GOP's in-person voting surge up against Dem dominance with mail-in ballots in deep blue state

Early in-person Republican voters in deep blue New Jersey are slightly outpacing their Democratic neighbors, data shows. 

Early in-person voting kicked off in the Garden State on Saturday, with 247,003 residents casting their votes over the weekend alone, NJ.com reported. Republican early in-person voters have taken the lead in the state, with 144,105 GOP votes cast compared to Democrats' 139,524 votes, state data analyzed by an Associated Press elections researcher found as of Tuesday. 

"What we're seeing is phenomenal. Republicans are finally embracing the opportunity to vote early. The return rate on vote by mail ballots has been fantastic. Local Republican organizations are doing a great job in getting the word out," New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends First" in reaction to the data. 

Democrats in the deep blue state still have the edge over Republicans for vote-by-mail ballots at 383,062 compared to 130,362, the New Jersey Globe reported. All in, New Jersey has 6,562,735 registered voters this cycle, state data shows.

Of those registered, 2,497,951 are registered Democrats, 1,564,964 are Republicans, and 2,420,522 are unaffiliated, state data show. 

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The blue state last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988, when Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush defeated Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. The state had voted for Republican candidates from 1968 until 1992, when the state kicked off its ongoing blue voting trends.