New Jersey gubernatorial primary election, 2017
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April 3, 2017 |
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November 7, 2017 |
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New Jersey held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 7, 2017. The gubernatorial primary election was held on June 6, 2017.
Kim Guadagno defeated Jack Ciattarelli, Hirsh Singh, Joseph Rudy Rullo, and Steve Rogers in the Republican primary.[1]
| New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kim Guadagno |
46.82% | 113,846 |
| Jack Ciattarelli | 31.08% | 75,556 |
| Hirsh Singh | 9.76% | 23,728 |
| Joseph Rudy Rullo | 6.51% | 15,816 |
| Steve Rogers | 5.84% | 14,187 |
| Total Votes | 243,133 | |
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Primary Results 2017 - Governor," June 28, 2017 | ||
Phil Murphy defeated Jim Johnson, John Wisniewski, Ray Lesniak, Bill Brennan, and Mark Zinna in the Democratic primary.[1]
| New Jersey Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Phil Murphy |
48.42% | 243,643 |
| Jim Johnson | 21.91% | 110,250 |
| John Wisniewski | 21.57% | 108,532 |
| Ray Lesniak | 4.83% | 24,318 |
| Bill Brennan | 2.24% | 11,263 |
| Mark Zinna | 1.04% | 5,213 |
| Total Votes | 503,219 | |
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Primary Results 2017 - Governor," June 28, 2017 | ||
Results by county
These interactive maps display the results of the 2017 gubernatorial primary elections held on June 6, 2017. An interactive map showing the results of the 2016 presidential election is provided for comparison.
2016 presidential election
2017 Democratic primary
2017 Republican primary
Noteworthy events
On May 16, 2017, it was announced that former Vice President Joe Biden would be visiting New Jersey to aid Phil Murphy in his fundraising efforts. NJ.com noted that this was "the first time that a major political figure will wade into the crowded race to succeed Gov. Chris Christie", and that Biden's efforts could provide a boost to Murphy's campaign.[2]
Debates
In total, five debates were held between the New Jersey primary election candidates. The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) sponsored four debates, including debates for the Democratic candidates on May 9 and May 11 and debates for the Republican candidates on May 9 and May 18. New Jersey's campaign finance laws allow primary candidates who have raised over $430,000 to apply for public matching funds, which come with the requirement of participation in their party's two ELEC debates. Candidates who commit to raising and spending $430,000 but do not wish to apply for public matching funds are also eligible to participate in the debates.[3] The four primary election candidates who did not meet the fundraising goal — Democrats Bill Brennan and Mark Zinna and Republicans Steve Rogers and Joseph Rudy Rullo — held a joint debate on May 9. Republican Hirsh Singh, who met the fundraising threshold but did not file paperwork with ELEC in time to participate in the two sponsored debates, declined to participate in the unofficial debate.[4] Democrats Phil Murphy, Jim Johnson, John Wisniewski, and Raymond Lesniak and Republicans Kim Guadagno and Jack Ciattarelli participated in the official debates.
Issues
Democratic candidates
In both debates, the four participating Democratic candidates agreed on a variety of issues including the need for the state to continue funding schools and pensions, increased investment in renewable energy, the legalization of marijuana, a $15 minimum wage, and potential tax increases for the wealthy.[5][6] The most significant policy rift between the candidates was over Murphy's signature proposal - a publicly-funded bank which would provide low-interest loans to college students and small businesses.[7] Murphy, the frontrunner, was also criticized by the other candidates for his past experience at Goldman Sachs and for spending nearly $18 million — much of it out of his own pocket — on his campaign.[8]
Republican candidates
The two participating Republican candidates agreed on several issues in the ELEC debates, including support for Gov. Chris Christie's pension reform plan, opposition to local governments disregarding federal immigration law, and support for decriminalization of marijuana.[9][10] Their central point of disagreement was on property taxes, with Guadagno advocating for capping property taxes to a certain percentage of income while auditing state government to ensure a balanced budget and Ciattarelli's focusing on decreasing state aid to school districts that are financially sound. Each candidate criticized the other's plan as fiscally irresponsible.[11] The candidates also disagreed on climate change, with Guadagno seeking to rejoin a regional cap-and-trade carbon crediting program that New Jersey had dropped out of under sitting Governor Chris Christie, and Guadagno's plan to make the Attorney General of New Jersey an elected position, which Ciattarelli said would make the post too beholden to party bosses.[9]
Polling
May 2017
On May 25, 2017, less than two weeks before the June 6 primary, Stockton University released a pair of polls that it had conducted asking likely primary voters who they were most likely to support. The first poll was a pre-debate poll conducted from April 26 - May 1, while the second was a post-debate poll conducted from May 16 - May 23. Among the Republican candidates, the polls indicated that Kim Guadagno had a double-digit lead - 10 points before the debates and 19 points afterwards. Among the Democratic candidates, Phil Murphy was ahead by 29 points before the debates and 24 points afterwards. The percentage of undecided voters in both elections remained significant in the post-debate poll, which reported that 31% of Republicans and 33% of Democrats had not decided on a candidate. 85% of voters polled had not watched any of the televised debates.[12]
| Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidates, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Kim Guadagno | Jack Ciattarelli | Steve Rogers | Joseph Rudy Rullo | Hirsh Singh | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||
| Stockton University (May 16-23, 2017) | 37% | 18% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 31% | +/-4.9 | 389 | |||||||||||
| Stockton University (April 26 - May 1, 2017) | 29% | 19% | 4% | 4% | 2% | 41% | n/a | n/a | |||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 33% | 18.5% | 4% | 3.5% | 2.5% | 36% | +/- | ||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidates, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Phil Murphy | Jim Johnson | John Wisniewski | Raymond Lesniak | Bill Brennan | Mark Zinna | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||
| Stockton University (May 16-23, 2017) | 34% | 10% | 9% | 4% | 3% | 1% | 33% | +/-4.9 | 403 | ||||||||||
| Stockton University (April 26 - May 1, 2017) | 37% | 6% | 8% | 5% | 2% | 0% | 41% | n/a | n/a | ||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 35.5% | 8% | 8.5% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 0.5% | 37% | +/- | |||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
See also
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New Jersey government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
- New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017
- Campaign finance in the New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017
- New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election campaign advertisements, 2017
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Primary Results 2017 - Governor," June 28, 2017
- ↑ NJ.coim, "Joe Biden to Visit N.J. to Campaign for Phil Murphy," May 16, 2017
- ↑ InsiderNJ, "ELEC: The Gubernatorial Debates Schedule," April 18, 2017
- ↑ NJ.com, "Excluded N.J. governor candidates from both parties to hold their own 'outcasts debate'," May 6, 2017
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Democrats use N.J. gubernatorial debate to bash Christie, front-runner's Goldman-Sachs ties," May 9, 2017
- ↑ U.S. News, "Democrats Pounce on Front-Runner Murphy, Who Parries Attacks," May 12, 2017
- ↑ News 12 New Jersey, "Candidates for New Jersey governor square off in 2 debates," May 9, 2017
- ↑ The New York Times, "In New Jersey Debate, Democratic Candidates for Governor Gang Up on Front-Runner," May 12, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Philadelphia Inquirer, "N.J. GOP gubernatorial candidates, fighting 'Christie fatigue,' debate tax, climate proposals," May 9, 2017
- ↑ The New York Times, "Acrimony and Accusations in G.O.P. Debate for New Jersey Governor," May 19, 2017
- ↑ Press of Atlantic City, "Candidates for New Jersey governor debate at Stockton," May 10, 2017
- ↑ Stockton University, "Stockton Poll: Murphy, Guadagno Lead in Primary Races for New Jersey Governor," May 25, 2017
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