Republican Jack Ciattarelli conceded the New Jersey governor’s race on during a press conference at the Raritan Municipal Building, saying that he will not request a recount but does plan to run again in four years.
Ciattarelli made the statement with his wife, Melinda, by his side at a news conference in his hometown, where he began his political career on the Raritan Borough Council, where he served from 1990 to 1995. Senator Diane Allen, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, was also at the press conference Friday.
Ciattarelli told reporters he repeatedly consulted with election lawyer Mark Sheridan about whether he could actually win the election or it made sense to request a recount.
“Late yesterday was the first time … that Mark Sheridan answered no,” Ciattarelli said. “And so I called Gov. Murphy earlier today and congratulated him on his re-election and wished him well in serving the people of New Jersey.”
Democrats have been demanding that Ciattarelli concede since the Associated Press, ABC News and other media outlets called the race for incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who currently leads by nearly 75,000 votes.
Ciattarelli is a former Assemblyman who campaigned on promises to lower the state’s property taxes and railed against COVID-19 mandates.
Until today, Ciattarelli said that it was too early to concede the election or declare victory.
Unlike former President Donald Trump, Ciattarelli urged supporters not to believe unfounded conspiracies and said the result – no matter the outcome – would be fair.
“With the candidates separated by a fraction of a percent out of 2.4 million ballots cast, it’s irresponsible of the media to make this call when the New Jersey Secretary of State doesn’t even know how many ballots are left to be counted,” said Ciattarelli spokesperson Stami Williams, after AP called Murphy the winner on November 3.
Ciattarelli waited for the state’s 21 counties to complete counting thousands of mail-in and other ballots, before deciding whether to ask for a recount. Under state law, there is no automatic recount and the party seeking one must file a suit in Superior Court in each county where a recount is requested.
“No one should be declaring victory or conceding the election until every legal vote is counted,” Ciattarelli said in the 2-minute video clip posted on Twitter.
As of Friday morning, with 98 percent of the expected vote counted, Murphy led Ciattarelli by 2.9 percentage points — a margin of fewer than 74,000 votes out of 2.5 million cast.
“I’ve worked every day and night for 22 months to become New Jersey’s governor,” said Ciattarelli, addressing those who wanted him to hold out and not concede. “You think I’d be standing here today conceding if I thought I won this election? You couldn’t be more wrong. I hate to lose.”
Murphy’s victory was a bright spot for Democrats nationally, after the party lost the governor’s race in Virginia, a state President Joe Biden carried by double digits in last year’s election against Trump.
Murphy is the first Democrat to win re-election as governor in 44 years.
Despite Murphy’s win, Republicans had an unexpected and important victory in the Legislature, the stunning defeat of Senate President Steve Sweeney, along with other GOP gains across the state.
Democrats will still control both the Legislature’s houses when the new legislative session begins in January but their numbers in the Senate will drop from 26 to 25 of the 40 seats.
In the Assembly, the Democratic majority will slide from 54 to 52 of the 80 seats.