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Continued From Page 8 Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v . Wade and returned the abortion rights issue to the states has energized Democratic voters , especially women . He maintained “ this is not the cycle we thought it was going to be .”
The Democrats ’ confidence could also be based on the benefits they received in the redistricting . An analysis done by Rasmussen shows the Democratic pluralities grew for incumbents in Districts 3 , 5 and 11 .
For example , in District 5 in 2020 when Pallotta first tried to unseat Gottheimer , he lost by 32,000 votes . Under the new map , there are 18,000 more Democrats in the district and 21,000 fewer Republicans .
Democrat voters grew by 17,000 in District 3 also . The GOP base was reduced by 20,000 voters , giving Kim a 37,000-vote cushion in his re-election campaign . When he was first elected in 2020 , he won by 33,500 votes .
Sherrill ’ s District 11 saw a 39,000-vote swing toward Democrats in the redistricting . In the 2020 race Sherrill beat her opponent by 29,000 votes . The incumbent also had $ 6.1 million on hand in the June 30 campaign finance report file , compared to $ 280,000 in DeGroot ’ s account .
Hugin said the new congressional map is an example of “ bad gerrymandering ” aimed at diluting the Republicans ’ votes . There are only two Republicans in the N . J . delegation : Rep .
Chris Smith from Manchester who is seeking his 22nd term in District 4 and Rep . Jeff Van Drew , a former Democrat who converted to the GOP , and is seeking re-election South Jersey ’ s District 2 .
The Republican chairman said the November elections are tremendously important for the nation because “ wrong decisions ” are being made in Washington , D . C ., on economic , social , educational and cultural issues . He bemoaned the rising inflation and increasing gas prices . “ We ’ re seeing no solutions on the horizon . We ’ re in for a decade of terrible economic performance if we don ’ t have a better result in this election ,” he said .
The New Jersey GOP is investing in a strong get-out-the-vote campaign , Hugin said . “ The people in the state and across the nation are standing up and they will move the country and the state back in the right direction .”
Yet , Democrat Chairman Jones was equally impassioned in his contention that his party must continue in its leadership role . He said the mid-term election are critical because “ our democracy is at stake .”
He said the Supreme Court ruling on abortion and recent voting and civil rights cases “ over the last several months have been an assault on our rights . … We ’ re at a critical point in our democracy and we must work to preserve it .”
Jones maintained the country ’ s economy is trending in the right direction and the new infrastructure bill will improve communities and the quality of life across the nation .
The Democratic party head said he is ready to spend “ wisely and strategically ” to get the vote out . “ We will push turnout of Democrats , Independents and unaffiliated voters looking for a better future in New Jersey , looking for a federal government responsive to the needs of everyday people .”
Young people registering to vote has increased in record numbers during this election cycle .
Photo : Getty Images / iStockphoto / LPETTET Photo : Getty Images / iStockphoto / SeventyFour
Many New Jersey voters will cast their ballots in new districts since the congressional map was redrawn based on the latest U . S . census .
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