A Look At Federal, County And Municipal Races In Essex County In 2026

Essex County has been the Democratic Party’s largest source of raw votes in New Jersey for decades, providing Kamala Harris with a margin of more than 140,000 votes in 2024 — accounting for 55% of her statewide victory margin.

The county remains one of the Democratic Party’s most important electoral strongholds, not because there is much doubt about which party will carry it, but because of turnout. When Democrats maximize turnout in Essex County, they build the large statewide margins needed to offset Republican advantages and to make races elsewhere in New Jersey more competitive.

The party’s challenge in 2024 was not holding Essex County but reversing the sharp decline in turnout across many of its most reliable urban communities. Democrats continue to dominate the county thanks to overwhelming support in Newark and neighboring urban centers, while also posting commanding margins in affluent, progressive suburbs such as Glen Ridge, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair, and South Orange. Those communities are home to highly educated, high-propensity voters who consistently turn out, even in lower-profile elections.

Donald Trump won 27% of the Essex County vote in 2024, a six-point improvement over his 2020 performance. Stronger Republican showings in traditionally GOP municipalities, combined with lower Democratic turnout in urban strongholds, helped narrow the Democratic statewide margin.


https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/a-look-at-federal-county-and-municipal-races-in-essex-county-in-2026/