So now that election day has come and gone, some in the supposed ‘in the know’ say that New Jersey is now a Blue state. Before this they termed New Jersey as a purple state, this means that we were what the political insiders call a ‘swing’ state.
We have elected both Republican Governors and representatives in the past and with this election cycle the Democrats have swept aside most of the Republicans. So now I guess we can be again termed a blue state.
Per Wikipedia, “Unaffiliated is a status for registered voters in New Jersey. Those voters who do not specify a political party affiliation when they register to vote are listed as unaffiliated.[7] Affiliated voters may change their status to unaffiliated or to another political party if they wish, although any such change must be filed with the state 55 days before the primary election. As of 2017, there were 2.4 million unaffiliated voters in New Jersey, more than members of any party in the state.[8]”
This may shock some and yet this does not surprise me at all. With all the political craziness going on, it makes sense that so many more people have no part affiliation.
Insider NJ reported the following, “The New Jersey electorate tends to vote center-left, and the unaffiliated voters hold the ideological balance.
Unaffiliated voters perceive the Democrats as being preferable on public provisioning issues, such as education, public health, and safety net programs. They give Republicans the edge on the issues of state taxes (income and sales) and public safety, while viewing both parties as failures on local property taxes.
When unaffiliated voters perceive state tax and public safety issues as more important than public provisioning issues, they will vote in a center-right direction, both in gubernatorial and legislative elections.
New Jersey is not California – it has never been an ultra-liberal state.
Even core Democrats will reject ultra-liberal candidates. Case in point: The 2016 New Jersey Democratic Presidential Primary, in which Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders by nearly 27 percent.”
If Insider NJ is correct and I believe they are, then those on the ultra-liberal left or the ultra-conservative right better forget about running for political office here in New Jersey.
What I think this state’s color is more a purplish color with tinge of blue rather than blue or red. Why I say that is because of the fact we have far more Independents than either Democrats or Republicans.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
