I, too, recently moved from NJ. But I lived in Morris County, which
is a Republican stronghold.

I moved there from California.

One of the problems in NJ is 'machine politics' which extends
down to the local level. California limited party politics to
state-level and above, and did so constitutionally in response
to local corruption within the party machines, which then
inevitably resulted in corrupt local politicians being moved
'up the ladder' to the state and even federal levels.

In order even to get elected as a township supervisor in NJ,
you have to be a 'good soldier' within the party which dominates
the town, pretty much. Sometimes, such endorsements and financial
help comes as a result of doing favor$ for people at the County
Committee level.

Similarly, 'team players' at the township level can look towards
getting tapped for county and then state office.

This is bad in two ways. First, it perpetuates corruption and causes
it to flourish as soon as its seeds are sown. Second, it prevents
good candidates who happen to live in the 'wrong' area for their
party of choice from ever getting elected. A strong candidate who
happens to be a Democrat will have real trouble getting elected
to Township Council or a School Board in a Republican area. Even
if he or she has no, zero, nada, ambitions towards larger office;
if they just want to do a good job for their neighbors.

The other odd thing that's noticeable in NJ, and in Eastern
PA as well is that the Republican Party is certainly not the
party of fiscal conservatism as it likes to portray itself at
the wider level. Rather, Republicans love to build big showpiece
municipal complexes and write blank checks for school spending.
They are the chosen party of affluent suburbanites who move out
to the suburbs, build huge houses, and want nothing but the best
for the schools for their little darlings. They also disdain little
town halls in old schoolhouses in favor of great big municipal
complexes, replete with libraries and 'homeland security'
headquarters.