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

"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. 

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. 

"First, former President Trump has told his supporters to vote early. So, I think, when all the numbers are considered, we will see a shift among Republicans from voting on Election Day to voting early in person," Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan University Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship, told NJ.com about the flood of early votes this cycle. 

Trump has campaigned in the Garden State, including holding a massive rally on South Jersey's Wildwood beach in May. 

Ciattarelli continued in his comments to "Fox & Friends First" on Wednesday that the Republican Party "can win" the presidential race and down the ballot. 

"New Jersey is not a deep blue state. We can win here and I do think Donald Trump's going to do that as well as our U.S. Senate candidate, our congressional candidates, and many of our local candidates," he said.