More Socialists Just Registered to Vote Than Republicans in New Jersey - Newsweek

More socialists than Republicans registered to vote in New Jersey over the past month, according to data from the state's division of elections.

The state released the new voter registration numbers on Thursday, just 33 days before the midterm elections on November 3. Voters have until October 13 to register to vote in New Jersey, and thousands of voters have registered since the state released data on September 1. Many of these newly registered voters are Democrats at 2,745, according to the data, but 141 registered as Republicans and 162 registered as socialists, meaning 21 more people registered as socialists than Republicans.

More than 15,000 voters registered in New Jersey since the September 1 data release, with many of these people registering as unaffiliated with any party.

Newsweek reached out to New Jersey's GOP and the Socialist Party of New Jersey by email for comment on Thursday evening.

The New Jersey voter registration data comes as socialism gains popularity in the U.S. A recent Gallup poll of 1,200 adults across the U.S. between August 3 and August 24 found that 43 percent of Americans view socialism positively, which is the first time the figure has exceeded 39 percent since Gallup started the polls in 2010. Democrats account for the greatest share of positive views, Gallup found, but the most recent rise in popularity came from independent voters. Last year, 37 percent of independents viewed socialism positively, which jumped to 45 percent in the most recent poll. Less than 15 percent of Republicans view socialism positively, according to the poll.

A growing slate of democratic socialist candidates could also be contributing to the rise in popularity. While the term "democratic socialist" is not interchangeable with "socialist," both parties share similar views, such as wanting to reduce economic inequality.

A handful of politicians holding federal office identify as democratic socialists, but a true socialist campaign remains rare in American politics.

Socialism is best known as a political ideology that prefers public ownership or control of property rather than private ownership.

"The Socialist Party USA strives to establish a radical democracy that places people's lives under their own control -- a classless, feminist, socialist society free of racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia, in which people cooperate at work, at home, and in the community," a website for the Socialist Party USA (SPUSA) said.

As for where SPUSA stands on current issues in America, it says it opposes mass surveillance and condemns the U.S. involvement in the Iran war.

In New Jersey, the state socialist party aligns with SPUSA views. The party won voter registration rights after a lawsuit against the State of New Jersey in 2013-14.

Democrats dominate voter registration in New Jersey, accounting for 2,572,254 voters. This number outpaces Republican registrations by more than 885,000. There are 7,739 registered socialists in the state.

New Jersey is often considered a blue state, which means Democrats tend to win elections. Both senators from the state are Democrats, and Democratic presidential candidates have won every election in the state since 1992. However, Republicans can remain competitive in some races, particularly at the state or municipal level.

While socialism's popularity might be increasing across the U.S. and New Jersey is seeing a rise of voters registering as socialist, party numbers are still a far cry from the two major political parties of Democrat and Republican.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas