WASHINGTON -- A survivor of the mass murder at a South Florida high school is calling out state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat who is the favorite to succeed retiring Rep. Frank LoBiondo in the U.S. House.

David Hogg, who became an activist for new gun laws after 17 people were killed at his Parkland high school, criticized Van Drew for receiving support from the National Rifle Association.

Van Drew, D-Cape May, holds an A rating from the powerful gun rights organization, according to Project Vote Smart.

Remember both Democrats and Republicans take #NRABloodMoney Just look up New Jersey state senator @JeffVanDrew, he’s a Democrat with An A rating from the NRA. — David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 28, 2018

Van Drew said that while his legislative campaign received an NRA donation a decade ago, he has pledged not to accept contributions from the group for his congressional run.

"As a supporter of the Second Amendment, I feel that I'm uniquely the right voice we need in Congress to find common sense agreement combatting gun violence and break the dysfunction in Washington," he said, citing his support to ban bump stocks and for universal background checks.

"We need better coordination between the FBI, local law enforcement and schools, strengthening school safety and by working together to find common sense solutions that respect the Second Amendment while reducing gun violence in America," Van Drew said.

Hogg's tweet was first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Van Drew is one of the most conservative Democrats in Trenton, and his voting record and fundraising prowess has made him the favorite to flip the 2nd Congressional District to Democratic from Republican.

The fund raising arm for the national Democratic congressional candidates has named him to its list of Democrats most likely to win Republican-held congressional districts this fall. And the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, acknowledged a "recruiting hole" in the district.

Van Drew's Democratic opponents have seized on the gun issue in advance of the June 5 primary as they badly trail him in fundraising.

Van Drew had $456,028 in the bank entering April, while retired schoolteacher Tanzie Youngblood had just $14,102 and former congressional aide Will Cunningham had $45,986. The fourth candidate in the race, political activist Nate Kleiman, didn't report raising any money.

"We need to get our message out to the voters of this district and prevent Jeff Van Drew from winning this primary," Youngblood said in an email to supporters on Monday. "To do that, our campaign needs to raise some more money for these final weeks. I'm proud to be funded by the people and not special interests like the NRA."

Cunningham also sought to use the issue to fill his campaign coffers.

"In Congress, I will stand strong against the NRA's extreme agenda and will always put the safety of our children first," he wrote. "Let's show the NRA that now is not the time for politics as usual."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.