It looks like Democrats landed another surprise in last week's legislative elections, likely picking up a sixth seed in the assembly.

The Associated Press this morning retracted its call on the race in the eighth District, putting the Democrat ahead by just 27 votes.

Piling on to the blue wave voters created, including in the Jersey Shore 30th District, where Rabbi Harvey Schnall became the first Democrat since the 1990s to win a seat in an area long considered a Republican stronghold.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has that story.

Lakewood's Conservative Orthodox Community wanted a seat in the room where it happens to poach lyrics from Broadway's Hamilton.

With their Republican lawmakers locked out of decision making by Trenton's Democratic majority, Lakewood's religious leaders took a drastic step.

They backed a Democrat, Rabbi Avi Schnall, for assembly in L.D.

D30, and he won.

This is a historic moment that for the first time in decades, the district is being represented in the majority party and we can actually get stuff done, and that's what we're looking forward to.

But Schnall says he's switched from Republican to Democrat about six months before the election.

As part of the plan.

I know the frustration and at a certain point people want a change.

And that's the that's the district.

Says one of Lakewood's own homeboys, boys, if you will.

Being as a member of the legislature, because that's where the action happens when you're in the room, when you're at the table.

Rabbi Mosher Weisberg says Lakewood's Orthodox Jewish voters drove a whopping 48% turnout in El D30 and elected Schnall to the Assembly by a 22 point margin over incumbent Republican Ed Thompson.

Obviously now, like I said, whether he ran as a Republican or a Democrat or an independent would have won because they did a tremendous job in getting the vote out 48%.

And so when you have one community that dominates a legislative district, it has the ability to swamp everything else, even some fairly large towns like Wall and how it's just, you know, they can't hold a candle to that number of registered voters.

Lakewood's demographics give it more political muscle.

The ongoing influx of Orthodox Jewish residents raising large families pushed the town's population to 135,000 in just a decade.

Explosive growth wreaked havoc with public school budgets versus funding for private religious schools and other issues.

Is on a.

Mission.

There's somebody in the room that when conversations are being had about whether it's infrastructure, whether it's funding formulas, whether it's whatever, it's about someone as they're able to say this the waves, the hand and say, hi, there's a place called Lakewood.

Lakewood can depend on Schnall to remain reliably conservative on issues like abortion, LGBTQ and parental choice.

L.D.

30 did reelect its other two Republican legislative incumbents, including longtime Senator Bob Singer.

He explained his community's willingness to score political influence by switching party allegiance.

So they're not linked to Dean or.

But I think on the on the state level there, they're testing the water to see or having a person in the Democratic caucus can move the needle.

I don't think it can.

But listen, I've been wrong before.

So what does this mean for future elections?

Will Lakewood target other Republicans to elect a Democrat?

Maybe.

I can't see ever not supporting Senator Singer, but should he retire?

I think it needs a fresh look to see where we go from here.

I really don't know if I were to leave whether that person taking over would be Republican or Democrat.

I think we could take it one term at a time.

But this definitely opens up an opportunity to have significant changes.

He says Lakewood's eager to flex its political muscle.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.