2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election

See also: 2005 United States gubernatorial elections

2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election

←  2001 November 8, 2005 2009  →

Nominee Jon Corzine Doug Forrester Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,224,551 985,271 Percentage 53.5% 43.0%

County results Congressional district results Municipality results Corzine:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Forrester:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     >90% Tie:     50%

Governor before election Richard Codey Democratic Elected Governor Jon Corzine Democratic

The 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election was a race to determine the governor of New Jersey. It was held on November 8, 2005. Democratic governor Richard Codey, who replaced Governor Jim McGreevey in 2004 after his resignation, did not run for election for a full term of office.

The primary election was held on June 7, 2005. U.S. senator Jon Corzine won the Democratic nomination without serious opposition. Former West Windsor Mayor Doug Forrester received the Republican nomination with a plurality of 36%. Corzine defeated Forrester in the general election. New Jersey is reliably Democratic at the federal level, but this was the first time since 1977 in which Democrats won more than one consecutive gubernatorial election in the state. This was the first time since 1965 that a Democrat won a gubernatorial race without Ocean County, and the first since 1961 that they did so without Monmouth County.

The 2005 general election also saw a public referendum question on the ballot for the voters to decide whether to create a position of lieutenant governor, alter the state's order of succession, and whether the state's first lieutenant governor would be chosen in the subsequent gubernatorial election held in 2009. ^{[1] [2]} The question passed by a tally of 836,134 votes (56.1%) to 655,333 (43.9%). ^[3] To date, this is the most recent election that Salem County voted for the Democratic candidate in a gubernatorial race.

Background

Governor Jim McGreevey was elected in 2001 by a large margin but resigned from office in November 2004 after Golan Cipel, an Israeli national and former advisor to the Governor, threatened to bring a lawsuit for sexual harassment, and thus reveal McGreevey was homosexual. Though McGreevey admitted to an "adult consensual affair with another man" on August 12, 2004, he announced that he would not resign from office until November 15, after the fall general election. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

McGreevey's decision to delay the effective date of his resignation until after September 3, 2004, avoided a November special election for governor, which would have coincided with the election for President of the United States. The 2004 election between George W. Bush and John Kerry was expected to be competitive, the political aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the state, and some observers speculated that McGreevey's decision to delay his resignation was designed to improve Kerry's political position and preserve Democratic Party control of the office of governor. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

Republicans and Democrats alike called upon McGreevey to make his resignation effective immediately. ^{[11] [12]} The New York Times editorial board opined, "Mr. McGreevey's strategy to delay resignation does not serve New Jersey residents well. The state will be led by an embattled governor mired in personal and legal problems for three months." ^[13] On September 15, U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. dismissed Afran v. McGreevey, ^[14] a lawsuit by Green Party members claiming that the postponement of McGreevey's resignation had left a vacancy, thereby violating New Jerseyans' voting rights. ^{[15] [16]}

New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey took office upon McGreevey's resignation ^[17] and served the remainder of the term until January 17, 2006. ^[18] At the time of McGreevey's resignation, the New Jersey State Constitution stipulated that the Senate president retains that position while serving as acting governor. ^[19] In the wake of McGreevey's resignation, and in consideration of other past New Jersey governors who had left office before the end of their terms, ^{[20] [21]} the New Jersey legislature passed a resolution establishing a public referendum on the creation of the position of Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. ^[22]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jon Corzine, U.S. senator ^[23]

Eliminated in primary

• James D. Kelly Jr., telecommunications company employee ^[24]
• Francis X. Tenaglio, former Pennsylvania state representative

Declined

• Richard Codey, incumbent governor and president of the New Jersey Senate

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Richard Codey	Jon Corzine	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [25]	November 9–15, 2004	814 RV	±3.4%	20%	60%	1%	19%
Quinnipiac [26]	January 18–24, 2005	433 RV	±4.7%	33%	43%	0%	23%

Results

Democratic Primary results ^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jon S. Corzine	207,670	88.08
	Democratic	James D. Kelly, Jr.	19,512	8.28
	Democratic	Francis X. Tenaglio	8,596	3.65
Total votes			235,778	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Doug Forrester, former mayor of West Windsor and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2002

Eliminated in Primary

• Todd Caliguire, Bergen County Freeholder
• Paul DiGaetano, assemblyman from Nutley
• Steve Lonegan, mayor of Bogota
• John J. Murphy, Morris County Freeholder and former mayor of Morris Township
• Bob Schroeder, Washington Township (Bergen County) councilman
• Bret Schundler, former mayor of Jersey City and nominee for governor in 2001

Declined

• Chris Christie, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey ^{[28] [29]}

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Todd Caliguire	Paul Di Gaetano	Doug Forrester	Steve Lonegan	John Murphy	Bob Schroeder	Bret Schundler	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [26]	January 18–24, 2005	329 RV	±5.4%	0%	1%	32%	0%	3%	0%	32%	3%	30%
Quinnipiac [30]	March 9–14, 2005	268 RV	±6.0%	0%	0%	33%	1%	2%	0%	29%	3%	31%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Diane Allen	Chris Christie	Doug Forrester	Bret Schundler	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [25]	November 9–15, 2004	623 RV	±3.9%	11%	12%	19%	34%	0%	24%

Results

Republican Primary results ^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Forrester	108,941	36.01
	Republican	Bret Schundler	94,417	31.21
	Republican	John J. Murphy	33,800	11.17
	Republican	Steve Lonegan	24,433	8.08
	Republican	Robert Schroeder	16,763	5.54
	Republican	Paul DiGaetano	16,684	5.52
	Republican	Todd Caliguire	7,463	2.47
Total votes			302,501	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Wesley Bell, former mayor of Stafford Township (Independent)
• Hector Castillo, physician and candidate for mayor of Paterson in 2002 (Independent)
• Jon Corzine, U.S. senator (Democratic)
• Ed Forchion, Candidate for U.S. representative in New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in 2004 (Marijuana)
• Doug Forrester, businessman, nominee for U.S. Senate in 2002, and former mayor of West Windsor (Republican)
• Angela Lariscy, candidate for U.S. representative in New Jersey's 13th congressional district in 2004 (Socialist Workers)
• Michael Latigona, registered nurse and EMT from Marlton (Independent)
• Jeffrey Pawlowski, former Sayreville borough councilman (Libertarian)
• Constantino Rozzo, candidate for U.S. representative in New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in 2004 (Socialist)
• Matthew Thieke, computer software analyst and resident of Maple Shade (Green)

Debates

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission declared that the four candidates would be included in the official gubernatorial debates to be aired on NJN. They included Jeffrey Pawlowski and Hector Castillo.

• Complete video of debate, September 20, 2005
• Complete video of debate, October 18, 2005
• Complete video of debate, November 5, 2005

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball [31]	Likely D	October 25, 2005

Polling

Source	Date	Sample size	Margin of error	Jon Corzine (D)	Doug Forrester (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [32]	August 19–23, 2004	887 RV	±3.3%	50%	27%	2%	21%
Quinnipiac [25]	November 9–15, 2004	2,235 RV	±2.1%	51%	29%	1%	19%
Quinnipiac [26]	January 18–24, 2004	1,215 RV	±2.8%	51%	29%	1%	19%
Quinnipiac [30]	March 9–14, 2005	937 RV	±3.2%	50%	33%	1%	16%
Rasmussen [33]	June 8, 2005			47%	40%	5%	8%
Rutgers [34]	June 12, 2005			43%	33%	–	–
Quinnipiac [35]	June 15, 2005			47%	37%	–	–
Rasmussen [36]	July 15, 2005			50%	38%	4%	8%
Strategic Vision [37]	July 19, 2005			48%	40%	–	–
Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind [38]	July 21, 2005			47%	34%	–	–
Rasmussen [39]	August 7, 2005			45%	37%	5%	–
Quinnipiac [40]	August 10, 2005			50%	40%	–	–
Strategic Vision [41]	August 18, 2005			50%	40%	–	–
Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers [42]	September 12, 2005			48%	28%	–	–
Strategic Vision [43]	September 16, 2005			47%	36%	–	–
Rasmussen [44]	September 19, 2005			47%	36%	5%	–
Fairleigh-Dickinson [45]	September 26, 2005			48%	38%	4%	10%
Monmouth University [46]	September 28, 2005			46%	38%	–	–
Quinnipiac [47]	September 28, 2005			48%	44%	–	–
Rasmussen [48]	October 6, 2005			45%	38%	5%	–
Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers [49]	October 3–6, 2005			44%	37%	–	–
Marist [50]	October 10, 2005			44%	43%	–	–
Survey USA [51]	October 11, 2005			49%	41%	5%	5%
Strategic Vision [52]	October 13, 2005			46%	40%	–	–
Quinnipiac [53]	October 19, 2005			50%	43%	–	–
Rasmussen [54]	October 20, 2005			49%	40%	3%	–
Survey USA [55]	October 25, 2005			50%	41%	7%	3%
Strategic Vision [56]	November 2, 2005			48%	42%	–	–
Fairleigh-Dickinson [57]	November 2, 2005			44%	40%	3%	13%
Quinnipiac [58]	November 2, 2005			50%	38%	–	–
Marist College [59]	November 4, 2005			51%	41%	–	–
Monmouth University [60]	November 4, 2005			47%	38%	–	–
Rasmussen [61]	November 6, 2005			44%	39%	5%	12%
Quinnipiac [62]	November 7, 2005			52%	45%	–	–
Survey USA [63]	November 7, 2005			50%	44%	5%	2%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jim McGreevey (D)	Diane Allen (R)	Chris Christie (R)	Doug Forrester (R)	Bret Schundler (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [64]	July 30–August 2, 2004	996 RV	±3.1%	38%	32%	–	–	–	2%	28%
				40%	–	27%	–	–	2%	31%
				41%	–	–	34%	–	3%	23%
				40%	–	–	–	37%	2%	20%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Richard Codey (D)	Diane Allen (R)	Chris Christie (R)	Doug Forrester (R)	Bret Schundler (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [25]	November 9–15, 2004	2,235 RV	±2.1%	39%	28%	–	–	–	1%	31%
				40%	–	27%	–	–	1%	32%
				39%	–	–	32%	–	1%	27%
				40%	–	–	–	34%	1%	25%
Quinnipiac [26]	January 18–24, 2004	1,215 RV	±2.8%	53%	–	–	25%	–	1%	22%
				54%	–	–	–	26%	1%	20%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jon Corzine (D)	Diane Allen (R)	Chris Christie (R)	Bob Franks (R)	Bret Schundler (R)	Christine Whitman (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac [32]	August 19–23, 2004	887 RV	±3.3%	49%	24%	–	–	–	–	2%	24%
				53%	–	22%	–	–	–	1%	24%
				52%	–	–	24%	–	–	1%	23%
				48%	–	–	–	32%	–	1%	19%
				48%	–	–	–	–	37%	1%	14%
Quinnipiac [25]	November 9–15, 2004	2,235 RV	±2.1%	51%	25%	–	–	–	–	1%	23%
				51%	–	24%	–	–	–	1%	23%
				51%	–	–	–	30%	–	1%	18%
Quinnipiac [26]	January 18–24, 2004	1,215 RV	±2.8%	52%	–	–	–	28%	–	1%	18%
Quinnipiac [30]	March 9–14, 2005	937 RV	±3.2%	50%	–	–	–	34%	–	1%	15%

Results

New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 2005 ^[65]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jon Corzine	1,224,551	53.47%	2.96
	Republican	Doug Forrester	985,271	43.02%	1.34
	Independent	Hector Castillo	29,452	1.29%	N/A
	Libertarian	Jeffrey Pawlowski	15,417	0.67%	0.46
	Green	Matthew Thieke	12,315	0.54%	0.26
	Legalize Marijuana	Edward Forchion	9,137	0.40%	N/A
	Independent	Michael Latigona	5,169	0.23%
	Independent	Wesley Bell	4,178	0.18%	N/A
	Socialist Workers	Angela Lariscy	2,531	0.11%	0.06
	Socialist	Constantino Rozzo	2,078	0.09%	0.02
Majority			239,280	10.45%	−4.31%
Turnout			2,290,099
	Democratic hold		Swing

Results by county ^[65]

County	Corzine votes	Corzine %	Forrester votes	Forrester %	Other votes	Other %
Atlantic	34,539	53.3%	28,004	43.2%	2,238	3.5%
Bergen	142,319	55.6%	108,017	42.2%	5,683	2.2%
Burlington	64,421	50.5%	57,908	45.4%	5,203	4.1%
Camden	76,955	60.4%	45,079	35.4%	5,458	4.3%
Cape May	14,375	45.2%	16,179	50.9%	1,243	3.9%
Cumberland	18,580	57.2%	12,692	39.0%	1,231	3.8%
Essex	131,312	72.7%	45,789	25.4%	3,456	1.9%
Gloucester	41,128	53.2%	33,225	43.0%	3,004	3.9%
Hudson	87,409	75.4%	25,769	22.2%	2,691	2.3%
Hunterdon	15,004	33.6%	27,521	61.6%	2,179	4.9%
Mercer	56,592	57.1%	38,871	39.2%	3,596	3.6%
Middlesex	107,176	56.0%	75,021	39.2%	9,085	4.7%
Monmouth	85,187	43.8%	101,085	51.9%	8,376	4.3%
Morris	60,986	41.3%	82,550	56.0%	3,997	2.7%
Ocean	71,953	41.6%	93,693	54.2%	7,242	4.2%
Passaic	61,803	57.9%	41,532	38.9%	3,413	3.2%
Salem	10,057	48.6%	9,608	46.5%	1,008	4.9%
Somerset	40,459	43.3%	49,406	52.8%	3,661	3.9%
Sussex	14,854	35.1%	25,283	59.7%	2,182	5.2%
Union	77,982	59.2%	50,036	38.0%	3,677	2.8%
Warren	11,460	36.8%	18,003	57.9%	1,654	5.3%

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Monmouth (largest municipality: Middletown Township)
• Ocean (largest municipality: Lakewood)

See also

• Politics of New Jersey

References

1. Mansnerus, Laura. "On Politics: The Advantage of Having A Lieutenant Governor" in The New York Times (March 27, 2005). Retrieved August 30, 2013.
2. New Jersey State Legislature. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2 (SCR2): "A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Articles II, IV, V, and XI of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey" Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (2004) and Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 100 (ACR100): "A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Articles II, IV, V and XI of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey" Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (2005). Retrieved 30 August 2013. Note that The New Jersey State Legislature doesn't provide distinct web addresses for its transactions on specific bills, however, at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp Archived 2013-09-13 at the Wayback Machine click on "Bills 2004–2005" and search for ACR100 and SCR2 for these bills, vote tallies and historical information regarding their passage.
3. New Jersey Division of Elections (New Jersey Department of State). "Official List Ballot Questions Tally For November 2005 General Election" Archived 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine (certified 16 December 2005). Retrieved 30 August 2013.
4. Cloud, John (August 23, 2004). "The Governor's Secret Life". Time. Vol. 164, no. 8. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
5. "McGreevey: 'I am a gay American'". CNN. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on August 14, 2004. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
6. "New Jersey governor quits, comes out as gay". CNN. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on August 16, 2004. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
7. Kohen, Yael (August 13, 2004). "McGreevey to quit, declares 'I am a gay American'". The New York Sun . Archived from the original on November 3, 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
8. Kocieniewski, David (September 5, 2004). "McGreevey Stays Put, and Intrigue Builds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
9. Mansnerus, Laura (August 17, 2004). "McGreevey Hunkers Down, but Exit Pressure Grows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
10. Sabato, Larry J. (August 16, 2004). "The McGreevey Matter – The impact on presidential politics". Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
11. Mansnerus, Laura; Kocieniewski, David (August 13, 2004). "Ex-Aide Says He Was Victim of McGreevey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
12. Dewar, Helen; Garcia, Michelle (August 18, 2004). "Democrats Press McGreevey to Quit". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
13. "The Governor's Secret". The New York Times . August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
14. Linstrum, Erik (September 9, 2004). "Princeton-area lawyers file lawsuit against McGreevey". The Daily Princetonian . Archived from the original on September 6, 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
15. "Judge won't order special N.J. election". USA Today. Associated Press. September 15, 2004. Archived from the original on April 14, 2008.
16. Mansnerus, Laura (September 16, 2004). "Judge Dismisses Case Seeking a Vote to Replace McGreevey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
17. Mansnerus, Laura; Beston, Josh (November 16, 2004). "Transition Ends: A Quiet Goodbye for McGreevey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
18. Jones, Richard Lezin; Benson, Josh (January 11, 2006). "A Sentimental Last Address as a Temporary Governor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
19. "New Jersey State Constitution". njleg.state.nj.us. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
20. Benson, Josh (October 25, 2005). "New Jersey, Used to Having Governors Leave Early, Considers Need for a Lieutenant". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
21. Shure, John (September 10, 2004). "The People Should Choose Who Fills the Shoes". New Jersey Policy Perspective. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
22. "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2 (SCR2)" (PDF). New Jersey State Legislature. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2023. A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Articles II, IV, V, and XI of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey
23. Kornacki, Steve. "Exit everyman: How the Jersey Democratic bosses destroyed Dick Codey and unleashed Chris Christie" in "Politico" (January 28, 2013). Retrieved April 19, 2022
24. "James D. Kelly Jr." in "Our Campaigns". Retrieved April 19, 2022
25. "Corzine has Big Early Lead in New Jersey Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Codey Also Tops GOP Contenders". Quinnipiac Poll. November 17, 2004. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
26. "Codey Has Strong Start In New Jersey Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; He Narrows Gap With Corzine And Tops GOP Contenders". Quinnipiac Poll. January 26, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
27. "Candidates for Governor" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. July 18, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
28. Shears, Ian T. (September 8, 2004). "Christie's brother emerges as a major GOP fund-raiser". The Jersey Journal.
29. "Corzine to announce bid for governor". The Jersey Journal. November 26, 2004.
30. "Money Doesn't Hurt Corzine In New Jersey Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; He Has Double-Digit Lead Over Top GOP Contenders". Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. March 16, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
31. "The 2005 Off-Off-Year Elections: Hardfast Harbinger or Harmless Happenstance? | Sabato's Crystal Ball".
32. "Kerry Holds 10-Point Lead In New Jersey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Corzine Buries GOP Contenders In Gov Race". Quinnipiac Poll. August 25, 2004. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
33. Rasmussen Archived November 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
34. Rutgers Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
35. Quinnipiac
36. Rasmussen Archived July 19, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
37. Strategic Vision
38. Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind
39. Rasmussen Archived November 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
40. Quinnipiac
41. Strategic Vision
42. Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
43. Strategic Vision
44. Rasmussen Archived November 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
45. Fairleigh-Dickinson
46. Monmouth University
47. Quinnipiac
48. Rasmussen Archived 2005-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
49. Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers
50. Marist Archived October 13, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
51. Survey USA
52. Strategic Vision
53. Quinnipiac
54. Rasmussen Archived 2005-12-27 at the Wayback Machine
55. Survey USA
56. Strategic Vision
57. Fairleigh-Dickinson
58. Quinnipiac
59. Marist College Archived February 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
60. Monmouth University ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
61. Rasmussen Archived November 26, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
62. Quinnipiac
63. Survey USA
64. "Corruption Cases Take Toll On McGreevey Approval, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Governor Still Tops Fed Prosecutor, Other Contenders". Quinnipiac Poll. August 4, 2004. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
65. "Official List Candidates for Governor For November 2005 General Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. December 16, 2005. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

External links

• New Jersey Department of State - 2005 Election Information Archive

Candidates

• Jon Corzine's Official Campaign Site ^{[ usurped ]}
• Doug Forrester's Official Campaign Site
• Michael Latigona's Official Campaign Site
• Jeff Pawlowski's Official Campaign Site
• Constantino Rozzo's Official Campaign Site
• Matthew Thieke's Official Campaign Site