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1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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FieldValue
election_name1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election
countryNew Jersey
typePresidential
ongoingno
previous_election1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election
previous_year1993
next_election2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election
next_year2001
election_dateNovember 4, 1997
turnout56% ( 9pp)
image1File:WhitmanChristineTodd.jpg
image_sizex150px
nominee1**Christine Todd Whitman**
party1Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote1**1,133,394**
percentage1**46.87%**
image2File:Jim McGreevey 2009 Exodus 7 (cropped).jpg
nominee2Jim McGreevey
party2Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote21,107,968
percentage245.82%
map_image
map_caption**Whitman:**
**McGreevey:**
titleGovernor
before_electionChristine Todd Whitman
before_partyRepublican Party (United States)
after_electionChristine Todd Whitman
after_partyRepublican Party (United States)

McGreevey:
The 1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1997. In the Democratic primary, state senator and Woodbridge Township mayor Jim McGreevey defeated U.S. Representative Rob Andrews 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 McGreevey receiving 45.82% and Libertarian Murray Sabrin receiving 4.7%.

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Christine Todd Whitman, incumbent Governor of New Jersey

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Jim McGreevey, mayor of Woodbridge and state senator
  • Rob Andrews, U.S. Representative from Haddon Heights
  • Michael Murphy, Morris County Prosecutor and stepson of former governor Richard J. Hughes
  • Frank C. Marmo, perennial candidate

Results

Democratic primary results by county

|center]]

General election

Candidates

  • Madelyn R. Hoffman, Flanders grassroots activist (Green)
  • James McGreevey, state senator and mayor of Woodbridge (Democratic)
  • Robert B. Miller, Newark assembly line worker (Socialist Workers)
  • Lincoln Norton, Morristown software executive (Natural Law)
  • Greg Pason, Hackensack small businessman (Socialist)
  • Michael Perrone Jr., Little Ferry liquor store owner (Progressive)
  • Richard J. Pezzullo, Freehold computer consultant (Conservative)
  • Nuncie A. Ripa Jr., Hammonton excavation contractor (Independent)
  • Murray Sabrin, Ramapo College professor (Libertarian)
  • Christine Todd Whitman, incumbent governor since 1994 (Republican)

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 sourceDate(s)
administeredSample
sizeMargin of
errorJim
McGreevey (D)Christine Todd
Whitman (R)Murray
Sabrin (L)OtherUndecided
date=September 2025}}June 6–8, 1997602 RV±3.5%38%**44%**—18%
date=September 2025}}June 11–16, 1997613 RV±3.5%33%**49%**—18%
Rutgers-EagletonSeptember 2–7, 1997673 RV±3.5%35%**47%**—18%
32%**47%**3%18%
Quinnipiac CollegeSeptember 8–13, 1997865±3.3%37%**49%**—4%10%
Rutgers-EagletonOctober 12–15, 1997631 RV±3.5%40%**45%**—15%
38%**42%**6%14%
Quinnipiac CollegeOctober 14–20, 19971,120±2.9%37%**45%**8%1%9%
New York Times/CBS NewsOctober 25–29, 19971,082±3.0%33%**44%**8%3%12%
Rutgers-EagletonOctober 28–31, 1997613 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.

Results by county

CountyWhitman votesWhitman %McGreevey votesMcGreevey %Other votesOther %
Atlantic**31,364****47.3%**29,09143.9%5,7918.7%
Bergen**148,934****53.3%**118,83442.5%11,9034.3%
Burlington55,52343.5%**60,690****47.5%**11,4859.0%
Camden51,64335.7%**82,028****56.7%**10,9337.6%
Cape May**18,227****49.6%**15,39541.9%3,1598.6%
Cumberland13,65136.5%**19,977****53.5%**3,72910.0%
Essex69,47035.3%**120,429****61.2%**6,7783.4%
Gloucester30,31438.4%**41,082****52.1%**7,5199.5%
Hudson47,46835.6%**80,526****60.4%**5,3944.0%
Hunterdon**24,465****59.5%**10,98326.7%5,69813.8%
Mercer44,05640.8%**54,977****50.9%**8,9058.3%
Middlesex83,14939.3%**110,354****52.2%**17,9115.5%
Monmouth**105,535****53.9%**74,09837.8%16,1898.3%
Morris**97,414****65.4%**41,29627.7%10,2526.9%
Ocean**84,897****53.8%**57,94436.7%15,0769.5%
Passaic55,54145.2%**60,256****49.1%**6,9665.7%
Salem**10,686****49.9%**8,79041.0%1,9509.1%
Somerset**51,465****57.4%**29,08932.4%9,15410.2%
Sussex**25,458****60.4%**11,33126.9%5,33212.7%
Union68,72146.6%**69,673****47.2%**9,0656.1%
Warren**15,413****50.8%**11,12536.7%3,79312.5%

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

  • Atlantic
  • Cape May

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

  • Burlington
  • Mercer
  • Passaic

Notes

References

References

  1. "General Election Data - 1924 to 2022".
  2. Pulley, Brett. (June 4, 1997). "McGreevey Wins Democratic Nod for Governor". [[The New York Times]].
  3. "Official List Gubernatorial Primary Election Returns by County for Election held June 3, 1997".
  4. (1997-11-02). "After Months of Running, Marathon Ends Tuesday; The Governor's Race, Issue by Issue (Published 1997)".
  5. [https://eagletonpoll.parc.us.com/client/index.html#/search Rutgers-Eagleton]
  6. (May 19, 2014). "New Jersey (NJ) Poll - September 16, 1997 - Whitman Holds 12-Point Lead An". Quinnipiac University Connecticut.
  7. (May 19, 2014). "New Jersey (NJ) Poll - October 22, 1997 - McGreevey Trails Whitman By 8". Quinnipiac University Connecticut.
  8. (1997-10-31). "THE 1997 ELECTIONS: THE VOTERS; New Jersey Poll Finds Volatility Among Voters".
  9. "Official Results Gubernatorial General Election Returns by County for Election held November 4, 1997".
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