NJ mom dons spooky ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ costume to vote

On By Littum

A tearful New Jersey mother donned a scarlet robe and oversized white hood straight out of the dystopian Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” to vote Tuesday morning.

“What this outfit means to me is my way of fighting back,” said 50-year-old optician Veronica McGrogan after casting her vote at her polling place, Bloomfield Middle School, in Bloomfield, Essex County.

The grisly costume from the acclaimed series has become a protest symbol for women’s rights, especially regarding abortion — and McGrogan said she fears those rights are threatened by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Veronica McGrogan, a 50-year-old mother from Bloomfield, NJ, wore a costume from the dystopian Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” to vote Tuesday. Kate Sheehy/NYPost
McGrogan voted for VP Kamala Harris. Anna Perrotta for NYPost

“I have a mixed family. I have a wife. I have a trans daughter. Everything (Trump’s supporters) are against, I’m like checking all those lists,” the married mother of two said, wiping away tears.

“And it’s scary,” the woman said.

“I’m emotional because this is not a movie, it’s not a series, it’s not a show. This is actually reality,” she said.

The mother, an optician, said she worries women’s rights could be rolled back depending on who wins the election. Kate Sheehy/NYPost

“I could wake up tomorrow and this might not be a costume,” McGrogan said, grabbing her bright red cape. “This could be reality.

“I don’t feel safe,” she said. “And when I’m here today voting for (Kamala Harris), making my contribution to my vote counting for her, hopefully she’ll be our next president,” she said of the veep and Democratic presidential nominee.

New Jersey gets 14 electoral votes in the Electoral College. President Biden won the Garden State in 2020 with 57.34% of the vote.