The Republican who helped Trump win Pennsylvania is setting his sights on New Jersey

The Republican prodigy credited with helping President-elect Trump capture crucial Pennsylvania with his decisive Election Day victory is now setting his sights on New Jersey.

Scott Presler, a staunch voter registration activist and founder of the political action committee Early Vote Action, said the long blue Garden State is ripe to turn red.

“New Jersey is trending to the right. There’s momentum,” Presler, 36, told The Post. “We have already rehired 23 employees. So while Republican parties in the past packed up, went home and didn’t renew their contracts, Early Vote Action has staff on site right now, in December 2024.”

Vice President Harris won New Jersey by just 6 points, compared to Biden’s 16-point victory in the state in 2020.

Trump’s performance was the best for a Republican in the state since George W. Bush’s re-election campaign 20 years ago. Trump captured Gloucester County and Morris County – both of which he narrowly lost to Biden in 2020. Trump also won Passaic County, which Biden carried by more than 16 points in 2020 and which Republicans have not won since 1992. Trump’s victories in Cumberland and Atlantic counties were the first for a GOP candidate since 1988.

Presler, who has more than 2 million followers

“We will have a peaceful presence at the Dec. 11 meeting with beautiful American flags and we will ensure that every single person who attends also registers to vote,” Presler said.

He said he would deploy “thousands” of volunteers to the state in the coming months.

“You’ll see us at rest stops in New Jersey. . . . You’ll see us at gun shows and gun stores courting Second Amendment voters. You will see us knocking on fraternity and sorority house doors. You’ll see us go into the halls of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and canvass for veterans’ votes. And you’ll also see us at the Wildwood Boardwalk,” he said.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, Early Vote Action has more than $2.2 million in the bank and no debt. In August, they received $1 million from Trump confidant and co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk.

“I would love to see Elon Musk continue to see the work that Early Vote Action has done,” Presler said. “We delivered the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we delivered a Senate seat. We helped change the House seats from blue to red. And I would confidently and very humbly argue that our work helped give President Trump a slim majority in Congress.”

The first big GOP test in the Garden State will be next year’s gubernatorial race.

In 2021, businessman Jack Ciattarelli came within four points of defeating Democrat Phil Murphy. Ciattarelli, 62, is making his second attack on Murphy and is considered the leading candidate to win the GOP primary in June.

“Our biggest challenge was the pandemic. It’s not easy to campaign when there’s shelter available. This time we don’t have to deal with that,” Ciattarelli told The Post.

“I truly believe New Jersey has always been a purple state. “It’s been tough for our Republican presidential candidates, but Donald Trump changed that with his performance last Election Day,” Ciattarelli said.

Presler is not officially endorsing Ciattarelli and said he will support whoever wins the GOP primary.

Ciattarelli is confident Presler’s lightning will strike twice.

“Scott will be in a great position to attract a lot of voters and register them as Republicans,” Ciattarelli said.