TRENTON -- New Jersey voters eager to have a front row seat in the 2016 presidential cycle will get their chance for the first time this election season on Sunday.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the underdog challenger to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, is hosting a rally in Piscataway. The event -- the first of two rallies Sanders has scheduled -- marks the first time a presidential candidate will rally the troops in the Garden State this cycle.

The only other campaign event in New Jersey was Gov. Chris Christie's kick off event for the Republican nomination in June.

"It's exciting," said Assemblyman John Wisniewski, the New Jersey chairman of Sanders' campaign.

"This will help us fire up all the hundreds of people who are around the state canvassing homes, making calls and setting up events," he said. "Senator Sanders has very strong support here."

Sanders' Piscataway rally will be held at the Rutgers University Athletic Center. It begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday. On Monday, Sanders will visit the Atlantic City boardwalk for a 9:30 a.m. rally.

"I'm sure this is not the last time we'll see the senator," Wisniewski said.

But Sanders' already uphill climb isn't made easier by the hurdle pollsters say he has to clear to get New Jersey's delegates.

Clinton holds 60 percent of Democratic voters in the state while Sanders' support lags at 32 percent, according to a Monmouth University Poll released on Wednesday.

The numbers also are working against Sanders.

Clinton clinched enough delegates to make it mathematically impossible for the Vermont senator to secure enough delegates in the remaining primary contests. However, Sanders aides have suggested the campaign's path to the nomination is in securing super delegates.

The Democratic nominee needs to win 2,383 delegates to lock up the nomination. Clinton leads with 2,205 delegates, including 522 super delegates, and Sanders trails with 1,401 delegates, which includes only 39 super delegates.

This election cycle, like others, has put New Jersey in the backseat for the presidential primary. The state holds its primary on June 7, near the end of the pack.

It seemed the state's GOP was prepared to play a significant role, but that evaporated after Donald Trump's Indiana win on Tuesday forced his remaining two rivals out of the Republican primary.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.