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2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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See also: 2005 United States gubernatorial elections

2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election
← 2001 November 8, 2005 2009 →
 
Nominee Jon Corzine Doug Forrester
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,224,551 985,271
Percentage 53.5% 43.0%
Corzine:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Forrester:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90%
Tie:      50%
Governor before election

Richard Codey
Democratic

Elected Governor

Jon Corzine
Democratic

Elections in New Jersey
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The 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election was a race to determine the governor of New Jersey. It was held on November 8, 2005. Democratic governor Richard Codey, who replaced Governor Jim McGreevey in 2004 after his resignation, did not run for election for a full term of office.

The primary election was held on June 7, 2005. U.S. senator Jon Corzine won the Democratic nomination without serious opposition. Former West Windsor Mayor Doug Forrester received the Republican nomination with a plurality of 36%. Corzine defeated Forrester in the general election. New Jersey is reliably Democratic at the federal level, but this was the first time since 1977 in which Democrats won more than one consecutive gubernatorial election in the state. This was the first time since 1965 that a Democrat won a gubernatorial race without Ocean County, and the first since 1961 that they did so without Monmouth County.

The 2005 general election also saw a public referendum question on the ballot for the voters to decide whether to create a position of lieutenant governor, alter the state's order of succession, and whether the state's first lieutenant governor would be chosen in the subsequent gubernatorial election held in 2009.[1][2] The question passed by a tally of 836,134 votes (56.1%) to 655,333 (43.9%).[3] To date, this is the most recent election that Salem County voted for the Democratic candidate in a gubernatorial race.

Background

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Governor Jim McGreevey was elected in 2001 by a large margin but resigned from office in November 2004 after Golan Cipel, an Israeli national and former advisor to the Governor, threatened to bring a lawsuit for sexual harassment, and thus reveal McGreevey was homosexual. Though McGreevey admitted to an "adult consensual affair with another man" on August 12, 2004, he announced that he would not resign from office until November 15, after the fall general election.[4][5][6][7]

McGreevey's decision to delay the effective date of his resignation until after September 3, 2004, avoided a November special election for governor, which would have coincided with the election for President of the United States. The 2004 election between George W. Bush and John Kerry was expected to be competitive, the political aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the state, and some observers speculated that McGreevey's decision to delay his resignation was designed to improve Kerry's political position and preserve Democratic Party control of the office of governor.[8][9][10]

Republicans and Democrats alike called upon McGreevey to make his resignation effective immediately.[11][12] The New York Times editorial board opined, "Mr. McGreevey's strategy to delay resignation does not serve New Jersey residents well. The state will be led by an embattled governor mired in personal and legal problems for three months."[13] On September 15, U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. dismissed Afran v. McGreevey,[14] a lawsuit by Green Party members claiming that the postponement of McGreevey's resignation had left a vacancy, thereby violating New Jerseyans' voting rights.[15][16]

New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey took office upon McGreevey's resignation[17] and served the remainder of the term until January 17, 2006.[18] At the time of McGreevey's resignation, the New Jersey State Constitution stipulated that the Senate president retains that position while serving as acting governor.[19] In the wake of McGreevey's resignation, and in consideration of other past New Jersey governors who had left office before the end of their terms,[20][21] the New Jersey legislature passed a resolution establishing a public referendum on the creation of the position of Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey.[22]

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Declined

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Results

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Democratic Primary results[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jon S. Corzine 207,670 88.08
Democratic James D. Kelly, Jr. 19,512 8.28
Democratic Francis X. Tenaglio 8,596 3.65
Total votes 235,778 100.00

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in Primary

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Declined

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Results

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Republican Primary results[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Doug Forrester 108,941 36.01
Republican Bret Schundler 94,417 31.21
Republican John J. Murphy 33,800 11.17
Republican Steve Lonegan 24,433 8.08
Republican Robert Schroeder 16,763 5.54
Republican Paul DiGaetano 16,684 5.52
Republican Todd Caliguire 7,463 2.47
Total votes 302,501 100.00

General election

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Candidates

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Debates

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The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission declared that the four candidates would be included in the official gubernatorial debates to be aired on NJN. They included Jeffrey Pawlowski and Hector Castillo.

Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[29] Likely D October 25, 2005

Polling

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Source Date Jon
Corzine (D) 		Doug
Forrester (R) 		Other Undecided
Rasmussen[30] June 8, 2005 47% 40% 5% 8%
Rutgers[31] June 12, 2005 43% 33% – –
Quinnipiac[32] June 15, 2005 47% 37% – –
Rasmussen[33] July 15, 2005 50% 38% 4% 8%
Strategic Vision[34] July 19, 2005 48% 40% – –
Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind[35] July 21, 2005 47% 34% – –
Rasmussen[36] August 7, 2005 45% 37% 5% –
Quinnipiac[37] August 10, 2005 50% 40% – –
Strategic Vision[38] August 18, 2005 50% 40% – –
Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers[39] September 12, 2005 48% 28% – –
Strategic Vision[40] September 16, 2005 47% 36% – –
Rasmussen[41] September 19, 2005 47% 36% 5% –
Fairleigh-Dickinson[42] September 26, 2005 48% 38% 4% 10%
Monmouth University[43] September 28, 2005 46% 38% – –
Quinnipiac[44] September 28, 2005 48% 44% – –
Rasmussen[45] October 6, 2005 45% 38% 5% –
Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers[46] October 3–6, 2005 44% 37% – –
Marist[47] October 10, 2005 44% 43% – –
Survey USA[48] October 11, 2005 49% 41% 5% 5%
Strategic Vision[49] October 13, 2005 46% 40% – –
Quinnipiac[50] October 19, 2005 50% 43% – –
Rasmussen[51] October 20, 2005 49% 40% 3% –
Survey USA[52] October 25, 2005 50% 41% 7% 3%
Strategic Vision[53] November 2, 2005 48% 42% – –
Fairleigh-Dickinson[54] November 2, 2005 44% 40% 3% 13%
Quinnipiac[55] November 2, 2005 50% 38% – –
Marist College[56] November 4, 2005 51% 41% – –
Monmouth University[57] November 4, 2005 47% 38% – –
Rasmussen[58] November 6, 2005 44% 39% 5% 12%
Quinnipiac[59] November 7, 2005 52% 45% – –
Survey USA[60] November 7, 2005 50% 44% 5% 2%

Results

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New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 2005[61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jon Corzine 1,224,551 53.47% Decrease 2.96
Republican Doug Forrester 985,271 43.02% Increase 1.34
Independent Hector Castillo 29,452 1.29% N/A
Libertarian Jeffrey Pawlowski 15,417 0.67% Increase 0.46
Green Matthew Thieke 12,315 0.54% Increase 0.26
Legalize Marijuana Edward Forchion 9,137 0.40% N/A
Independent Michael Latigona 5,169 0.23%
Independent Wesley Bell 4,178 0.18% N/A
Socialist Workers Angela Lariscy 2,531 0.11% Increase 0.06
Socialist Constantino Rozzo 2,078 0.09% Increase 0.02
Majority 239,280 10.45% −4.31%
Turnout 2,290,099
Democratic hold Swing

Results by county[61]

County Corzine votes Corzine % Forrester votes Forrester % Other votes Other %
Atlantic 34,539 53.3% 28,004 43.2% 2,238 3.5%
Bergen 142,319 55.6% 108,017 42.2% 5,683 2.2%
Burlington 64,421 50.5% 57,908 45.4% 5,203 4.1%
Camden 76,955 60.4% 45,079 35.4% 5,458 4.3%
Cape May 14,375 45.2% 16,179 50.9% 1,243 3.9%
Cumberland 18,580 57.2% 12,692 39.0% 1,231 3.8%
Essex 131,312 72.7% 45,789 25.4% 3,456 1.9%
Gloucester 41,128 53.2% 33,225 43.0% 3,004 3.9%
Hudson 87,409 75.4% 25,769 22.2% 2,691 2.3%
Hunterdon 15,004 33.6% 27,521 61.6% 2,179 4.9%
Mercer 56,592 57.1% 38,871 39.2% 3,596 3.6%
Middlesex 107,176 56.0% 75,021 39.2% 9,085 4.7%
Monmouth 85,187 43.8% 101,085 51.9% 8,376 4.3%
Morris 60,986 41.3% 82,550 56.0% 3,997 2.7%
Ocean 71,953 41.6% 93,693 54.2% 7,242 4.2%
Passaic 61,803 57.9% 41,532 38.9% 3,413 3.2%
Salem 10,057 48.6% 9,608 46.5% 1,008 4.9%
Somerset 40,459 43.3% 49,406 52.8% 3,661 3.9%
Sussex 14,854 35.1% 25,283 59.7% 2,182 5.2%
Union 77,982 59.2% 50,036 38.0% 3,677 2.8%
Warren 11,460 36.8% 18,003 57.9% 1,654 5.3%

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mansnerus, Laura. "On Politics: The Advantage of Having A Lieutenant Governor" in The New York Times (March 27, 2005). Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  2. ^ New Jersey State Legislature. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2 (SCR2): "A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Articles II, IV, V, and XI of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey" Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (2004) and Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 100 (ACR100): "A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Articles II, IV, V and XI of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey" Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (2005). Retrieved 30 August 2013. Note that The New Jersey State Legislature doesn't provide distinct web addresses for its transactions on specific bills, however, at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp Archived 2013-09-13 at the Wayback Machine click on "Bills 2004–2005" and search for ACR100 and SCR2 for these bills, vote tallies and historical information regarding their passage.
  3. ^ New Jersey Division of Elections (New Jersey Department of State). "Official List Ballot Questions Tally For November 2005 General Election" Archived 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine (certified 16 December 2005). Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  4. ^ Cloud, John (August 23, 2004). "The Governor's Secret Life". Time. Vol. 164, no. 8. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  5. ^ "McGreevey: 'I am a gay American'". CNN. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on August 14, 2004. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  6. ^ "New Jersey governor quits, comes out as gay". CNN. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on August 16, 2004. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  7. ^ Kohen, Yael (August 13, 2004). "McGreevey to quit, declares 'I am a gay American'". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on November 3, 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Kocieniewski, David (September 5, 2004). "McGreevey Stays Put, and Intrigue Builds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  9. ^ Mansnerus, Laura (August 17, 2004). "McGreevey Hunkers Down, but Exit Pressure Grows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ Sabato, Larry J. (August 16, 2004). "The McGreevey Matter – The impact on presidential politics". Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  11. ^ Mansnerus, Laura; Kocieniewski, David (August 13, 2004). "Ex-Aide Says He Was Victim of McGreevey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Dewar, Helen; Garcia, Michelle (August 18, 2004). "Democrats Press McGreevey to Quit". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "The Governor's Secret". The New York Times. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Linstrum, Erik (September 9, 2004). "Princeton-area lawyers file lawsuit against McGreevey". The Daily Princetonian. Archived from the original on September 6, 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  15. ^ "Judge won't order special N.J. election". USA Today. Associated Press. September 15, 2004. Archived from the original on April 14, 2008.
  16. ^ Mansnerus, Laura (September 16, 2004). "Judge Dismisses Case Seeking a Vote to Replace McGreevey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  17. ^ Mansnerus, Laura; Beston, Josh (November 16, 2004). "Transition Ends: A Quiet Goodbye for McGreevey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Jones, Richard Lezin; Benson, Josh (January 11, 2006). "A Sentimental Last Address as a Temporary Governor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  19. ^ "New Jersey State Constitution". njleg.state.nj.us. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  20. ^ Benson, Josh (October 25, 2005). "New Jersey, Used to Having Governors Leave Early, Considers Need for a Lieutenant". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  21. ^ Shure, John (September 10, 2004). "The People Should Choose Who Fills the Shoes". New Jersey Policy Perspective. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  22. ^ "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2 (SCR2)" (PDF). New Jersey State Legislature. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2023. A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Articles II, IV, V, and XI of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey
  23. ^ Kornacki, Steve. "Exit everyman: How the Jersey Democratic bosses destroyed Dick Codey and unleashed Chris Christie" in "Politico" (January 28, 2013). Retrieved April 19, 2022
  24. ^ "James D. Kelly Jr." in "Our Campaigns". Retrieved April 19, 2022
  25. ^ http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/05_primary_official_results-gov.pdf [dead link]
  26. ^ Shears, Ian T. (September 8, 2004). "Christie's brother emerges as a major GOP fund-raiser". The Jersey Journal.
  27. ^ "Corzine to announce bid for governor". The Jersey Journal. November 26, 2004.
  28. ^ "Candidates for Governor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  29. ^ "The 2005 Off-Off-Year Elections: Hardfast Harbinger or Harmless Happenstance? | Sabato's Crystal Ball".
  30. ^ Rasmussen Archived November 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ Rutgers Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^ Quinnipiac
  33. ^ Rasmussen Archived July 19, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ Strategic Vision
  35. ^ Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind
  36. ^ Rasmussen Archived November 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ Quinnipiac
  38. ^ Strategic Vision
  39. ^ Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ Strategic Vision
  41. ^ Rasmussen Archived November 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ Fairleigh-Dickinson
  43. ^ Monmouth University
  44. ^ Quinnipiac
  45. ^ Rasmussen Archived 2005-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
  46. ^ Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers
  47. ^ Marist Archived October 13, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  48. ^ Survey USA
  49. ^ Strategic Vision
  50. ^ Quinnipiac
  51. ^ Rasmussen Archived 2005-12-27 at the Wayback Machine
  52. ^ Survey USA
  53. ^ Strategic Vision
  54. ^ Fairleigh-Dickinson
  55. ^ Quinnipiac
  56. ^ Marist College Archived February 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  57. ^ Monmouth University [permanent dead link]
  58. ^ Rasmussen Archived November 26, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  59. ^ Quinnipiac
  60. ^ Survey USA
  61. ^ a b "Official List Candidates for Governor For November 2005 General Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. December 16, 2005. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
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Candidates

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