New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Wins Re-Election Bid after Unexpectedly Tight Contest with Republican Jack Ciattarelli
- Murphy, a Democrat, had been leading Ciattarelli, a businessman, in public polls going into Election Day.
- But Murphy’s lead had markedly shrunk since May, when the 64-year-old former Goldman Sachs executive was polling 26 percentage points higher than Ciattarelli.
- No incumbent Democratic governor in the Garden State had won re-election since Brendan Byrne did so in 1977.