New Jersey seemed to edge closer to being a competitive state as former President and President-elect Donald Trump almost secured a victory there, a rare occurrence for any Republican in recent history.

Vice President Kamala Harris ultimately claimed victory in New Jersey, garnering 51.5 percent of the vote, which translates to 2,096,873 votes, while Trump earned 46.5 percent, or 1,893,210 votes, as reported by the New York Times.

Trump secured a dominant victory in Lakewood, NJ, receiving 87% of the presidential vote, marking a five-point rise from his 2020 performance.

Even though Trump did not win the state, his performance was notably stronger compared to the 2020 and 2016 presidential races. In 2020, President Joe Biden triumphed in New Jersey with 57.1 percent of the vote, while Trump received just 41.3 percent.

During the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton defeated Trump in New Jersey by securing 55.5 percent of the vote, leaving Trump with 41.4 percent.

According to Politico, Trump’s narrowing of the gap by five percentage points marked the “closest presidential showing for a Republican candidate since former President George H.W. Bush lost the state by 2.4 points in the 1992 election.”

Jose Arango, the Chairman of the Republican Party in Hudson County, explained to Politico that the Hispanic community in the county was struggling with “high rent and high prices.” Hudson County, located “just across the Hudson River from Manhattan,” is known for its Democratic leanings and has a “41 percent Hispanic population.”

Arango criticized the Democratic Party for claiming to be advocates for the poor, highlighting that Hudson County remains “segregated” and is home to a working-class population, with a significant shortage of affordable housing.

“The Democratic Party talks about helping the poor, but if you talk about Hudson County, it’s segregated and the working class, and the liberal enclaves are basically the people who are supporting Wall Street in the places they can’t afford the rent. There’s no affordable housing,” Arango said.

Although Hudson County remained firmly Democrat, Politico pointed out that in the 2020 election, Trump’s support in the area stood at 26 percent, but in this election, his support had risen to about 35 percent.

In a January interview with Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow and Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle, Trump revealed his intent to “make a heavy play” for several states, including New Jersey.

“One of the other things I’m going to do — and I may be foolish in doing it — is I’m going to make a heavy play for New York, heavy play for New Jersey, heavy play for Virginia, heavy play for New Mexico, and a heavy play for a state that hasn’t been won in years, Minnesota,” Trump said at the time.

{Matzav.com}