New Jersey mom dons spooky 'Handmaid's Tale' costume to vote

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

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

The scary costume from the acclaimed series has become a symbol of protest for women's rights, particularly around abortion – and McGrogan said she fears those rights are being threatened by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“I have a blended family. I have a wife. I have a trans daughter. “Anything (Trump supporters) are against, I kind of check all those lists,” the married mother of two said, wiping away tears.

“And it’s frightening,” the woman said.

“I am emotional because this is not a film, not a series, not a show. “This is actually a reality,” she said.

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

“I don’t feel safe,” she said. “And as I am here today, voting for (Kamala Harris) and doing my part to make my vote count for her, hopefully she will be our next president,” she said of the veep and Democratic presidential nominee.

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