Throughout most of the 1990s, the Democrats enjoyed an advantage of only about 7 percent. Longtime observers of New Jersey politics say the gap could prove to be the GOP's biggest obstacle this fall, because it signals that the party is losing its appeal to the state's huge block of unaligned voters. Nearly 57 percent of the state's voters are officially registered as undeclared or independent. About 25 percent are registered as Democrats, and about 18 percent are Republicans. If they are shying away from you, shying away from your party, you're in trouble.
Democrats point to grass-roots gains as evidence that their message is resonating with voters.
Up and down the state, east, west, freeholder boards, town councils, mayor offices. You name it. In contrast, Republican leaders could not name a county where they had wrested control from Democrats. In Bergen County, Democrats last year took control of the freeholder board for the first time in 18 years and are talking confidently about about shutting out the Republicans in this fall's elections. John Susino, executive director of the Bergen County Democratic Party, said Democrats are cracking GOP monopolies in places such as Alpine, Bergenfield, Bogota, Elmwood Park, Little Ferry, Maywood, and Paramus.