Ballots are somehow still being tabulated across the country, Save Jerseyans, because our electoral system is insane and corrupt. But as of now, New Jersey saw the second largest swing toward Donald Trump of any state in the Union, a remarkable shift for a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican nominee since 1988.
Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report summarized where things stand as of now:
Biggest swings towards Trump, by state (w/ several million ballots still to be tabulated):
1. New York 11.5%
2. New Jersey 10.2%
3. Florida 9.8%
4. Massachusetts 8.7%
5. California 8.4%
6. Texas 8.3%
7. Mississippi 7.7%
8. Wyoming 7.3%
9. Rhode Island 7.0%
10. Tennessee 6.5%— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 18, 2024
Trump came within approximately 5-points of flipping New Jersey this November after falling short by over 16-points in 2020 during the pandemic.
He also flipped multiple counties including Atlantic, Cumberland, Morris, Gloucester and Passaic counties and romped (relative for a Republican) in heavily-Hispanic areas including some wards of Newark dominated by Portuguese immigrants.
The Garden State’s sharp rightward turn is generating new national interest in next year’s gubernatorial context especially after the GOP fell on 3-points short of winning Drumthwacket in 2021.
