Thousands in NJ-11 signed up for Democratic primary, registration data shows

New Jersey added 4,626 voters to its rolls in February, but in a reversal of trends in recent years, Democrats added more than a thousand voters while the GOP lost some, according to state data. 

Democrats gained 1,839 registrants while Republicans lost 421 last month. The vast majority of February’s new Democrats came from New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, where progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia pulled off a primary upset in the special election to succeed Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Unaffiliated voters can declare a party to participate in a primary, and thousands appeared to do so in NJ-11, which lost 3,171 unaffiliated voters and added 3,339 Democrats.

The state’s other districts largely held up to pre-existing trends: the vast majority of new voters sign up as unaffiliated, while Republicans make minor gains on Democrats. Excluding NJ-11, the state gained thousands of unaffiliated voters but lost more than 1,000 Democratic voters and several hundred Republican registrants.

Voter registration trends don’t directly correlate to election results. Republicans tacked on voters throughout 2025, yet Democrat Mikie Sherrill still tacked on a landslide gubernatorial victory come November.

The Garden State now stands at 6,664,823 registered voters; 38.0% Democratic, 35.7% unaffiliated, and 25.2% Republican. A sliver of the state’s voters belong to minor parties, several of which are effectively defunct.

The 7th congressional district added 635 new voters, including 133 new Democrats. Republicans in the 7th, interestingly enough, did not gain or lose ground. The GOP entered February with 216,970 registrants and left February with 216,970 registrants. Nearly 500 voters signed up unaffiliated with either party.

The 7th, where several Democrats are vying to unseat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), was one of just a handful of districts that gained Democratic registrants last month.

The 12th congressional district, home to a crowded Democratic primary for Congress, lost a net total of 13 registered Democrats in February. If all 17 Democratic candidates in the race go out and register one new Democrat, they’d more than make up for the loss.