Power & Politics: Vote 2026 -'Blue Jersey' gets bluer: What the next 2 years mean for NJ voters
New Jersey 7th District Representative-elect Rebecca Bennett, 2nd District Representative-elect and Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock, and Director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University Micah Rasmussen join the show this week.
'Blue Jersey' Becomes 'Bluer Jersey'
"Blue Jersey" becomes "bluer Jersey" as the pendulum swings back to the Democratic Party as is often the case in the Midterm elections.
The balance of power shifted in a big way as Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate.
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war in Iran and its impact on gas prices played a big part in the shellacking.
The results now set the stage for what could be two years of deadlock in Washington, D.C.
Trump said that while he is prepared to work with Democrats when possible, he is also prepared to use his veto power when necessary.
In New Jersey, there is now only one Republican left in the state's Congressional Delegation as of January: Rep. Chris Smith in the 4th District.
New Jersey's 7th Congressional District Shifts Blue
Democrat and former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett unseated Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in a 16-point blowout in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.
Cape May Mayor Unseats NJ's 2nd District GOP Representative
New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District is now blue after Rep. Jeff Van Drew unexpectedly lost his seat to Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock.
Vote 2026: What The Next 2 Years Mean For NJ Voters
The blue wave in the 2026 midterm elections serves as a reminder to both parties that political power is never permanent.
Change is coming to the halls of power, and with it, a new era of divided government and legislative deadlock.
Director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University Micah Rasmussen joins News 12's Erik Landskroner with more on the 2026 Midterm Election results and the what the next two years could hold.
Vote 2026: NJ GOP Loses 2 House Seats
New Jersey Republicans lost two House seats during the 2026 Midterm Elections.
State GOP Chair Christine Hanlon released a statement that said while the results were not what they had hoped for, "we will not be deterred in our mission to tackle the serious issues impacting all New Jerseyans as a result of decades of failed Democrat policies in Trenton. We faced strong national headwinds like the rest of the country and unfortunately our great candidates were victims of the national impact."
NJ Democratic Congressional Leaders Set Their Agenda
Other New Jersey Democratic congressional winners are making their priorities known for the next two years.
Several of them gathered with union supporters in Newark where they called for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), higher minimum wages and investigations into the Trump administration.
