About a third of those deaths occurred in nursing and veterans homes. Polls showed Murphy got solid support for his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, which hit New Jersey hard in early 2020 and resulted in the deaths of more than 25,000 people. He also implicitly criticized critical race theory in schools, saying that “we are not going to teach our children to feel guilty.” Critical race theory is a method of thinking of America’s history through the lens of racism that has become a political lightning rod of the Republican Party. At a recent campaign rally in Hazlet when someone in the audience asked about mandates, Ciattarelli said there'd be none under his administration - an allusion to mask and vaccination mandates. He also sought support from those who disagreed with Murphy's handling of COVID-19. He paid for some of the new state spending with higher taxes on incomes over $1 million.Ĭiattarelli's campaign seized on comments Murphy made that New Jersey probably isn’t for voters whose top issue is taxes, casting the governor as out of touch with a concern many prioritize. He signed bills into law that expanded voting access, provided for taxpayer-funded pre-K and community college, hiked the minimum wage to $15 an hour over time along with opening up the state to renewable energy like wind power.Īlso on his watch and with his support, New Jersey legalized recreational marijuana, increased K-12 education funding and began fully financing the state's share of the public pension. Murphy has campaigned as a solid progressive, with a record to show for it. No Democrat has won reelection as governor in New Jersey since Brendan Byrne in 1977, and the party opposite the president's has won the New Jersey governorship going back to 1985. While a Ciattarelli win would send a jolt of surprise through state and national politics, a win by Murphy would also break some historical trends. At Ciattarelli's camp in Bridgewater, the crowd is breaking out into periodic cheers, and Ciattarelli's running mate, former state senator Diane Allen, told the crowd to “stick around.” But the Republican has far surpassed his predecessor four years ago in fundraising and has seen the gap in public polls move in his favor - if only by a few points.Īt Murphy's election night party in Asbury Park's convention hall, the crowd went from cheering early results reported on TV to milling around the cavernous venue and checking their phones. Murphy has been leading in the polls, has a 1 million-voter registration advantage and had more cash in his campaign coffers than Ciattarelli in the final days of the race. But returns showed Ciattarelli with a slight lead over the first-term incumbent on a night that imparted some bad omens for Democrats.Ĭounties that historically trend Democratic were yet to report full results. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race, and it was too early to call it. Phil Murphy appeared to be in a close fight Tuesday with Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli as he waged a reelection campaign centered on the progressive policies he's enacted in his first term.
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