Democrats now have the edge in Monmouth and Somerset

By Wally Edge

For the first time in state history, Democrats outnumber Republicans in Monmouth and Somerset counties – both places where the GOP holds most county and state offices. And in two other Republican-controlled counties, Burlington and Atlantic, Democrats now enjoy a substantial edge.

In Monmouth, Democratic registration has increased by 36,000 voters since the 2004 election, while Republicans have increased by 18,000. The number of unaffiliated voters has decreased by 49,000. In total, there are now 104,777 Democrats and 93,598 Republicans out of 412,053 total voters.

Somerset County had 38,564 Republicans and 23,446 Democrats in November 2004. That edge has shifted significantly: there are now 48,596 Democrats and 48,557 Republicans out of 181,513 total voters.

Party registration in Burlington has been within a few hundred voters of even for the last decade. Now Democrats have an edge of nearly 25,000 voters. In 2004, Burlington had 53,938 Democrats and 53,143 Republicans out of 264,532. In 2008, there are 89,528 Democrats and 64,963 Republicans out of 266,592 total voters.

In Atlantic, there are now 50,610 Democrats and 41,756 Republicans out of 169,252 voters. Four years ago, there were 29,087 Democrats and 36,431 Republicans out of 153,016 voters.

Democrats have also seen tremendous gains in Bergen County: 61,000 more Democrats than in 2004, as compared to 11,000 more Republicans. (The number of unaffiliated voters in Bergen has dropped over the last four years by 69,000.

In two other politically competitive counties, Democrats have also increased their voter registration edge: by 6,000 in Cumberland County and by 3,000 in Salem County.

Republicans still have advantages in Cape May, Hunterdon, Morris, Ocean, Sussex and Warren counties, but Democrats have added to their numbers at a faster rate. And Democrats have made substantial gains to their voter registration edges in Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, and Union counties.

WALLY EDGE can be reached via email at politicsnj@aol.com.

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Comments

For the Republican Party to

posted by Demand Results

For the Republican Party to become viable again they have to embrace knowledge and intelligence instead of treating it like a liability. Otherwise the map will continue to shrink

10/15/08 3:56 pm

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Viability

posted by Patrick

No, for the GOP to become relevant to most of these folks it would have to endorse socialism, which would rather defeat the purpose of the Party in the first instance. New Jersey has become a haven for sponges -- people living off of their neighbor's efforts. Everybody's got their hand out, or in someone else's pocket.

Republicans look at the calamitous state of affairs in Trenton and react in shock that the people simply simply don't care. Job losses mount, taxes explode, spending mushrooms, borrowing skyrockets, the economy tanks, and, yet, the voters keep reelecting the architects of those failed policies.

If the electorate wanted "knowledge and intelligence", not a single Democrat would remain in Trenton. One must conclude, then, that the voters prefer socialism, class envy, and pandering to intellect.

10/15/08 5:22 pm