In a historic election, Essex County saw record-breaking turnout and results. More than 127,000 people voted early or by mail, and nearly 300,000 total ballots were cast. Over 70% of those votes went to Kamala Harris, giving the Essex County Democrats and Chairman Leroy Jones the largest margin for Harris in New Jersey.

Newark led the county with the highest voter turnout, followed by West Orange, which also saw significant voter participation.

However, the Essex Democrats were not immune to losses. In Roseland, a traditionally Democratic town in West Essex that is represented by Democratic Mayor James Spango and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, two incumbent Democratic candidates—Eileen Fishman and Neal Goldstein—lost to Republicans Brian Schroeder and Michele Tolli. Roseland’s shift mirrored a broader trend as former President Donald Trump won the town, and beat all countywide Democratic candidates, including Amir Jones for Sheriff and Juan Rivera Jr. for Surrogate. Despite this, Congresswoman Sherrill, who has represented the district since 2018, narrowly won the town by just 30 votes, though this did not translate into gains for other Democrats further down the ticket.

Other towns saw different results. In Caldwell, Kamala Harris won the town, but local Democrats were shut out, with Republicans securing all the available Council seats.

In Bloomfield, Jenny Mundell secured the Mayor’s office with a strong victory over her Republican challenger. Millburn Democrats also saw a comeback this year, with David Cosgrove, a newcomer, defeating Republican Alex Zaltsman after the Republicans’ decisive victory the previous year.

The West Orange nonpartisan council race was particularly hotly contested. Incumbents Bill Rutherford and Tammy Williams were both defeated—Rutherford failed to get on the ballot due to insufficient petition signatures, and Williams lost her seat. Newcomer Joyce Rudin was the top vote-getter, with Councilwoman Michelle Casalino and former Councilman Joe Krakoviak rounding out the other two open seats. Jonathan Redwine, backed by a Super PAC connected to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, finished closely behind Krakoviak.

Overall, while Essex County saw strong Democratic support at the top of the ticket, local races were more competitive, with Republicans making significant inroads in certain municipalities and Trump performing well among numerous Democratic strongholds like Livingston and Roseland.