The Republican National Convention is going after the blue state of New Jersey for alleged issues with its voting records, signalling a possible flip to red for the state after it nearly favored President Trump in the 2024 election, with 46.1% of votes going to the president versus 52% to Kamala Harris.
For background, on July 17, 2025, the Daily Caller confirmed that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Division of Elections, accusing them of failing to comply with a request for voting machine records made under the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA). The lawsuit comes in the wake of a near-win for President Trump in New Jersey in 2024, hinting that the blue state may soon turn red.
Weighing in on the lawsuit, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley told the Daily Caller, “State officials are slow walking access to records about voting machines and voter roll maintenance,” adding, “The RNC is taking legal action because the people of New Jersey have a right to know that their elections are being run fairly, securely, and in full compliance with the law.”
Moreover, Whatley told Newsmax that New Jersey is breaking federal law by refusing to “be transparent” with its voter rolls, saying, “It’s a federal law that they have to clean their voter rolls every single year. So, we simply sent a letter out to every single state, including New Jersey, and said, ‘Hey, it’s federal law that you got to do this. When’s the last time you did it and what are you going to do to secure those rolls for this year?”
However, Whatley clarified that “New Jersey did not respond” to the letter, which became the basis for the lawsuit. He added, “We sent them a follow-up letter. They did not respond. We sent them a follow-up letter. They did not respond. So, yesterday we filed a lawsuit and we’re going to go to federal court and we’re going to say, ‘Hey, you have to abide by this. You’ve got to clean up your voter rolls.'”
Furthermore, the RNC chair explained that his organization “also sent a letter to the Department of Justice and said, ‘Hey, they are not following federal law. We think that you should take a look at this.'” He continued, “We need to know in New Jersey – we’re going into a very important governor’s race, Republicans have a great opportunity for a pickup there – that we can trust the electoral system, and that New Jersey is going to be transparent.”
Importantly, the RNC’s lawsuit follows a narrow 52% win by Kamala Harris in New Jersey in 2024. According to New Jersey Monthly, the state has seen a “surprising surge” in Trump support, with Patrick Murray, the director of Monmouth University Polling institute in New Jersey, saying, “There’s no question that the Democratic brand is not strong as it has been in the bluest areas of the country, and that includes New Jersey.”
"*" indicates required fields
Featured image credit: Shutterstock