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] Democratic 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]
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  McGreevey: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Schundler: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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This is also the most recent statewide election in which the Democrat won Monmouth and Ocean counties. This was the first time since 1973 that a Democrat won without carrying Cape May County. McGreevey resigned in November 2004 after admitting that he was a gay man and ethical issues surrounding his governorship; he was succeeded by Senate President Richard Codey, who filled the remainder of McGreevey's term until January 2006.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jim McGreevey, Mayor of Woodbridge, former state senator and nominee for governor in 1997
- Elliot Greenspan, LaRouche activist
Withdrew
- Robert Torricelli, U.S. Senator since 1997 (withdrew August 1, 2000)[6][7]
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 from Summit and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2000
- Bret Schundler, Mayor of Jersey City
Withdrew
- Donald DiFrancesco, President of the New Jersey Senate and acting Governor[lower-alpha 1]
Declined
- Jack Collins, Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly since 1996
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 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Jerry Coleman (Green)[8][9]
- Mark Edgerton (Libertarian)[8]
- Michael Koontz (Conservative)[8]
- James McGreevey, former mayor of Woodbridge, State Senator, and nominee for Governor in 1997 (Democratic)[8]
- Costantino Rozzo (Socialist)[8]
- Kari Sachs (Socialist Workers)[8]
- William E. Schluter, State Senator from Pennington (Independent)[8]
- Bret Schundler, Mayor of Jersey City (Republican)[8]
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. Thomas Kean, and retaining New Jersey State Senator Joe 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.
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 2] |
Margin of error |
Jim McGreevey (D) |
Bret Schundler (R) |
Bill Schluter (I) |
Other/ Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | January 24–30, 2001 | 649 RV | ±4.0% | 43% | 19% | — | 37% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | April 11–17, 2001 | 632 RV | ±4.0% | 46% | 22% | — | 32% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | August 15–21, 2001 | 395 LV | ±5.0% | 54% | 33% | — | 14% |
| 48% | 29% | 4% | 20% | ||||
| Rutgers-Eagleton | September 22–26, 2001 | 424 LV | ±4.0% | 46% | 31% | — | 24% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 13–17, 2001 | 449 LV | ±4.7% | 45% | 33% | — | 22% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Oct. 30–Nov. 2, 2001 | 746 LV | ±3.7% | 53% | 36% | — | 11% |
- In 2006, DiFrancesco was retroactively named the 51st Governor of New Jersey by an act of the legislature, but at the time of this election, his title was Acting Governor.
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
PV – "probable" voters
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jim McGreevey (D) |
Donald DiFrancesco (R) |
Other/ Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | January 24–30, 2001 | 649 LV | ±4.0% | 39% | 26% | 35% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | April 11–17, 2001 | 632 LV | ±4.0% | 44% | 26% | 30% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim McGreevey | 1,256,853 | 56.43% |  10.6 | |
| Republican | Bret Schundler | 928,174 | 41.68% |  5.2 | |
| Independent | Bill Schluter | 24,084 | 1.08% | N/A | |
| 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% | N/A | |
| 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[10]
| 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% |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Atlantic (largest municipality: Egg Harbor Township)
- Bergen (largest municipality: Hackensack)
- Monmouth (largest municipality: Middletown Township)
- Ocean (largest municipality: Lakewood)
- Salem (largest municipality: Pennsville Township)
Notes
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. (June 27, 2001). "Schundler Wins G.O.P. Primary In New Jersey Governor's Race". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- Halbfinger, David M. (August 7, 2001). "THE 2001 ELECTIONS: GOVERNOR; Democrat Vows to Alter Way 'Business Is Done in Trenton'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- Peterson, Iver (February 29, 2004). "ON POLITICS; Is McGreevey Following In Florio's Footsteps?". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
- Halbfinger, David M. (August 26, 2001). "ON POLITICS; One Pitches From Inside And the Other From Outside". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- Kocieniewski (August 1, 2000). "Torricelli, Opposed Within Party, Drops New Jersey Governor Bid". The New York Times.
- Halbfinger, David M. (November 1, 2001). "A Political Rise Built on Discipline; Under McGreevey's Self-Deprecation, The Heart of a True Political Animal". The New York Times.
Fifteen months ago, with no challenger in sight, Mr. McGreevey was suddenly underestimated again, by Senator Robert G. Torricelli, who in a catastrophic miscalculation tried to wrest the nomination from him.
- "New Jersey, Senate & Presidential Elections 2008 Results & Polls". NJ.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- "New Jersey November 2001 Off Year Election". TheGreenPapers.com. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- "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.
Official campaign websites