Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli conceded defeat to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday, capping 10 days of drama in a closer-than-expected New Jersey governor’s race.
The former state lawmaker also said he plans to run for governor a third time, in 2025.
”That is exactly my plan. I’m running for governor in four years,“ Ciattarelli said to applause after delivering a 10-minute concession speech at the borough hall in Raritan, his hometown in Somerset County. “I want the governor to be successful in addressing the issues that are most important to New Jerseyans. But I just have this feeling there’s gonna be a lot of fixing to do four years from now.”
He wouldn’t run against Murphy again. The Democratic governor is limited to two consecutive terms under the state constitution. Instead, Ciattarelli would seek the Republican nomination to succeed Murphy.
Conceding nine days after multiple media outlets declared Murphy the winner, Ciattarelli told supporters who are “angry” he’s not seeking a recount that he sees no path to victory and does not know of any “systemic or widespread” voter fraud.
“I hate to lose,” Ciattarelli said. “But I’m also someone who believes strongly in our republic and our democratic processes. Enough votes have been counted.”
“I see no proof this election was stolen,” he added.
Ciattarelli led Murphy on Election Night Nov. 2 as delays in the state’s counting process caused results to trickle in slowly. But by the next morning, as more Democratic precincts reported results, Murphy took over the lead. The Associated Press and multiple other media outlets called the race for the governor early that evening, Nov. 3.
Murphy’s lead increased in the coming days as more mail-in and provisional ballots were counted. Ciattarelli, though, declined to concede as more votes were tallied, in hope the margin would be close enough to at least seek a recount.
Murphy criticized Ciattarelli for the holdout, saying it was “dangerous” for him not to acknowledge he lost because it encourages distrust in America’s democratic elections.
Ciattarelli said it became apparent Thursday that a recount was not feasible and he called Murphy on Friday to congratulate him on re-election.
He dismissed criticism that he waited too long to accept defeat, saying votes were still being counted this week.
“I think this team took a very, very serious, reasonable, and credible approach to the decision I made today to concede,” Ciattarelli said. “I think we did this right.”
N.J. ELECTION 2021: Local and state results
As of Friday, Murphy led Ciattarelli by about 74,000 votes, according to the AP. That’s a margin of 2.9 percentage points.
It’s the closest governor’s race since Republican Gov. Christie Whitman defeated Democrat Jim McGreevey in 1997. It’s also the fifth-closest governor’s race since New Jersey enacted a new state constitution in 1949.
In a statement Friday, Murphy thanked Ciattarelli and his family “for a spirited campaign and their commitment to public service.”
“This election was not simply a choice of candidates, but of direction, and the people of New Jersey have chosen to keep moving forward,” the governor said.
“Over the next four years, we will govern as we have since day one — committed to building a stronger and fairer New Jersey from the middle out and the bottom up,” Murphy added. “A state where everyone has a fair chance and opportunity is there for all. We will continue to stand with New Jersey’s middle class and everyone striving to get there.”
Running for governor a second time after finishing second in the GOP primary four years ago, Ciattarelli made the race against Murphy close despite relatively low name recognition, Democrats’ 2-to-1 voter-registration advantage in the state, and polls that showed the governor favored to win by 4 to 11 percentage points.
A former member of the state Assembly, Ciattarelli hammered Murphy as being a far-left outsider keen on raising taxes and spending taxpayer money. In turn, Murphy, who warned Ciattarelli would turn the state “backwards” and tried to portray him as an acolyte of Republican former President Donald Trump.
Ciattarelli was bolstered by a surprising surge in Republican turnout in an election that also saw the GOP score victories in the Virginia governor’s race and other key elections across the country, at a time when Democratic President Joe Biden’s popularity has dipped.
Ciattarelli got at least 350,000 more votes than Kim Guadagno, the Republican nominee who ended up facing Murphy in 2017. And he flipped three South Jersey counties that voted for Murphy in 2017: Atlantic, Cumberland, and Gloucester.
Murphy, however, drew more than 153,000 more votes than he did four years ago, helping carrying him to victory in the blue-leaning state.
Ciattarelli said Friday he does not consider his campaign a failure.
“There were those who told me I wouldn’t win,” he said. “The fact is: We almost did win. Why? Because every single time misguided politicians take this state too far off track, the great people of this state push, pull, and prod it right back to where it belongs, right back where it needs to be: the common-sense center.”
Ciattarelli also said he’s “proud” his campaign helped “reinvigorate” the Republican Party. The GOP also flipped up to seven seats in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature in the election, the party’s best showing in legislative races in nearly 30 years.
That, Ciattarelli noted, has prompted some Democrats to re-examine their priorities heading into Murphy’s second term.
“Suddenly, I’m hearing Trenton politicians talking about lowering taxes, the kitchen table, common-sense solutions, and paying much closer attention to what it is that’s really bothering everyday New Jerseyans,” he said.
Despite saying there was no sign of fraud in the race, Ciattarelli on Friday called on the state to revamp its voting system. He said a new law Murphy signed instituting early voting and installing new equipment “led to a disjointed and excruciating slow vote-counting process.”
The delayed results, Ciattarelli said, “give rise to doubt in the system and unfounded conspiracy theories.”
He proposed the state Legislature and other officials “standardize election reporting,” saying “we desperately need uniformity and strict reporting guidelines.”
With an increase in mail-in voting, Ciattarelli also said the Republican Party “needs to do better” voting by mail because it’s “here to stay.”
Ciattarelli’s strong showing makes him a prime candidate for another shot at higher office. After next year’s midterm congressional elections, New Jersey’s next big race is for incumbent Democrat Robert Menendez’s U.S. Senate seat. But he insists his eye remains on the governor’s office.
“I have no interest in going to Washington,” Ciattarelli said. “New Jersey is my home, and I want to fix New Jersey.”
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @johnsb01.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.