Prior to Bill Clinton’s 1992 win, how many times in a row did the GOP carry New Jersey for president?

a) 2

b) 4

c) 6

d) 8

Answer: c) New Jersey, where Democrats of late have dominated most elections, not long ago was highly favorable territory for Republicans. After John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 carried the state for the Democrats, Republican nominees reeled off six consecutive victories.

Although that winning streak includes 2 percentage-point margins for Richard M. Nixon in 1968 and Gerald R. Ford in 1976, the other four contests including double-digit victories for the GOP, including a 14-point margin for George H.W. Bush over Democrat Michael S. Dukakis in 1988.

But Clinton’s 2-point win over Bush in 1992 began the Democrats’ current four-election winning streak, with margins that blossomed to 18 points for Clinton over Republican Bob Dole in 1996 and 16 points for Al Gore over George W. Bush in 2000, before easing back to a more modest but still substantial 7 points for John Kerry over Bush in 2004.

The Democratic gains have become pervasive in the state. The two U.S. senators, Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, are Democrats, as are Gov. Jon Corzine, majorities in both state legislative chambers and seven of the state’s 13 U.S. House members.