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Cities in North Jersey and how they voted in presidential elections

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Cities in North Jersey and how they voted in presidential elections

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New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country, but Democrats tend to have strong representation in presidential elections.

But take a look at North Jersey, with its rural farmland and its far western towns with just a handful of residents – if you look at Walpack – and the bustling eastern cities with exploding populations in Newark and Paterson and the state's diversity is stark . Not surprisingly, the political landscape is like this too.

NorthJersey.com analyzed years of presidential election data dating back to 2004, when city-by-city data from the state became available online, but paid particular attention to the last two elections and how North Jersey residents voted.

In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden won the majority election in the Garden State, receiving 2.6 million votes compared to Republican Donald Trump's 1.9 million votes. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 2.2 million votes from New Jersey residents, while Trump received 1.6 million.

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Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties voted for Democratic candidates overall, but by no means do all individual counties and cities vote the same way. In fact, Sussex County has firmly established itself as a Republican stronghold, with not a single one of its 24 communities having a majority vote for the Democratic candidate in several presidential elections.

Some municipalities switched from Republican in 2016 to Democrat in 2020. Others remained strong in their political parties. As the election approaches on November 5th, let's take a look at the following data.

Can't see the 2020 map? Click here.

Can't see the 2016 map? Click here.

Democrat or Republican? How did your county vote in 2020 and 2016?

Essex County residents have consistently voted for the Democratic candidate in the last two presidential elections, with Bergen and Passaic counties typically following suit, although there were 81,550 more Democratic votes than Republican votes in Bergen County in 2020, compared to 55,682 more Democratic votes than Republicans in 2016.

Morris County residents leaned Democratic in the 2020 presidential election, casting 12,747 more votes for Biden over Trump – a change from the county's trend toward the Republican presidential candidate in 2016. Morris County residents favored Trump in 2016 over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, 10,822 more votes for Trump over Clinton this election year.

In Sussex County, every town had a majority Republican vote in 2020 and 2016, although Newton was just nine votes away from a Democratic majority for Biden rather than Trump in 2020.

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In 2020, a total of 870,246 votes were cast for the Democratic presidential candidate (Biden) and a total of 564,736 votes were cast for the Republican candidate (Trump) in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties.

In 2016, 728,268 residents of these five counties voted for the Democratic presidential candidate (Clinton), while 484,336 residents voted for the Republican (Trump).

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2020 presidential election results by North Jersey counties

Total votes cast across North Jersey for Biden (D) and Trump (R): 1,434,982

  • Biden votes: 870,246
  • Trump votes: 564,736

Bergen County

  • Joseph R. Biden (D): 285,967
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 204,417

Essex County

  • Joseph R. Biden (D): 266,820
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 75,475

Morris County

  • Joseph R. Biden (D): 153,881
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 141,134

Passaic County

  • Joseph R. Biden (D): 129,097
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 92,009

Sussex County

  • Joseph R. Biden (D): 34,481
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 51,701

2016 presidential election results by North Jersey counties

Total votes cast across North Jersey for Clinton (D) and Trump (R): 1,212,604

  • Clinton votes: 728,268
  • Trump votes: 484,336

Bergen County

  • Hillary R. Clinton (D): 231,211
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 175,529

Essex County

  • Hillary R. Clinton (D): 240,837
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 63,176

Morris County

  • Hillary R. Clinton (D): 115,249
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 126,071

Passaic County

  • Hillary R. Clinton (D): 116,759
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 72,902

Sussex County

  • Hillary R. Clinton (D): 24,212
  • Donald J. Trump (R): 46,658

These North Jersey cities flipped from Republican to Democrat in the 2020 presidential election

Most communities in North Jersey have consistently voted Republican or Democratic in elections. Sussex County residents have ensured the county has voted for the Republican candidate in a presidential election since 2004, the first year the county and state released city-by-city results. The only anomaly? In 2008, there was a tie in Andover Borough, with 138 votes cast for each candidate: Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama in 2008.

While Sussex has been pretty consistent over the years – although Newton was close in 2020 – there have been some North Jersey towns that have faltered a bit.

In 2020, residents of Nutley Township in Essex County voted for the overall Democratic candidate (Biden), a change from the township's majority vote for the Republican candidate in 2016 (Trump) and the township's majority vote for the Democratic candidate in 2012, when Republican Mitt Romney voted to challenge Obama for commander in chief.

Residents of North Caldwell in Essex County also did a little flip-flopping. The majority of votes went to the Democratic candidate in 2020 – with 236 votes – with total votes cast for the Republican candidate in 2016 and 2012.

In Mahwah, Bergen County, 53 more votes were cast for Biden over Trump in 2020, even though Trump was the majority's choice in 2016, receiving 1,188 more votes over Clinton. The Republican candidate received the most votes from Mahwah residents in 2012, surpassing Obama.

In Passaic County, Hawthorne had a majority for Biden over Trump in 2020, but went for Trump over Clinton in 2016.

In Morris County, Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough, Mount Olive, Mine Hill, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township and Denville were among the communities that voted blue in 2020 but cast the most votes for Trump in 2016.

Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.

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