1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election

See also: 1997 United States gubernatorial elections

1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election
← 1993 November 4, 1997 2001 →
 
Nominee Christine Todd Whitman Jim McGreevey
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,133,394 1,107,968
Percentage 46.9% 45.8%
Whitman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
McGreevey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election

Christine Todd Whitman
Republican

Elected Governor

Christine Todd Whitman
Republican

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Mayoral elections

The 1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1997. In the Democratic primary, state senator and Woodbridge Township mayor James McGreevey defeated pre-U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews[1] by 9,993 votes. In the general election, Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman defeated McGreevey by 26,953 votes. Whitman won 46.87% of the vote, with Democratic nominee James McGreevey receiving 45.82% and Libertarian Murray Sabrin receiving 4.7%.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican Party primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Christine Todd Whitman (incumbent) 147,731 100.00
Total votes 147,731 100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results by county
  McGreevey
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Andrews
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  Murphy
  •   40–50%
  •   60–70%
Democratic Party primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jim McGreevey 148,153 39.86
Democratic Rob Andrews 138,160 37.17
Democratic Michael Murphy 79,172 21.30
Democratic Frank C. Marmo 6,189 1.67
Total votes 371,674 100

General election

Candidates

Campaign

In June, a 60-second radio ad paid for by the New Jersey Republican Party focused on the 30% income tax cut and 180,000 new jobs. Whitman's ads blamed McGreevey for the state's auto insurance rates. The Whitman campaign emphasized the drops in unemployment, violent crime and welfare rolls during her term. Other ads took aim at McGreevey's record on taxes, particularly his support for former Gov. Jim Florio's (D) tax increase. The RNC criticized former Gov. Jim Florio (D) in an ad October, calling his 1990 tax increase a result of electing "liberal Democrats".

In September, McGreevey unveiled two TV ads criticizing Whitman and focusing on property taxes, auto insurance rates, pension bond debts, and education standards. The Democratic National Committee also spent $1 million during the home stretch of the campaign on television ads for Democratic candidates statewide. In October, a poll found that voters of NJ called auto insurance the most important issue in the campaign, and property taxes second.

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Jim
McGreevey (D) 		Christine Todd
Whitman (R) 		Murray
Sabrin (L) 		Other Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton[3] June 6–8, 1997 602 RV ±3.5% 38% 44% — 18%
Rutgers-Eagleton[3] June 11–16, 1997 613 RV ±3.5% 33% 49% — 18%
Rutgers-Eagleton[3] September 2–7, 1997 673 RV ±3.5% 35% 47% — 18%
32% 47% 3% 18%
Quinnipiac College[4] September 8–13, 1997 865 ±3.3% 37% 49% — 4% 10%
Rutgers-Eagleton[3] October 12–15, 1997 631 RV ±3.5% 40% 45% — 15%
38% 42% 6% 14%
Quinnipiac College[5] October 14–20, 1997 1,120 ±2.9% 37% 45% 8% 1% 9%
New York Times/CBS News[6] October 25–29, 1997 1,082 ±3.0% 33% 44% 8% 3% 12%
Rutgers-Eagleton[3] October 28–31, 1997 613 LV ±3.0% 36% 45% 9% 18%

Results

This was the first gubernatorial election in the state since 1949 where a Republican won without Passaic County.

New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1997[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Christine Todd Whitman (incumbent) 1,133,394 46.87% Decrease2.46
Democratic Jim McGreevey 1,107,968 45.82% Decrease2.47
Libertarian Murray Sabrin 114,172 4.72% Increase4.40
Conservative Richard J. Pezzullo 34,906 1.44% Increase1.24
Green Madelyn R. Hoffman 10,703 0.44% N/A
Independent Michael Perrone, Jr. 6,805 0.28% N/A
Socialist Workers Robert B. Miller 2,816 0.12% Increase0.07
Socialist Greg Pason 2,800 0.12% N/A
Natural Law Lincoln Norton 2,540 0.11% N/A
Independent Nuncie A. Ripa, Jr. 2,240 0.09% N/A
Plurality 25,426 1.05% Increase0.01
Turnout 2,418,344
Republican hold Swing

Results by county

County Whitman votes Whitman % McGreevey votes McGreevey % Other votes Other %
Atlantic 31,364 47.3% 29,091 43.9% 5,791 8.7%
Bergen 148,934 53.3% 118,834 42.5% 11,903 4.3%
Burlington 55,523 43.5% 60,690 47.5% 11,485 9.0%
Camden 51,643 35.7% 82,028 56.7% 10,933 7.6%
Cape May 18,227 49.6% 15,395 41.9% 3,159 8.6%
Cumberland 13,651 36.5% 19,977 53.5% 3,729 10.0%
Essex 69,470 35.5% 120,429 61.2% 6,778 3.4%
Gloucester 30,314 38.4% 41,082 52.1% 7,519 9.5%
Hudson 47,468 35.6% 80,526 60.4% 5,394 4.0%
Hunterdon 24,465 59.5% 10,983 26.7% 5,698 13.8%
Mercer 44,056 40.8% 54,977 50.9% 8,905 8.3%
Middlesex 83,149 39.3% 110,354 52.2% 17,911 5.5%
Monmouth 105,535 53.9% 74,098 37.8% 16,189 8.3%
Morris 97,414 65.4% 41,296 27.7% 10,252 6.9%
Ocean 84,897 53.8% 57,944 36.7% 15,076 9.5%
Passaic 55,541 45.2% 60,256 49.1% 6,966 5.7%
Salem 10,686 49.9% 8,790 41.0% 1,950 9.1%
Somerset 51,465 57.4% 29,089 32.4% 9,154 10.2%
Sussex 25,458 60.4% 11,331 26.9% 5,332 12.7%
Union 68,721 46.6% 69,673 47.2% 9,065 6.1%
Warren 15,413 50.8% 11,125 36.7% 3,793 12.5%

Notes

  1. ^ Only top two candidates

References

  1. ^ Pulley, Brett (June 4, 1997). "McGreevey Wins Democratic Nod for Governor" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ a b "Official List Gubernatorial Primary Election Returns by County for Election held June 3, 1997" (PDF). New Jersey Division of Elections.
  3. ^ a b c d e Rutgers-Eagleton
  4. ^ "New Jersey (NJ) Poll - September 16, 1997 - Whitman Holds 12-Point Lead An | Quinnipiac University Connecticut". web.archive.org. May 19, 2014.
  5. ^ "New Jersey (NJ) Poll - October 22, 1997 - McGreevey Trails Whitman By 8 | Quinnipiac University Connecticut". web.archive.org. May 19, 2014.
  6. ^ "New York Times/CBS News".
  7. ^ "Official Results Gubernatorial General Election Returns by County for Election held November 4, 1997" (PDF). New Jersey Division of Elections.