Outgoing Governor Phil Murphy was only re-elected with 50.1% of the vote cast, compared to Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s 49.1%, a lead of around 20,000 votes out of 2.4 million votes.
Outgoing New Jersey Gov. Democrat Phil Murphy was narrowly re-elected on Wednesday, Nov. 3 with a much shorter lead over his Republican challenger than the polls predicted, allowing Democrats to save face after a loss in Virginia that took further weakened Joe Biden.
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According to results given by the American media covering about 90% of the ballots counted, Phil Murphy was only re-elected with 50.1% of the votes cast, against 49.1% for Republican Jack Ciattarelli, an advance of about 20,000 votes out of some 2.4 million votes in total. “The polls gave Phil Murphy between 8 and 12 points, so it’s a surprise”euphemizes Saladin Ambar, professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Local issues
In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won with 58% of the vote, against 40% for Donald Trump, while Phil Murphy won the state with 56% of the vote in 2017. The political analyst sees the translation. local as well as national issues in this neighboring state of New York, home to nearly nine million inhabitants. “It is very difficult, in a state where taxes, and in particular property taxes, are a major problem for Democrats, to remain in the post of governor”, he explains, noting that the last time a Democratic governor kept his post there was in 1977.
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But according to him, Governor Murphy was also “victim” of the unpopularity of Joe Biden and of what the American president, entangled in interminable negotiations to pass two gigantic investment plans, “Was not able to perform in Congress”. “The national context remains important and it will also remain so in the mid-term elections” 2022, adds Saladin Ambar, seeing “A warning and a wake-up call for the Democrats”.
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