How was New Jersey seen before the 1992 election?

[darklordoftech]

It had voted Republican on the Presidential level since 1968, but both its Senators (Bill Bradley and Frank Lautenberg) were Democrats with hardline anti-gun views.

[cvparty]

swingy with a light republican lean

[Brittain33]

Gun rights were never a thing in NJ. It doesn't go well with high population density.

Immediately before the 1992 election it was a tax revolt state in reaction to Gov. Florio. Florio succeeded Tom Kean, a very popular moderate Republican governor who led the state all through the 1980s.

I grew up in NJ and was a bitter little kid in the 1980s because tax revolts meant our schools were rundown and there seemed to be no money for anything, even though to be fair per-student spending was very high as were teacher salaries.

[muon2]

Gun rights were never a thing in NJ. It doesn't go well with high population density.

Immediately before the 1992 election it was a tax revolt state in reaction to Gov. Florio. Florio succeeded Tom Kean, a very popular moderate Republican governor who led the state all through the 1980s.

I grew up in NJ and was a bitter little kid in the 1980s because tax revolts meant our schools were rundown and there seemed to be no money for anything, even though to be fair per-student spending was very high as were teacher salaries.

That's an interesting observation through a child's eyes. The taxpayers only see the total $ for schools and want it cut. The teachers see a fixed or reduced pool of $ and want to make sure their wages are protected. The only thing that can give is the infrastructure and equipment in the buildings. Yet it is the physical structure and equipment that the child most notices, not teacher pay or tax bills.

[darklordoftech]

What racial, religious, and ethnic groups were seen as most common in New Jersey before 1992?

[Very Legal & Very Cool]

Swingy but lean Dem. Culture war caused suburbs to shift more Dem despite income. End of Cold War compunded that effect.

[Very Legal & Very Cool]

Gun rights were never a thing in NJ. It doesn't go well with high population density.

Immediately before the 1992 election it was a tax revolt state in reaction to Gov. Florio. Florio succeeded Tom Kean, a very popular moderate Republican governor who led the state all through the 1980s.

I grew up in NJ and was a bitter little kid in the 1980s because tax revolts meant our schools were rundown and there seemed to be no money for anything, even though to be fair per-student spending was very high as were teacher salaries.

That's an interesting observation through a child's eyes. The taxpayers only see the total $ for schools and want it cut. The teachers see a fixed or reduced pool of $ and want to make sure their wages are protected. The only thing that can give is the infrastructure and equipment in the buildings. Yet it is the physical structure and equipment that the child most notices, not teacher pay or tax bills.

Try being in California lol. Teachers have everything they could ask for here and the schools are mediocre and deteriorating by the year. All we would hear about is budget cuts this, Arnold that. Yet it's only gotten worse. Admin making $200k+ a year but teachers don't have leave for dying spouses. "Will anyone donate a sick day?" they ask. "Can we expect third graders to multiply or spell?", I ask. It's a god damned joke.  No electives, but if you take three years of Spanish you might be able to translate "El gato negro" to English.

I'm embarrassed by our public schools.

[progressive85]

It's actually "conservative" in parts of suburban NJ and in the NYC area to support gun control which is why you'll see that Republicans in these areas strongly support it.  Guns are associated with crime, which for some whites is associated with gangs, street thugs, crime, and minorities.  It has a racial element to it.  My Republican friend on Staten Island is to the right of Attila the Hun --- except on guns, which he associates with black drive-by shootings and convenience store robberies.  He thinks they should be heavily restricted - and in the hands of a nice, white police officer.  A lot of Republicans in this area of the country have never even held a gun and don't have any desire to hunt.  Deer for them is something peaceful they try not to hit when they're driving to see relatives in Pennsylvania.

[darklordoftech]

It's actually "conservative" in parts of suburban NJ and in the NYC area to support gun control which is why you'll see that Republicans in these areas strongly support it.  Guns are associated with crime, which for some whites is associated with gangs, street thugs, crime, and minorities.  It has a racial element to it.  My Republican friend on Staten Island is to the right of Attila the Hun --- except on guns, which he associates with black drive-by shootings and convenience store robberies.  He thinks they should be heavily restricted - and in the hands of a nice, white police officer.  A lot of Republicans in this area of the country have never even held a gun and don't have any desire to hunt.  Deer for them is something peaceful they try not to hit when they're driving to see relatives in Pennsylvania.

It's interesting how some people see gun control as a way to reduce crime while others feel that they need guns to protect themselves from crime. Bloomberg's supporters find it absurd that you can be "tough on crime" and "for the 2nd amendment" at the same time.

[Very Legal & Very Cool]

It's actually "conservative" in parts of suburban NJ and in the NYC area to support gun control which is why you'll see that Republicans in these areas strongly support it.  Guns are associated with crime, which for some whites is associated with gangs, street thugs, crime, and minorities.  It has a racial element to it.  My Republican friend on Staten Island is to the right of Attila the Hun --- except on guns, which he associates with black drive-by shootings and convenience store robberies.  He thinks they should be heavily restricted - and in the hands of a nice, white police officer.  A lot of Republicans in this area of the country have never even held a gun and don't have any desire to hunt.  Deer for them is something peaceful they try not to hit when they're driving to see relatives in Pennsylvania.

It's interesting how some people see gun control as a way to reduce crime while others feel that they need guns to protect themselves from crime.

It's almost as if it depends on local culture! A Vermont hippie and an Alabama redneck might agree on this issue while a DuPage republican and a Philadelphia liberal would support gun control.

Even the NRA has flipped and flopped. They used to support reasonable gun control. These days they've shown they couldn't care less about Philando Castile. But George Zimmerman, he's cool.

[CookieDamage]

It's actually "conservative" in parts of suburban NJ and in the NYC area to support gun control which is why you'll see that Republicans in these areas strongly support it.  Guns are associated with crime, which for some whites is associated with gangs, street thugs, crime, and minorities.  It has a racial element to it.  My Republican (Racist)friend on Staten Island is to the right of Attila the Hun --- except on guns, which he associates with black drive-by shootings and convenience store robberies.  He thinks they should be heavily restricted - and in the hands of a nice, white police officer.  A lot of Republicans in this area of the country have never even held a gun and don't have any desire to hunt.  Deer for them is something peaceful they try not to hit when they're driving to see relatives in Pennsylvania.

Addendum

[Sumner 1868]

I once saw an old video of the McLaughlin Group from the summer of 1992 online. I can't recall the exact time it was filmed, but it makes many dated observations (they talk about Perot leading polls and hilarious speculation over Ann Richards as the first female President) and one thing said was "New Jersey is a Republican state!" along with "West Virginia is a Democratic stronghold!" So apparently it was viewed as safe GOP turf.

[Brittain33]

Regarding the 1989-1990 tax revolt, recall that an unknown official named Christie Todd Whitman shocked everyone by nearly unseating Titanium Safe D Bill Bradley in the 1990 Senate elections because of anger at state Dems over taxes. Before that, Bradley was considered a good candidate for the Dems in '92, but this kneecapped him.

[Brittain33]

Article about Republican tsunami in 1991 legislative elections.

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/06/nyregion/new-jersey-elections-with-anti-florio-voting-wave-republicans-win-legislature.html

[mencken]

I once saw an old video of the McLaughlin Group from the summer of 1992 online. I can't recall the exact time it was filmed, but it makes many dated observations (they talk about Perot leading polls and hilarious speculation over Ann Richards as the first female President) and one thing said was "New Jersey is a Republican state!" along with "West Virginia is a Democratic stronghold!" So apparently it was viewed as safe GOP turf.

This is McLaughlin Group we are talking about.