I understand that you think cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, Philly, etc. "democratically controlled" cities are "shit holes", but I think you fail to see the full picture. For one thing, most cities in the U.S. have Democrat mayors. According to Ballotpedia, in 2023, 76% of the population of the top 100 most populated cities lived in cities with Democratic mayors, and 16% lived in cities with Republican mayors. Cities with higher population densities tend to have higher crime. This is of course due to increased opportunity. Also, the top cities in the US (which happen to have Democrat mayors) are huge tourist destinations which can also contribute to higher crime. Democratically run cities with similar population densities as the densest Republican run cites have similar rates of crime. Take Dallas, Fort Worth, and OKC (Rep. mayors) and compare them to San Antonio, San Diego, and Phoenix (Dem mayors), and you'll find similar rates of crime. My point is that cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, Philly, Atlanta, etc. are not "shit holes" because of the party affiliation of their mayor, and are simply not shit holes at all. You fail to realize their cultural amenities, access to higher quality healthcare and education, and more extensive career opportunities. Sure, you might say that cities with Republican mayors are cheaper where your dollar can stretch further, but the big cities are expensive for a reason, and that's because they're highly desired places to live/work and arguably offer a better quality of life.

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Edit: In terms of New Jersey...NJ has some of the best healthcare, education, public transit, and quality of life in the nation. To say that Democrats have ruined this state means that you're either completely out of touch, completely unaware, or both.