North Jersey is a GOP stronghold?

[Penndems]

There's a caller on Randi Rhodes right now who's from there and says it's Republican. I thought northern NJ (Newark, Secaucus, etc.)was a Democratic stronghold.

(Greetings, neighbors, from Northern Virginia!) :hi:

[theboss]

1. Depends on the county

n/t

[bluestateguy]

2. Load of crap

Bergen County has become more and more Democratic in recent elections. He is making an outdated argument from 20 years ago. It would be like someone calling Texas a Democratic stronghold.

[ramapo]

7. Depends where you live

Northwest/West Jersey, much of South Jersey, and parts of Central Jersey are very Republican. The urban areas are heavily Democratic. Bergen is mostly suburban and very split, the more affluent towns are staunchly Republican, the rest are Democratic.

Pretty typical.

Overall the state has trended pretty heavily Democratic over the past twenty years.

[name not needed]

3. not all of it

Somerset, Morris and Hunterdon are run by the slimy bastards. Somerset is no suprise. You'd know if you lived here.

[private_ryan]

4. SOUTHERN NJ is

northen is solid Democrat. Lot's of hispanics (Cubans here too vote Dem) in Union City, Weehawken, blacks in Jersey City, Newark. There's no way Bush will take NJ. Just because one caller is doesn't mean anything.

[vi5]

6. I don't know...my in-laws are from southern jersey...

and I always feel like I see more democratic bumper stickers and signs when I am down there. Of course they are also really close to Philly so that could have something to do with it.

[Penndems]

8. We have a family friend who lives in Cape May

That area definitely looked to me to be GOP, LOL.

[ramapo]

10. The campaign passes us by

Looks like we won't see much of the Presidential contest here in NJ again. In 2000, the Republicans conceded NY and NJ early on so we saw very little advertising here in the Northern part of the state. I think the only candidate appearances were for fund raising. 2004 seems to be a repeat.

With no meaningful primary (for President at least) and no race for the state, we're relegated to bystander status.

Maybe South Jersey will feel a little more in the race since PA is contested and the Philadelphia media market spreads across much our South.

I'd like to see Kerry in person. The only candidate I ever met was John Anderson when he visited Hackensack in 1980. I remember he had a bit of a clammy handshake.

[Salmo Trutta]

20. South Jersey

is a world of it's own, but I would have to say it leans to the right.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi Salmo Trutta!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[vi5]

5. I live in Morris County in Northern NJ and I always feel...

like it's (r) hellishness. I'll rarely see bumper stickers or signs for dem candidates where I am.

Although I was semi-surprised to go to that fund race site and see a decent amount of dem donations, but not many thats for sure.

[name not needed]

18. Same thing in Somerset County.

Bridgewater was the Dem holdout for 20 years. Then, last year, Repukes took control.

[CO Liberal]

19. I Grew Up in Morris Township

When my family moved there in 1953 and my parents registered to vote, the local Election Board called my mother and BEGGED her to become a polling place worker, because they had trouble getting enough Democrats. She worked the polling place at the Mt. Kemble Fire House for years, until he health failed her....

[NewJerseyDem]

9. Only GOP stronghold is pretty much the northwest

Sussex County, Warren County, Hunterdon county, Morris County, northern Passaic county, and most of Somerset county is all very republican. Fortunately, they aren't that heavily populated. They are represented in the legislature by the "mountain men" which are really right wing. Those are pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax types that are different from the moderate GOPers in other parts of the state.

Also, Cape May county is very republican, but that is a small area. Much of south jersey is fairly moderate but the 3 or 4 south jersey congressional districts all voted for Gore.

Other areas like older suburbs of northern Bergen county, western Union county and western Essex county were once very republican. But, now these areas are becoming more democratic. For instance, the very wealthy city of Summit has a democratic mayor for at least 100 years, if not ever. Westfield also had its first democratic mayor in about 100 years, back in the '90s. And Bergen County has its first democratic county executive ever, I believe. So, these ares are changing because they are liberal on social issues like abortion, gay rights and gun control while moderate on issues like trade and taxes. So, they are usually republican in state politics but democratic nationally.

[Jersey Devil]

11. She is not talking about Newark, and that is not "north jersey"

Sure Newark, Jersey City, etc., are in the north but the northermost counties of Bergen and Passaic are generally Republican (also Morris and Sussex). Bergen County govt is presently under Dem control but it's the first time since Lyndon Johnson.

Also, a good part of Bergen is gerrymandered into a district with Warren, Sussex, etc. that guarantees a Repub member of congress - the 5th.

Check this map - I live in the top right corner, northern Bergen, in Scott Garrett's district - 5th

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/gis/maps/congressional.pdf

[NJCher]

13. Ugh

Scott Garrett. I drove all the way up from Essex to help the Dem challenger try to beat him.


Cher

[absolutezero]

24. bergen is dem

the republican party here suffered a few massive beatdowns in recent elections and has all but given up. they tend to focus on municipalities where they still have a chance and getting out repub votes for the national election

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. The big problem with Warren.

We are treated as the sick man of NJ. "You'll get nothing and like it" is our mantra, out here in the broccoli. One of the problems we have is that in the assembly and senate, we are in the 23rd district, with most of Hunterdon. Hunterdon has been called "The place where people who work all week in companies where they have to toe the line on affirmative action, political correctness and non-discrimination live, because they can go home and act exactly the way they want, no matter how badly". You wouldn't believe it if I told you the name of the repuke politician who said that. ;-)

Our two representatives in the state legislature are Connie Myers and Mike Doherty. One is a recluse and the other would play with his brain if he had one. Neither has any drag in the repuke party. Mike is a running joke and recently built himself a lot of bad juju with the repuke state headquarters with his comments. He likes to go around and say he's gonna be governor and run against and beat Corzine. This from a man who drools. Connie? Gah. Don't get me started. I just don't want to go there.

Len Lance is a pretty good man, old-style, Episcopalian-type Repug. He tries, but falls short, especially now that the repukes are out of power and still falling in the state as a whole. His star is on the ascendancy in the repukes, but to no clear effect for us.

As far as the 5th is concerned, someone ought to get a class-action going on that mess. Really. It's just wrong.

The Dems HAVE to get their freak on and get to work at the grassroots in all of North Jersey. Have to. There is absolutely no reason for them to concede this part of the state, considering what the economy is like out here, the land of mortgages. If you ain't makin' $125K/yr, you are struggling and most are struggling.

I can go on for days about this subject. I am at ground zero of it and am working my ass off to turn it around, in the ways I can.

[Doosh]

14. Northwest Jersey Counties are GOP strongholds

Morris, Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon are Gooper counties, probably Somerset too.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

15. I hope to see some Kerry bumper stickers soon

I saw 1 anti-bush sticker the other day.

[absolutezero]

16. newark is central jersey

the northern tip of it anyway....
I'm from bergen county, the repubs are all but extinct here...they hide in their houses and yell at people ocassionally but thats about it

I don't even think the republican party is challenging Rothman for congress this year only independants and greens

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Rothman has a Republican opponent

In northern New Jersey's 9th District, where there was no Republican on Tuesday's ballot, former Fair Lawn Mayor Edward Trawinski won a write-in campaign for the GOP nomination to face Democratic Rep. Steven Rothman in November.

Republicans in the Bergen County-dominated district had recruited another candidate to run this spring, but that person backed out and the April filing deadline passed before the party could field a replacement. Not wanting Rothman to go unchallenged, party leaders asked Trawinski to mount his write-in candidacy. Libertarian Party candidate David Daly of Fort Lee is also running against Rothman.

more: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1086850364281450.xml

[absolutezero]

23. bullcrap

i'm from bergen county, the republican party doesn't exist here, i don't think they're even running someone against Steve Rothman (Fairlawn) for the house seat