Mapping Assembly Democrats' dominant night

Assembly Democrats went into Election Day just hoping to play solid defense.

On a solid night, they would’ve held all their Assembly seats. On a great night, Democrats would’ve picked up two or three. They ended up nabbing five. Now, Assembly Democrats enter 2026 with the strongest majority they’ve possessed since they delivered a whooping in 1973, in the immediate aftermath of the Watergate scandal.

Some Democrats caught the Democratic wave, and Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill helped pilot them to victory. Others, particularly those in the 3rd legislative district, ran several points ahead of Sherrill in keeping their seats.

The following maps visualize the playing field of New Jersey’s most competitive legislative races. The maps feature unofficial data, and the margins may shift slightly as counties continue to finalize results. Not all important results are featured in this article; Democrats expected tough challenges in the 4th, 11th, 16th, 36th, and 38th legislative districts, but they won in landslides. And the 23rd, 26th, 39th, and 40th districts were seen as safe ground for Republicans, but the results there were unexpectedly close.



https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/mapping-assembly-democrats-dominant-night/