club, Toms River Republican Club President Carmen Memoli, Ocean County GOP spokesperson Tom Bonfonti, and Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore for comment.

None have responded to our request for comment or denied the allegations.

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