As New Jersey heads into the final weeks of a contentious race for governor, Democrats still have the most registered voters in the state.
But Republican have made significant gains in registrations — adding nearly 164,000 voters over the last four years, according to the latest data released by the state Division of Elections.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill are both vying to replace outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy in November’s election. All 80 seats in the state Assembly are also on the ballot along with local races.
There were more than 6.6 million registered voters in New Jersey as of Oct. 1, according to the latest voter registration data.
More than 4.2 million, nearly two thirds of all voters, are registered with a party in New Jersey.
Democrats continue to outnumber Republicans with more than 38% of all registered New Jersey voters, according to the latest numbers. About 25% of voters were registered as Republicans as of Oct. 1.
About 35% of voters are unaffiliated, the new data says. The remaining voters, less than 2%, are affiliated with smaller political parties, including the Green Party and the Libertarian Party.
But the number of Republicans has surged since 2021, with the party gaining more than 163,800 voters in the past four years — an increase of more than 10%.
The GOP has gained voters in 20 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Only Somerset didn’t see an increase. But even in that county, the decline was minimal with the number of Republicans decreasing by less than a tenth of a percent.
Meanwhile, Democrats have lost more than 51,000 voters since 2021, the latest numbers show. That is a loss of about 2% of the party’s registered voters.
The number of Democrats shrank in 14 counties. Cumberland saw the biggest decline with Democrats decreasing by more than 8%.
There hasn’t been much change in the numbers statewide since the June primary despite efforts to get more voters registered for the general election.
Overall, New Jersey added 35,000 new voters since June, a change of about half a percent, according to the latest numbers. Neither Democrats nor Republicans made large gains.
Every county saw a decrease in unaffiliated voters and increases in both Democrats and Republicans since June, suggesting already registered voters declared party affiliations to be able to vote in the state’s closed primaries.
Voter registration for the Nov. 4 general election closes on Oct. 14, so the numbers could change a bit before the polls open.
Party affiliation isn’t always an indicator of how a county will vote. Unlike in the primaries, voters can cast ballots across party lines, and are not limited to voting for candidates from the same party.
New Jersey is one of two states electing a governor this November, along with Virginia. Both races are the first major contests since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, and are viewed as an early mark of public perception of his presidency.
Here is a county-by-county breakdown of registered voters and how many each party gained or lost since the last gubernatorial election in 2021:
Atlantic County
Democrats: 69,129
Republicans: 61,430
Unaffiliated: 70,811
How the county has changed: Atlantic County lost 4,124 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 5,349 registered Democrats and gained 4,184 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Bergen County
Democrats: 253,404
Republicans: 163,434
Unaffiliated: 254,486
How the county has changed: Bergen County lost 11,839 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 11,426 registered Democrats and gained 12,696 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Burlington County
Democrats: 142,962
Republicans: 98,481
Unaffiliated: 123,286
How the county has changed: Burlington County gained 3,467 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 3,104 registered Democrats and gained 7,565 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Camden County
Democrats: 181,154
Republicans: 71,023
Unaffiliated: 132,054
How the county has changed: Camden County lost 7,879 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 8,569 registered Democrats and gained 6,464 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Cape May County
Democrats: 18,593
Republicans: 34,207
Unaffiliated: 22,896
How the county has changed: Cape May County lost 631 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 68 registered Democrats and gained 2,235 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Cumberland County
Democrats: 31,541
Republicans: 25,617
Unaffiliated: 37,863
How the county has changed: Cumberland County lost 461 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 2,815 registered Democrats and gained 2,780 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Essex County
Democrats: 293,925
Republicans: 65,501
Unaffiliated: 201,479
How the county has changed: Essex County lost 7,735 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 5,420 registered Democrats and gained 6,974 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Gloucester County
Democrats: 85,221
Republicans: 67,162
Unaffiliated: 73,653
How the county has changed: Gloucester County lost 7,344 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 3,619 registered Democrats and gained 9,286 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Hudson County
Democrats: 224,909
Republicans: 54,577
Unaffiliated: 142,546
How the county has changed: Hudson County gained 4,632 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 6,186 registered Democrats and gained 9,650 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Hunterdon County
Democrats: 31,377
Republicans: 44,051
Unaffiliated: 30,741
How the county has changed: Hunterdon County lost 4,499 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 2,141 registered Democrats and gained 2,261 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Mercer County
Democrats: 119,176
Republicans: 43,737
Unaffiliated: 100,582
How the county has changed: Mercer County gained 1,648 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 2,470 registered Democrats and gained 2,091 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Middlesex County
Democrats: 239,294
Republicans: 112,140
Unaffiliated: 224,700
How the county has changed: Middlesex County lost 4,934 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 12,169 registered Democrats and gained 14,986 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Monmouth County
Democrats: 141,921
Republicans: 168,426
Unaffiliated: 188,297
How the county has changed: Monmouth County lost 9,929 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 2,210 registered Democrats and gained 21,493 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Morris County
Democrats: 118,192
Republicans: 137,596
Unaffiliated: 128,785
How the county has changed: Morris County lost 12,291 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 613 registered Democrats and gained 1,380 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Ocean County
Democrats: 103,374
Republicans: 200,431
Unaffiliated: 168,415
How the county has changed: Ocean County lost 11,614 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 1,558 registered Democrats and gained 29,220 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Passaic County
Democrats: 133,814
Republicans: 80,508
Unaffiliated: 120,009
How the county has changed: Ocean County lost 11,614 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 1,558 registered Democrats and gained 29,220 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Salem County
Democrats: 14,517
Republicans: 16,474
Unaffiliated: 18,082
How the county has changed: Ocean County lost 11,614 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 1,558 registered Democrats and gained 29,220 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Somerset County
Democrats: 91,971
Republicans: 66,432
Unaffiliated: 97,592
How the county has changed: Somerset County lost 3,576 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county lost 1,110 registered Democrats and lost 25 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Sussex County
Democrats: 27,356
Republicans: 52,412
Unaffiliated: 39,575
How the county has changed: Sussex County lost 409 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 586 registered Democrats and gained 3,215 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Union County
Democrats: 179,006
Republicans: 68,610
Unaffiliated: 138,654
How the county has changed: Sussex County lost 409 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 586 registered Democrats and gained 3,215 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
Warren County
Democrats: 24,510
Republicans: 38,048
Unaffiliated: 26,077
How the county has changed: Sussex County lost 409 unaffiliated voters between October 2021 and October 2025. The county gained 586 registered Democrats and gained 3,215 Republican voters in the same timeframe.
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