Phil Murphy became the first Democrat in more than four decades to win a second term as New Jersey’s governor, surviving by a narrow margin that stunned Democrats already reeling from a loss in Virginia.
The former Goldman Sachs executive won against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, according to the Associated Press, despite more than a day of delays after votes trickled in slowly. Adding to the confusion was a lack of clarity from 21 county elections officials over how many of more than 700,000 mail-in and early voting ballots were included in the totals.
Murphy had won 50% of the vote, with Ciattarelli at 49.2%, according to the AP. About 19,300 votes separated the two, with 98% of precincts reporting.
“I am humbled to be the first Democratic governor reelected in the great state of New Jersey since my dear friend the late Governor Brendan Byrne did this in 1977," said Murphy.
The close race sent a powerful message about the resilience of the Republican Party after President Donald Trump’s defeat last year and is sure to energize the GOP with the approach of the fight for control of Congress in 2022. Ciattarelli eroded support for Murphy by hitting the governor on local issues, including some of the the highest-in-the-nation property taxes and his Covid-19 policies, including the use of vaccine mandates for some public workers.
Still, a recount could be inevitable because voting changes and close contests.
Stami Williams, Ciattarelli’s campaign spokesperson, said on Twitter that the call for Murphy’s victory was “irresponsible” given the tightness of the race and the outstanding ballots to be counted.
Ciattarelli’s initial lead over Murphy shrank as more mail-in votes were counted. Of more than 500,000 ballots cast by mail, nearly two-thirds were from Democratic voters, according to a tally by the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.
Three Democratic-leaning counties -- Essex, Mercer and Camden -- came through with more than 14,000 additional votes for Murphy. The only outstanding precincts from Associated Press’s tally were in Essex County and Hudson County, another Democratic-leaning area.
The fact that the race came down to the wire seemed to catch Murphy supporters off guard after pre-election polls and early returns showed the incumbent with a sizable lead. By 10 p.m. on Election Day, the mood at Murphy’s election headquarters had decidedly turned.
Murphy, 64, told a crowd of supporters “we’re all sorry tonight could not yet be the celebration.” But he said he was “feeling good, we’re going to count every vote.”
He pulled it off in the end. New Jersey leans Democratic, but voters frustrated by high taxes have kept their recent governors from that party to single terms. Brendan Byrne, who served from 1974 to 1982, was New Jersey’s last Democratic two-term governor.
Murphy was poised to buck that trend, buffeted by positive approval ratings over the course of the coronavirus pandemic. A self-described progressive, Murphy showcased first-term successes like raising the minimum wage, legalizing recreational marijuana, expanding paid family leave, restoring women’s health funding and providing free tuition to low-income college students.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made pre-election trips to New Jersey to visit with Murphy but most of the Democrat Party’s attention was focused on Virginia, the only other U.S. state holding a governor’s race this year. Democrats feared a loss by Terry McAuliffe, the former Virginia Governor, could augur a red wave across the country during the 2022 midterm elections.
Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker, hammered Murphy during the campaign over the state’s expensive cost of living. The Republican remained little known to many voters, even after spending more than $12 million on the race. Ciattarelli, 59, also had a late influx of financial help from the Republican Governors Association, which spent $3.1 million in New Jersey as of Oct. 29.
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