By Matt Rooney
The big news at Tuesday night’s NJ-07 Democrat debate wasn’t anything the kooky contestants challenging Tom Kean Jr. in November had to say. We’ve heard it all before!
Speaking with members of the media, New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari confirmed that his party is considering a redraw of the state’s congressional map, but he later clarified that they’re aiming for 2028. Governor Sherrill is already on record stating that she’s open to the Garden State joining the national race between red and blue states to squeeze extra seats out of their respective maps ahead of the upcoming midterm elections:
Just talked to Scutari to clarify a bit about his remarks. He’s looking at putting an amendment on the ballot this year. It would be for redrawing districts for the 2028 cycle. It’s too late to do it for 2026. https://t.co/tJGQaXwxcj
— Matt Friedman (@MattFriedmanNJ) May 13, 2026
Is it possible to make the map more blue?
Yes, and maybe not.
The current map is already the product of a corrupt D gerrymander. I’ve seen operatives produce hypothetical 11-1 maps (we presently have three Republican members and nine Democrats). But it’s risky. New Jersey isn’t as blue as California or New York, so some of the new Democrats seats may not be “safe” meaning a 2024-like result in 2028 could actually produce an INCREASE in GOP seats.
Another potential obstacle is incumbent preference. The current blue districts are largely drawn to serve the constituencies of the present occupants of the respective seats. Shifting towns between blue districts in a newly line-less state would inevitably produce a spate of vicious, expense 2028 intra-party primary contests.
We’ll see what happens, Save Jerseyans. The pressure of Democrats to redistrict is currently approaching “you must impeach the Orange Man” levels, meaning Scutari, Sherrill and Speaker Coughlin may find themselves backed into a wall. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they try to forget the entire thing by Christmas.
