Republicans Gain On Democrats As New Jersey Primary Election Creeps Closer

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey Republicans are outpacing Democrats when it comes to adding new voters, the latest election data shows.

Democrats still heavily outweigh Republicans in New Jersey, which has traditionally skewed blue on Election Day. But the GOP has been closing the gap since President Donald Trump took office in January.

According to data from the New Jersey Division of Elections, there are 2,449,526 registered Democrats in New Jersey and 1,621,669 Republicans as of May 1. The state also has 2,418,977 unaffiliated voters and 75,113 voters registered with a third-party.

Republicans have gained 7,529 voters between March and May. Meanwhile, Democrats gained 1,202 voters over the same time period.

Although nearly 6 percent more New Jersey voters cast presidential ballots for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, Trump still tallied more than 1.96 million votes in the Garden State. Across the state, Republicans flipped five New Jersey counties from blue to red last year.

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PRIMARY ELECTION

Democratic and Republican candidates will face off for their party’s nomination in a primary election on June 10. The voter registration deadline is May 20. Early voting will take place between June 3 and June 8.

Learn more about voting in New Jersey here.

This year’s primary election includes a hotly contested race to replace Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term-limited and can’t run again.

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THIRD-PARTIES

Under current law, the Democratic and Republican parties are the only "recognized political parties" in New Jersey – which has drawn criticism from third-party candidates in the past. Read More: ‘Big Money’ Rules NJ Governor Debates, Third-Party Candidates Say

Third-party candidates in New Jersey won’t be on the ballot in the upcoming primary election. But they will be matching up against the Democratic and Republican winners in the general election on Nov. 4.

Here are the most recent voter registration totals for New Jersey’s third-parties:

• Libertarian Party – 24,388
• Conservative Party – 13,632
• Green Party – 11,783
• U.S. Constitution Party – 11,472
• Socialist Party of New Jersey – 7,295
• Natural Law Party – 5,162
• Reform Party – 1,381

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