2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election was a race for the Governor of New Jersey. It was held on November 6, 2001. Primaries took place on June 25.[1][2] Democrat nominee Jim McGreevey won the general election with 56% of the vote[3] — the first majority-elected governor since James Florio in 1989.[4] His Republican opponent in that race was Bret Schundler.[5] This is also the most recent statewide election in which the Democrat won Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
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 County results McGreevey: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Schundler: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Jersey |
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jim McGreevey, Mayor of Woodbridge, former state senator and nominee for governor in 1997
- Elliot Greenspan, LaRouche activist
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim McGreevey | 250,404 | 95.54 | |
| Democratic | Elliot Greenspan | 11,682 | 4.46 | |
| Total votes | 262,086 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Bob Franks, former U.S. Representative
- Bret Schundler, Mayor of Jersey City
Campaign
Towards the end of his tenure as mayor, Schundler served as chairman of the Hudson County Republican Committee, and in 2001, Schundler won the Republican gubernatorial nomination, facing former Congressman Bob Franks, a considerably more moderate Republican who was favored by the party establishment. Franks entered the race in April, two months before the primary, after Gov. Donald DiFrancesco dropped out of the race because of an unending series of newspaper stories highlighting ethics concerns. He was backed by Gov. DiFrancesco's political organization and endorsed by every county Republican committee except Schundler's base in Hudson County.
Schundler employed a more grassroots style of campaigning, visiting many local GOP organizations and forming close relationships with the Young Republicans and the College Republicans, as well as with conservative groups, including those active in homeschooling issues. The grassroots support he built up enabled him to win the nomination by a robust 15-point margin.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bret Schundler | 193,342 | 57.38 | |
| Republican | Bob Franks | 143,606 | 42.62 | |
| Total votes | 336,948 | 100 | ||
General election
Candidates
- James McGreevey (D)
- Bret Schundler (R)
- William E. Schluter (I)
- Jerry Coleman (G)
- Mark Edgerton (L)
- Michael Koontz (C)
- Costantino Rozzo (S)
- Kari Sachs (SW)
Campaign
After winning the primary, Schundler tried to reunite the party by reaching out to the figures who had endorsed Franks. This included having a unity lunch with Franks which was hosted by former Gov. Tom Kean, and retaining New Jersey State Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos as state party chairman. Kyrillos had been appointed by DiFrancesco as state party chairman six weeks before the primary, and he had supported Franks in the primary. However, the party remained split. Jim McGreevey, the Democratic candidate, exploited this division by painting Schundler as too conservative for New Jersey.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim McGreevey | 1,256,853 | 56.43% | +4.29% | |
| Republican | Bret Schundler | 928,174 | 41.68% | +0.23% | |
| Independent | Bill Schluter | 24,084 | 1.08% | ||
| Green | Jerry L. Coleman | 6,238 | 0.28% | -0.16% | |
| Libertarian | Mark Edgerton | 4,684 | 0.21% | -4.51% | |
| Independent | George Watson, Jr. | 2,568 | 0.12% | ||
| Conservative | Michael W. Koontz | 1,949 | 0.09% | -1.36% | |
| Socialist | Costantino Rozzo | 1,537 | 0.07% | -0.05% | |
| Socialist Workers | Kari Sachs | 1,078 | 0.05% | -0.07% | |
| Majority | 328,679 | 14.76% | +13.71% | ||
| Turnout | 2,227,165 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
- Results by county[8]
| County | McGreevey votes | McGreevey % | Schundler votes | Schundler % | Other votes | Other % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 38,623 | 57.5% | 27,547 | 41.0% | 995 | 1.5% |
| Bergen | 140,215 | 55.1% | 111,221 | 43.7% | 3,106 | 1.2% |
| Burlington | 62,697 | 55.4% | 48,098 | 42.5% | 2,437 | 2.2% |
| Camden | 78,169 | 64.6% | 40,063 | 33.1% | 2,728 | 2.3% |
| Cape May | 17,118 | 48.5% | 17,471 | 49.5% | 735 | 2.1% |
| Cumberland | 19,445 | 57.7% | 13,583 | 40.3% | 668 | 2.0% |
| Essex | 129,406 | 71.9% | 48,540 | 27.0% | 2,083 | 1.2% |
| Gloucester | 41,083 | 58.1% | 28,210 | 39.9% | 1,392 | 2.0% |
| Hudson | 85,074 | 68.8% | 37,440 | 30.3% | 1,224 | 1.0% |
| Hunterdon | 13,911 | 35.3% | 23,059 | 58.4% | 2,484 | 6.3% |
| Mercer | 57,513 | 60.9% | 31,705 | 33.6% | 5,148 | 5.5% |
| Middlesex | 117,061 | 62.7% | 66,749 | 35.7% | 2,999 | 1.6% |
| Monmouth | 91,838 | 49.5% | 89,987 | 48.5% | 3,647 | 2.0% |
| Morris | 60,948 | 42.8% | 79,350 | 55.8% | 1,942 | 1.4% |
| Ocean | 84,538 | 51.2% | 77,726 | 47.1% | 2,690 | 1.6% |
| Passaic | 62,390 | 58.1% | 43,806 | 40.8% | 1,238 | 1.2% |
| Salem | 10,837 | 53.5% | 8,878 | 43.8% | 540 | 2.7% |
| Somerset | 39,110 | 45.6% | 44,815 | 52.2% | 1,903 | 2.2% |
| Sussex | 14,641 | 37.5% | 23,478 | 60.1% | 957 | 2.4% |
| Union | 79,682 | 60.3% | 50,780 | 38.4% | 1,790 | 1.4% |
| Warren | 12,554 | 42.3% | 15,668 | 52.8% | 1,432 | 4.8% |
References
- "Official List Candidates for Governor For June 2001 Primary Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. April 17, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- Halbfinger, David M. (2001-06-27). "Schundler Wins G.O.P. Primary In New Jersey Governor's Race". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- Halbfinger, David M. (2001-08-07). "THE 2001 ELECTIONS: GOVERNOR; Democrat Vows to Alter Way 'Business Is Done in Trenton'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- Peterson, Iver (2004-02-29). "ON POLITICS; Is McGreevey Following In Florio's Footsteps?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- Halbfinger, David M. (2001-08-26). "ON POLITICS; One Pitches From Inside And the Other From Outside". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- "New Jersey, Senate & Presidential Elections 2008 Results & Polls". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- "New Jersey November 2001 Off Year Election". TheGreenPapers.com. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- "Official List Candidates for Governor For November 2001 General Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. April 17, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2016.