New Jersey politics is usually pretty predictable. You look at a map, you see a sea of blue with some red pockets in the northwest and south, and you call it a day. But the 2024 New Jersey election results actually threw some serious curveballs that have political junkies and casual voters alike scratching their heads.
Honestly, it wasn't just about who won or lost. It was about how much the ground shifted.
For the first time in over thirty years, a Republican presidential candidate came within single digits of winning the Garden State. While Kamala Harris took the state’s 14 electoral votes, her margin was roughly 6%, a massive drop from Joe Biden’s 16% gap in 2020. People are calling it a "rightward lurch," and the numbers back that up.
The Top of the Ticket: A Tight Squeeze
The presidential race was the big story. Harris pulled in 2,220,713 votes (51.97%), while Donald Trump secured 1,968,215 (46.06%).
That’s a gap of about 250,000 votes. Sounds like a lot? In 2020, that gap was over 700,000.
Trump actually flipped Atlantic County and made deep inroads in places like Passaic and Hudson. Even in deep-blue Newark (Essex County), the Democratic turnout took a hit. According to data certified by the state, voter turnout hovered around 65%—the lowest for a presidential year in over a decade.
Andy Kim’s Historic Jump to the Senate
While the top of the ticket was tightening, Andy Kim was busy making history.
After a wild primary where he basically took down the "county line" system—a weird NJ quirk where party bosses picked ballot placement—Kim cruised to victory in the general election. He defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw with 53.6% of the vote.
Kim is now the first Korean American in the U.S. Senate. He’s also the first Asian American to represent New Jersey there.
He didn't just win; he outperformed Harris in several key areas. For example, Kim managed to flip Gloucester County and hold onto Passaic even as Trump was winning those same voters. It shows that NJ voters are perfectly happy to split their tickets if they like the person running.
What Happened in the House?
New Jersey sends 12 people to the House of Representatives. Going into the night, the split was 9 Democrats and 3 Republicans.
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After all the dust settled, that 9-3 split stayed exactly the same.
The Seventh District was the one everyone watched. Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr. faced off against Sue Altman. It was supposed to be a nail-biter. Instead, Kean won by about 5 points (52.5% to 45.7%). It turns out Kean’s moderate branding and famous last name still carry a ton of weight in the leafy suburbs of Hunterdon and Warren counties.
Down in the Third District, where Andy Kim left an open seat, Democrat Herb Conaway kept the seat blue. He beat Republican Rajesh Mohan with about 53% of the vote.
Over in the Ninth District, Nellie Pou had big shoes to fill after the passing of long-time Congressman Bill Pascrell. She won, but it was closer than people expected—only about an 11,000-vote margin over Republican Billy Prempeh.
Why the Shift?
If you talk to folks in South Jersey or the urban centers up north, you hear the same things: "Everything is too expensive."
The economy was the driving force behind the 2024 New Jersey election results. AP VoteCast data suggested that about 37% of NJ voters cited the economy as their top issue. When people can't afford eggs or rent, they tend to look for change, even in a "safe" blue state.
There was also a noticeable shift in the Hispanic and Muslim communities. In Passaic County, which has a large Muslim population, third-party candidate Jill Stein picked up a significant chunk of votes (around 3,900 more than the Green Party got in 2020). Many voters cited the administration's handling of the war in Gaza as a reason to look elsewhere.
Local Shocks and Clerk Races
It wasn't all federal. Some local races showed just how much the "old guard" is changing.
In Camden County, Pamela Lampitt won her race for County Clerk by a healthy margin, but the fact that a sitting Assemblywoman felt the need to jump to a county-level role shows how much shuffling is happening behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, in Bergen County—the state's most populous—Democrats held onto the Sheriff’s office and the Commissioner board, but the margins were tighter than the 2010s-era blowouts.
The Turnout Problem
You probably saw the lines on the news. People waiting two hours to vote early. You’d think that meant record-breaking turnout, right?
Nope.
Total ballots cast were around 4.3 million. That’s roughly 250,000 fewer than in 2020.
Experts like Julia Sass Rubin from Rutgers suggest that because New Jersey wasn't a "swing state" for the presidency, many voters just stayed home. The long lines were often caused by people learning to use new voting machines or a lack of equipment at early voting sites, rather than a massive surge in total voters.
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Actionable Insights for the Future
If you're looking at these results and wondering what's next for the Garden State, keep an eye on these three things:
- The 2025 Governor’s Race: With Phil Murphy term-limited, the 2024 shift suggests the GOP might actually have a shot if they run a moderate. Watch how candidates like Jack Ciattarelli or Mikie Sherrill (if she runs) frame their economic messages.
- The Death of the "Line": Andy Kim’s lawsuit changed how ballots look. Candidates now have to stand on their own merit rather than being tucked into a cozy "party line" corner. This will make primaries way more competitive and expensive.
- Voter Outreach: Democrats can no longer take "base" areas for granted. The 2024 New Jersey election results showed that working-class voters in places like Hudson and Essex are willing to defect or stay home if the messaging doesn't hit home.
The 2024 cycle proved that New Jersey isn't a monolith. It's a complicated, expensive, and increasingly purple-tinted state that requires more than just a "D" or "R" next to a name to win.
If you want to stay ahead of the next cycle, start by checking your voter registration status now through the New Jersey Division of Elections website. It's also worth attending a local town hall or council meeting; the shifts we saw in 2024 often start at the municipal level before they ever hit the federal stage.