This is the third of a series column that will look at the history of all 50 States,
all 5 territories, and the Capital and the influence history has on our
current political environments. The aim of this column is to capture that
our country is not just red or blue, but rather many shades in between.
Each Lower 48 state’s current political landscape can be traced back to
its early settlement and geography and its particular involvement in the
Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the Civil Rights Era.
Few states have had significant historical upbringings mainly due to their immediate surroundings quite like New Jersey. Directly influenced by New York City, Philadelphia, and its convenient location on the I-95 Corridor, it makes sense as to how and why New Jersey is the state it is today.
Formation and Early History
Originally chartered and settled by Swedes, and then the Dutch colony of New Netherland, the British took control and created the Province of New Jersey, named for the island of Jersey on the English Channel. New Jersey would become the third state to ratify the Constitution on December 18, 1787.
Because of its location on Eastern seaboard and its possession of many iron mills, New Jersey became one of the most pivotal states in the Revolutionary War. No other state hosted more battles than New Jersey, with hundreds of engagements recorded. Because of this, it earned the name “Crossroads of the Revolution.” The Battle of Trenton became a turning point in the war, due to General George Washington’s Christmas crossing of the icy Delaware River. It was here that the separatists surprised the German Hessians, captured Trenton, and continued to Philadelphia. This is depicted in the famous painting that is also featured on the New Jersey state coin.
New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights. Statesmen lobbied for an equal voice in government for each state. The Virginia and New Jersey Plans were combined in the Great Compromise, creating the bicameral legislature we have in Washington.
Civil War and Industrialization
Like neighbors Pennsylvania and Delaware, New Jersey had a large Quaker population that was largely intolerant to slavery. However, due to economic ties with the South, New Jersey became more of a “states’ rights” state, which led Democrats to create fusion tickets to defeat Abraham Lincoln (R) in the 1860 Election. They would again reject him in 1864, earning New Jersey the distinction of the only free state to not vote for Lincoln. While no Civil War battles were fought in New Jersey, the state did send Union troops, while profiting massively from the war’s needs for clothing, firearms, and ammunition.
New Jersey quickly became an industrialized state and is one of the states credited with taking the country headfirst into the Industrial Revolution. By the 1850s, the state population boomed and was heavily concentrated in the northern part of the state, where it remain today. South and Central Jersey remained mostly agrarian and fed nearby urban areas. The city of Paterson became a key point in industrialization, housing a vibrant textile, silk, and firearms industry, held together by the burgeoning railroads. It became known as “Silk City” and Samuel Colt began his production of firearms in the city.
Steamboats became vital to the state’s agricultural sector, as larger demands by surrounding urban areas required more transportation of goods. Because of New Jersey’s close proximity to major cities with major demands, transportation progress lit the fuse that sparked the Industrial Revolution here specifically, which would have massive ripple effects across the country.
Ulysses Grant (R) won New Jersey in 1872, becoming the first Republican to do so and the only one from 1852-1892.
Twentieth Century
The 1896 election was a realigning one for New Jersey, as well as most of the country. William McKinley (R-OH) would win the state handily as the Democratic party began to abandon urban business to appeal to farmers and miners. It was here that New Jersey’s voting patterns would take up a sort of “bloc pattern,” in that it would vote for one party for several elections at a time, and then do the same for the other party.
New Jersey enjoyed economic prosperity, despite Newark being under boss control at the turn of the century. The density of the state coupled with its small size and the many industries allowed rapid transportation and infrastructure, which solidified the Jersey Shore as a prime vacation spot. The first passenger flight in American history was flown from New York to Atlantic City in 1919.
New Jersey would be hit hard by the Great Depression, which shifted the state to FDR’s (D) New Deal Program.
Geography
New Jersey’s geography is fairly straightforward:
NYC-Metro: Immediate area outside NYC, including upscale, Democratic suburbs; includes Newark, Montclair, Patterson
North Jersey: The northern part of the state, once more traditionally GOP neighborhoods have shifted left in the 2010s.
Central Jersey: Where industry turns into farms, has usually reflected current national political leans
South Jersey: Agrarian and tourist towns, rural areas dominated by GOP, suburbs are blue-leaning
Current Leanings
Throughout the tumultuous Civil Rights Era, New Jersey would back JFK (D-MA) and Lyndon Johnson (D-TX) but would become a swing state with a Republican tilt. From 1968-1988 it voted for Republican candidates, reflective of moderate politics with good economic doctrine. Southern evangelical ties with which Democrats were associated had little appeal in the state.
Bill Clinton’s watershed 1992 election took New Jersey to the “Blue Wall,” where it remains to this day. The state is currently on its longest Democratic voting streak in its history.
Like other blue states, the GOP is used to losing consistently here. However, unlike other blue states, they rarely get blown out of the water, making this a “high floor-low ceiling” state. They can usually rely on about 40% of the vote, but cracking union households in the dense parts of the state is difficult.
Republicans have not won a Senate race in New Jersey since 1972, and the GOP has not held both seats since 1959.
Still, some Republicans can still win. Chris Christie (R) served as governor from 2010-2018, and in 2021,current governor Phil Murphy (D) became the first Democratic governor to win reelection since 1977.
Republicans contesting New Jersey on the Presidential level is not entirely out of the question, although it will not be immediate. In 2004, John Kerry (D) only won here by seven points. The GOP would need to re-attract the affluent suburbs they once dominated and appeal to the white-collar north while retaining the blue-collar union south.
