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Turnout | 40.5% [1] (![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
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Murphy: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Ciattarelli: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No votes | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in New Jersey |
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The 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the governor of New Jersey. Incumbent governor Phil Murphy was first elected in 2017 with 56% of the vote [2] and won re-election to a second term. Murphy and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, defeated the Republican ticket of Jack Ciattarelli and Diane Allen, 51.2% to 48%.
Murphy formally announced his intention to run for a second term on October 1, 2020. [3] Primaries were held on June 8, 2021. Murphy, who won the Democratic nomination unopposed after his two primary challengers were disqualified, faced Ciattarelli, Green nominee Madelyn Hoffman, Libertarian nominee Gregg Mele, and Socialist Workers Party nominee Joanne Kuniansky in the general election. The race was considered by many media outlets to be a "safe" or "likely" Democratic hold, as Murphy had led a majority of pre-election polls by double digits. [4] However, Murphy defeated Ciattarelli by a much smaller margin than expected. [5]
Murphy is the first Democratic governor of New Jersey to win re-election since Brendan Byrne in 1977, as well as the first candidate of the same party as the incumbent U.S. president to win since Thomas Kean in 1985. This is also the first New Jersey gubernatorial election since 2009 where both the Democratic and Republican nominees received more than one million votes each. [5] It also was the first New Jersey gubernatorial election where the Green Party candidate placed third. Murphy also became the first Democrat to win a New Jersey gubernatorial election without carrying Gloucester and Cumberland Counties since Robert B. Meyner in 1953, and the first Democrat to win a gubernatorial election without carrying Atlantic County since Richard J. Hughes in 1961.
Atlantic County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1993. Also, this was the first New Jersey gubernatorial election in which Somerset County voted more Democratic than the state as a whole since 1910. Murphy became the first New Jersey Governor since Brendan Byrne to win both of his elections with a majority of the vote each time. It was the first single-digit Democratic win in a governor's election since 1961. [6] [7]
Primary campaign finance activity through June 28, 2021 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
Phil Murphy | $7,966,075 | $7,752,229 | $213,846 |
Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission [13] |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Philip Murphy (incumbent) | 382,984 | 100.0% | |
Total votes | 382,984 | 100.0% |
Primary campaign finance activity through June 28, 2021 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
Jack Ciattarelli | $7,125,870 | $7,045,692 | $69,178 |
Brian Levine | <$5,800 | <$5,800 | <$5,800 |
Phil Rizzo | $678,619 | $655,282 | $23,337 |
Hirsh Singh | $616,398 | $615,931 | $468 |
Doug Steinhardt (withdrew) | $248,345 | $221,819 | $26,527 |
Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission [13] |
On May 4, 2021, the New Jersey Globe published a list of nine potential candidates for lieutenant governor after speaking with "more than two dozen Republican leaders, strategists and activists." [37] Diane Allen (who was selected as Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli's running mate) was one of the names on this list. The others were:
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn | ||||||||
Jack Ciattarelli | Brian Levine | Phil Rizzo | Hirsh Singh | |||||
1 [38] | May 25, 2021 | WKXW | Eric Scott | P | N | N | P |
A second debate on NJ PBS featuring Ciattarelli and Singh and moderated by NJ Spotlight News reporters Briana Vannozzi, Colleen O'Dea, and David Cruz was planned for May 26, 2021, [39] but later cancelled on May 24, 2021, [40] after Singh announced that he would decline to participate. [41]
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [lower-alpha 1] | Margin of error | Jack Ciattarelli | Brian Levine | Phil Rizzo | Hirsh Singh | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Policy Polling (D) [lower-alpha 2] | May 24–25, 2021 | 591 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 29% | 2% | 8% | 23% | 38% |
Brad Parscale (R) [lower-alpha 3] | April 16–21, 2021 | >1200 (LV) | ± 3% | 20% | 3% | 10% | 22% | — |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jack Ciattarelli | 167,690 | 49.46% | |
Republican | Philip Rizzo | 87,007 | 25.66% | |
Republican | Hirsh V. Singh | 73,155 | 21.58% | |
Republican | Brian D. Levine | 11,181 | 3.30% | |
Total votes | 339,033 | 100.0% |
Five candidates appeared on the general election ballot, the lowest number of candidates for a New Jersey gubernatorial election since 1953, which also featured five. [42]
General election campaign finance activity through November 19, 2021 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
Phil Murphy | $16,747,434 | $16,393,069 | $354,365 |
Jack Ciattarelli | $16,361,174 | $15,828,691 | $532,483 |
Gregg Mele | $6,000 | <$5,800 | N/A |
Madelyn Hoffman | $1,874 | <$5,800 | <$5,800 |
Joanne Kuniansky | <$5,800 | <$5,800 | <$5,800 |
Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission [52] |
Although New Jersey State Law gives until September 1, 2021, for independent gubernatorial candidates to fundraise $490,000 to qualify for the debates, the invitees of the first debate were definitively stated at around July 20, 2021, which was over a month before the deadline.[ failed verification ] [53] [54] Despite the third-party candidates being ineligible to debate in any debates that were sponsored by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, the New Jersey Globe held another debate for third-party lieutenant governor candidates on October 11, 2021. [55]
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Green | Socialist Workers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn | Phil Murphy | Jack Ciattarelli | Gregg Mele | Madelyn Hoffman | Joanne Kuniansky | ||||
1 [56] [57] | September 28, 2021 | NJPAC | Sade Baderinwa Brian Taff | P | P | N | N | N | |
2 [56] | October 12, 2021 | NJ PBS | Briana Vannozzi | P | P | N | N | N |
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Green | Socialist Workers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn | Sheila Oliver | Diane Allen | Eveline Brownstein | Heather Warburton | Vivian Sahner | ||||
1 [56] | October 5, 2021 | New Jersey Globe | David Wildstein Shenell McCloud Micah Rasmussen | P | P | N | N | N | |
2 [55] | October 11, 2021 | Joey Fox | N | N | P | P | W |
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report [58] | Solid D | October 5, 2021 |
Inside Elections [59] | Solid D | November 1, 2021 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [60] | Likely D | November 1, 2021 |
Source of poll aggregation | Date(s) administered | Dates updated | Phil Murphy Democratic | Jack Ciattarelli Republican | Gregg Mele Libertarian | Madelyn Hoffman Green | Joanne Kuniansky Socialist Workers | Other/ Undecided [lower-alpha 5] | Lead |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Real Clear Politics | Oct 15–31, 2021 | Nov 1, 2021 | 50.5% | 42.7% | - | - | - | 6.8% | 7.8% |
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [lower-alpha 1] | Margin of error | Phil Murphy (D) | Jack Ciattarelli (R) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Research Co. | October 31 – November 1, 2021 | 450 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 50% | 44% | 1% | 5% |
The Trafalgar Group (R) | October 29–31, 2021 | 1,085 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 49% | 45% | 1% | 4% |
Fairleigh Dickinson University | October 23–28, 2021 | 823 (RV) | ± 3.4% | 53% | 44% | 3% [lower-alpha 6] | – |
Rutgers-Eagleton | October 21–27, 2021 | 901 (RV) | ± 4.1% | 50% | 42% | - | 8% |
Stockton University | October 17–26, 2021 | 522 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 50% | 41% | 6% [lower-alpha 7] | 3% |
Monmouth University | October 21–25, 2021 | 1,000 (RV) | ± 3.1% | 50% | 39% | 2% [lower-alpha 8] | 9% |
Emerson College | October 15–18, 2021 | 600 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 50% | 44% | – | 7% |
Schoen Cooperman Research (D) | October 9–12, 2021 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 50% | 41% | – | 9% |
Stockton University | September 17–25, 2021 | 552 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 50% | 41% | 6% [lower-alpha 9] | 3% |
Monmouth University | September 16–20, 2021 | 804 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 51% | 38% | 3% [lower-alpha 10] | 9% |
National Research Inc. (R) [lower-alpha 11] | September 13–16, 2021 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 45% | 42% | – | 10% |
Fabrizio Lee & Associates (R) [lower-alpha 12] | August 24–29, 2021 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 41% | 3% [lower-alpha 13] | 14% |
Monmouth University | August 11–16, 2021 | 810 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 52% | 36% | 3% [lower-alpha 14] | 9% |
National Research Inc. (R) [lower-alpha 11] | June 17–22, 2021 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 49% | 37% | - | 14% |
Fairleigh Dickinson University | June 9–16, 2021 | 803 (RV) | ± 3.9% | 48% | 33% | 5% [lower-alpha 15] | 14% |
Rutgers University | May 21–29, 2021 | 493 (A) | ± 5.4% | 52% | 24% | 13% [lower-alpha 16] | 12% |
467 (RV) | ± 5.6% | 52% | 26% | 11% [lower-alpha 17] | 10% | ||
Change Research (D) [lower-alpha 18] | May 15–20, 2021 | 1,215 (A) | ± 3.9% | 47% | 36% | - | 17% |
National Research Inc. (R) [lower-alpha 11] | April 11–13, 2021 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 47% | 30% | - | 23% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [lower-alpha 1] | Margin of error | Phil Murphy (D) | Generic Opponent | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rutgers-Eagleton | May 21–29, 2021 | 461 (RV) | – | 42% | 31% | 27% [lower-alpha 19] |
Monmouth University | April 29 – May 4, 2021 | 661 (RV) | ± 3.8% | 48% | 44% | 8% |
During the election, several technical problems with internet connections were reported across the state after newly installed voting machines were used for the first time, resulting in machine malfunctions that were eventually resolved. This caused a delay in the final results. [130] [131] [132] With 98% of the vote tallied, Ciattarelli conceded to Murphy at a news conference on November 12, 2021, and announced he would run again in 2025. [133] This was the first time since 1949 that the winning gubernatorial candidate did not win a majority of counties, and the first since 1940 that a Democrat did so.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic |
| 1,339,471 | 51.22% | –4.81 | |
Republican | 1,255,185 | 48.00% | +6.11 | ||
Green |
| 8,450 | 0.32% | –0.15 | |
Libertarian |
| 7,768 | 0.30% | –0.19 | |
Socialist Workers |
| 4,012 | 0.15% | N/A | |
Total votes | 2,614,886 | 100.00% | |||
Turnout | 2,648,814 | 40.47% | +1.97 | ||
Registered electors | 6,545,250 | ||||
Democratic hold | |||||
County | Murphy | Ciattarelli | Others | Total | Margin | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | Votes | Votes | Percent | |
Atlantic | 35,736 | 44.0% | 44,977 | 55.3% | 595 | 0.7% | 81,308 | -9,241 | -11.30% |
Bergen | 145,150 | 52.5% | 129,644 | 46.9% | 1,556 | 0.6% | 276,350 | 15,506 | 5.60% |
Burlington | 82,877 | 53.3% | 71,772 | 46.1% | 898 | 0.6% | 155,547 | 11,105 | 7.20% |
Camden | 92,162 | 61.7% | 56,016 | 37.5% | 1,214 | 0.8% | 149,392 | 36,146 | 24.20% |
Cape May | 14,183 | 36.7% | 24,260 | 62.8% | 218 | 0.6% | 38,661 | -10,077 | -26.10% |
Cumberland | 13,978 | 43.6% | 17,794 | 55.6% | 257 | 0.8% | 32,029 | -3,816 | -12.00% |
Essex | 132,520 | 74.0% | 45,542 | 25.4% | 1,105 | 0.6% | 179,167 | 86,978 | 48.60% |
Gloucester | 44,959 | 44.6% | 54,976 | 54.6% | 813 | 0.8% | 100,748 | -10,017 | -10.00% |
Hudson | 88,066 | 73.6% | 30,443 | 25.4% | 1,206 | 1.0% | 119,715 | 57,623 | 48.20% |
Hunterdon | 22,820 | 40.2% | 33,459 | 58.9% | 505 | 0.9% | 56,784 | -10,639 | -18.70% |
Mercer | 66,151 | 65.1% | 34,617 | 34.1% | 857 | 0.8% | 101,625 | 31,534 | 31.00% |
Middlesex | 116,352 | 55.9% | 90,297 | 43.4% | 2,109 | 0.7% | 208,758 | 26,055 | 12.50% |
Monmouth | 96,664 | 40.3% | 141,100 | 58.8% | 2,024 | 0.8% | 239,788 | -44,436 | -18.50% |
Morris | 81,915 | 44.1% | 102,769 | 55.3% | 1,239 | 0.7% | 185,923 | -20,854 | -11.20% |
Ocean | 68,615 | 31.8% | 145,756 | 67.5% | 1,439 | 0.7% | 215,810 | -77,141 | -35.70% |
Passaic | 57,812 | 51.5% | 53,551 | 47.7% | 961 | 0.9% | 112,324 | 4,261 | 3.80% |
Salem | 6,893 | 35.0% | 12,620 | 64.1% | 178 | 0.9% | 19,691 | -5,727 | -29.10% |
Somerset | 58,585 | 51.5% | 54,264 | 47.7% | 823 | 0.7% | 113,672 | 4,321 | 3.80% |
Sussex | 17,346 | 31.9% | 36,310 | 66.8% | 663 | 1.2% | 54,319 | -18,964 | -34.90% |
Union | 83,913 | 61.6% | 51,279 | 37.6% | 1,126 | 0.8% | 136,318 | 32,634 | 24.00% |
Warren | 12,774 | 34.6% | 23,739 | 64.2% | 444 | 1.2% | 36,957 | -10,965 | -29.60% |
Total | 1,339,471 | 51.22% | 1,255,185 | 48.00% | 20,230 | 0.77% | 2,614,886 | 84,286 | 3.22% |
Murphy and Ciattarelli each won six of 12 congressional districts. Four districts won by Ciattarelli were represented by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
District | Murphy | Ciattarelli | Representative |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 56.8% | 41.5% | Donald Norcross |
2nd | 40.2% | 58.9% | Jeff Van Drew |
3rd | 42.5% | 56.2% | Andy Kim |
4th | 39.6% | 59.6% | Chris Smith |
5th | 45.9% | 53.2% | Josh Gottheimer |
6th | 51.3% | 47.7% | Frank Pallone |
7th | 46.5% | 52.7% | Tom Malinowski |
8th | 73.3% | 25.8% | Albio Sires |
9th | 57.9% | 41.9% | Bill Pascrell |
10th | 81.4% | 15.6% | Donald Payne Jr. |
11th | 46.4% | 53.0% | Mikie Sherrill |
12th | 62.3% | 36.8% | Bonnie Watson Coleman |
Sheila Yvette Oliver was an American politician who served as the second lieutenant governor of New Jersey from 2018 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Oliver was the first Black woman to serve as lieutenant governor of New Jersey and was the first woman of color elected to statewide office in New Jersey.
Jack Michael Ciattarelli is an American politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 to 2018, representing the 16th legislative district. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election, which he narrowly lost to incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy.
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy officially announced former Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver as his running mate on Wednesday...
DAVID CRUZ: "Any chance that you would take a seat on Jack Ciattarelli's ticket?" HOLLY SCHEPISI: "It has not been discussed. I'm always open to explore opportunity and Jack is an amazing candidate. I am 100% behind him.
Today Greg accepted the NJLP nomination for Governor.
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