PARSIPPANY -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign will likely be opening its new New Jersey headquarters soon in Parsippany, according to state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris), co-chairman of Trump's campaign in New Jersey.

"It's progressing," Pennacchio said in an interview Wednesday. "It looks like it's going in that direction."

The Trump campaign will likely be sharing space at Powder Mill Plaza, a shopping center on Route 10, with the Morris County Republican Committee, which will be working on behalf of candidates at all levels, Pennacchio said, noting an arrangement to rent space is nearing fruition.

During the primary, the Trump campaign operated out of an office in Edison and that office closed down.

Pennacchio, who is leading the New Jersey campaign along with state Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren), said he hopes the campaign will open another office in Edison soon, along with an office in South Jersey as well as the Parsippany headquarters.

Although New Jersey is considered a "blue" state where Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is expected to win, Pennacchio said he believes Trump has a good chance in the state.

"I don't buy into that," Pennacchio said. "It's not a partisan race. This is a populist movement and Trump is the messenger."

With voters on both sides opposing trade agreements and looking for something new, Pennacchio said, the movement extends to Democrats as well. He cited the popularity of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind survey of New Jersey voters in late June showed Clinton with a 21-point lead over Trump, although the lead shrunk to 12 percent when Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson was included in the mix.

But, Pennaccho said, "I wouldn't be co-chairing Trump if I didn't think he had a solid chance in New Jersey."

Pennacchio said people are increasingly concerned about Clinton's "corruption" after learning about her email issue as Secretary of State along with access she allegedly provided as secretary to donors to the Clinton Foundation.

Pennacchio acknowledged Trump's "temperament" to serve as president has arisen as an issue, but said he believes Trump can "fix" that.

North Jersey is a good place to base Trump's campaign because he has so much support there, Pennacchio said.

"There are an awful lot of people who want to get involved in this race," he said, reporting that at a public-event picnic he attended recently, 25 people approached him and said they want to volunteer for the Trump campaign.

The prospect of a Trump headquarters in Morris County has already drawn a reaction from a Democratic candidate for county freeholder, Mitchell Horn, who issued a statement saying he opposes locating Trump headquarters in the county.

A Trump office, Horn said, would be "a symbol of hatred and discrimination."

"People of all demographics and beliefs get along perfectly fine in Morris County and Trump's presence threatens that," Horn said.

Pennacchio discounted the significance of Horn's opposition.

"It may be a good sound bite, but it won't win him the race for freeholder," Pennacchio said.

He pointed out that Trump has been in the public eye for 40 years and said that before Trump ran for president, "no one called him a racist, a misogynist or a xenophobe. That's a very ignorant statement."

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.