Democrats held onto the New Jersey General Assembly early Wednesday morning, sealing a clean sweep of both chambers after fending off a spirited Republican challenge.
New Jersey’s Democratic Party capitalized on the topic of abortion access to combat motivating issues for Republicans, such as the economy and parental rights.
As of 12.40 a.m., Democrats held at least 45 of the 80 seats, according to the Associated Press.
STATE RACES TO WATCH IN THE 2023 ELECTIONS
All 120 seats in New Jersey’s state legislature, both in the General Assembly and the state Senate, were up for election on Tuesday. Several subjects leveraged by either party made for close battles across the state in the 80-person Assembly.
New Jersey, while not a traditionally progressive state, has consistently voted blue in recent years. And while voters may not lean to the Left across every topic, they are predominantly pro-abortion rights. With just over one year since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, pollsters and Democrats in the state insisted that it was very much on voters’ minds.
On the other hand, the topics of parental rights and how to handle transgender issues in the classroom made their way to New Jersey prior to the election.
Parents across the state rallied around those subjects, and the activism was not limited to Republicans. In an October poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University, the majority of New Jersey residents, 52%, said that “parents should have some control over what’s taught in schools.” It had a particularly significant effect on political independents, whose high proclivity to vote Democratic decreased dramatically when primed with the topic of parental rights.
Another issue that bubbled up just before Election Day in a blow to Democrats was the end of the decreasingly popular offshore wind turbine plan of Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ). Last week, Denmark-based company Orsted backed out of a billion-dollar plan to build two wind farms on New Jersey’s coast. The project had long been a part of Murphy’s agenda.
In a statement following the news, Murphy said: “I remain committed to ensuring that New Jersey becomes a global leader in offshore wind — which is critical to our economic, environmental, and clean energy future.”
New Jersey Republican Party Bob Hugin accused Democrats in the state of “wanting to industrialize the ocean” in a recent interview with the Washington Examiner.
Further, Democrats and Republicans acknowledged the economy was one of the driving factors for voters. Across the country, people have indicated they are struggling, and a majority of voters have disapproved of President Joe Biden‘s handling of the economy. In a positive sign for Republicans, polls have shown more trust in the GOP to handle the economy than the Democratic Party.
Historic amounts were spent on the off-year elections in the Garden State in 2023, with roughly $28 million being poured into legislative races by both candidates and independent groups. Some of the districts that saw the most money were legislative districts 3, 4, 11, and 16. Democratic candidates had a significant edge over their Republican counterparts.
Several groups waded into pivotal competitions across the state, with Democratic organizations such as Middle Ground PAC, Brighter Future Forward PAC, and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nick Scutari’s Prosperity Rising NJ PAC spending over $7 million. On the other side, Republican-aligned groups Stronger Foundations, Strengthen Our State, Women for a Stronger New Jersey, and the Republican State Leadership Committee spent just under $4 million.
In October, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee made a late entrance into the statewide races, spending $50,000 on Democratic campaigns in the 11th, 16th, and 38th districts.
“We aren’t taking anything for granted,” interim President Heather Williams said. “The Democratic trifecta in New Jersey is what protects people from MAGA extremism, and we must elect our DLCC Spotlight Candidates to maintain our majorities and keep New Jersey moving forward.”
When it came to early and absentee voting, the New Jersey Democratic Party expressed confidence in its ability to turn out the vote. Republicans, while pushing for increased early and mail-in voting, didn’t signal the same confidence. However, the party indicated significant investments had been made to promote the practices.
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The RSLC also debuted a $1 million ad to promote voting by mail in September, assuring voters that the method is both “safe and secure.”
Despite these efforts, Republicans were lagging behind Democrats in early and absentee voting with just days to the election.
