New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 2013
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The 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2013, to elect the
governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...
. Incumbent Republican governor
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
ran for re-election to a second term in office. He faced Democratic nominee
Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...
and six others in the general election. Christie won the election in a landslide, receiving over 60% of the vote and carrying 19 of the state's 21 counties, with Buono only winning heavily Democratic
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...
and
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
. This is the only statewide election held in New Jersey since the 1988 presidential election in which a Republican earned a majority of the vote. Christie became the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win a majority of the vote since
Thomas Kean Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American politician, statesman, and academic administrator from the state of New Jersey. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Kean served two terms as the 48th governor of New Jersey f ...
's landslide victory in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
. Christie was sworn in for his second term on January 21, 2014. Christie won 21% of Black voters and 51% of Latinos. , this is the last time Republicans won any statewide election in New Jersey. This is also the last time the counties of
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
, Burlington, Camden,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
,
Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...
, and Union voted for the Republican candidate in a statewide election, as well as the last time that
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
and
Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,special election for United States Senator for New Jersey 20 days earlier on October 16 instead of simply holding the special election on November 5, concurrent with the already scheduled gubernatorial election. The Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate was Newark mayor
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...
. Buono said it was hypocritical, speculating that Booker's presence on the ballot would attract more black and other minority voters who would be likely to vote for Buono. This is the only gubernatorial election since 1989 in which anyone won over 60% of the vote, and Christie was the first Republican to do so since 1985. Cumberland, Camden, and Union counties voted Republican in a gubernatorial election for the first time since 1985, and Mercer & Passaic since 1993. Buono is the only Democratic nominee for governor since 1985 to never be elected governor and remains the last to receive under a million votes.


Republican primary


Candidates


Declared

*
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
, incumbent governor *
Seth Grossman The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 12 U.S. representatives from the state of New Jersey, one from each of the state's 12 congressional districts. The elections coi ...
, former
Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
Councilman


Results


Democratic primary


Candidates


Declared

*
Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...
,
state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
and former state senate majority leader * Troy Webster, aide to
East Orange East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...
mayor Robert Bowser


Removed from primary ballot

* William Araujo, former mayoral candidate in Edison * Carl Bergmanson, former mayor of Glen Ridge and candidate for governor in 2009 *
Jeff Boss Jeffrey Harlan Boss (born May 20, 1963) is an American conspiracy theorist and perennial candidate.Ginsberg, Johanna (May 28, 2009)"Conspiracy theorist eyes governorship", '' New Jersey Jewish News''. Retrieved August 9, 2012. He was an independe ...
, conspiracy theorist and perennial candidate Araujo, Bergmanson, Boss, and Webster had their nominating petitions challenged by the
New Jersey Democratic State Committee The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Jersey. LeRoy J. Jones Jr. is the chair and Peg Schaffer is the vice chair. Its main rival is the New Jersey Republican State C ...
; only Webster's petitions were found to be valid therefore allowing his name to remain on the primary ballot with Buono. Araujo and Boss subsequently filed new petitions to run in the general election as independents.


Declined

*
Rob Andrews Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. He is a membe ...
, U.S. representative * Chris Bollwage, mayor of
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
*
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...
, mayor of Newark (ran for and won a U.S. Senate seat three weeks earlier on October 16) *
Richard Codey Richard James Codey (born November 27, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the New Jersey Senate from 1982 to 2024 and as the President ...
, state senator, former state senate president and former governor *
Joseph Cryan Joseph P. Cryan (born September 1, 1961 in East Orange, New Jersey) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2018, representing the 20th Legislative District. He previously served in the New Jers ...
, former assembly majority leader * Brendan Gill, Essex County Freeholder *
Louis Greenwald Louis D. Greenwald (born March 11, 1967) is an American attorney and Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 6th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office on January 9, 1996. He has served as the ...
, Assembly Majority Leader *
Lisa P. Jackson Lisa Perez Jackson (born February 8, 1962) is an American chemical engineer who served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2009 to 2013. She wa ...
, former Administrator of the
United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
*
Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...
, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, former
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
executive, and future
governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...
*
Sheila Oliver Sheila Yvette Oliver (July 14, 1952 – August 1, 2023) was an American politician who served as the second lieutenant governor of New Jersey from 2018 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Oliver was the first Black woman ...
, Speaker of the
State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...
*
Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. ( ; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to 1993, ...
, U.S. representative *
Bill Pascrell William James Pascrell Jr. (January 25, 1937 – August 21, 2024) was an American politician who was a U.S. representative from New Jersey from 1997 until his death in 2024. Pascrell was a member of the Democratic Party and a native of Paterson ...
, U.S. representative *
Stephen Sweeney Stephen M. Sweeney (born June 11, 1959) is an American politician and labor leader who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2022, representing the 3rd legislative district. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 114th President ...
,
State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...
President * John Wisniewski, chair of the
New Jersey Democratic Party The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Jersey. LeRoy J. Jones Jr. is the chair and Peg Schaffer is the vice chair. Its main rival is the New Jersey Republican State Co ...
and State Assemblyman


Polling


Results


General election


Major party candidates

*
Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...
(Democratic), former majority leader of the New Jersey Senate :*Running mate: Milly Silva, New Jersey executive vice president for 1199 SEIU *
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
(Republican), incumbent governor :*Running mate:
Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...
, incumbent
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...


Minor candidates

* William Araujo, Peace and Freedom ** Running mate: Maria Salamanca *
Jeff Boss Jeffrey Harlan Boss (born May 20, 1963) is an American conspiracy theorist and perennial candidate.Ginsberg, Johanna (May 28, 2009)"Conspiracy theorist eyes governorship", '' New Jersey Jewish News''. Retrieved August 9, 2012. He was an independe ...
, NSA ** Running mate: Robert B. Thorne * Kenneth R. Kaplan,
New Jersey Libertarian Party The New Jersey Libertarian Party (NJLP) is the affiliate of the Libertarian Party (United States), Libertarian Party in New Jersey. Its chairman is Paul Baratelli. As of July 1, 2023, there were 24,438 registered Libertarians in the state. ...
** Running mate: Brenda Bell * Diane W. Sare, Glass-Steagall Now ** Running mate: Bruce Todd * Hank Schroeder, Independent ** Running mate: Patricia Moschella * Steve Welzer,
Green Party of New Jersey The Green Party of New Jersey is the state party organization for New Jersey of the Green Party of the United States. It was founded in January 1997 by Nick Mellis (chair from 2008 to 2009) and Steve Welzer. Activity The Green Party of New Jer ...
** Running mate: Patricia Alessandrini


Endorsements


Debates


Complete video of debate
October 8, 2013 -
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Complete video of debate
October 15, 2013 -
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Predictions


Polling

with Booker
with Byrne
with Codey
with Greenwald
with Pallone
with
Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature the E Street B ...

with Sweeney
with Wisniewski


Results


By county

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican *
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
(largest municipality: Hackensack) * Camden (largest municipality:
Cherry Hill Cherry Hill often refers to: * Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a township in Camden County, New Jersey * Cherry Hill, Prince William County, Virginia, a census-designated place Cherry Hill may also refer to: Places Canada * Cherry Hill, Nova Scotia, a ...
) *
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
(largest municipality:
Vineland ''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's reelection.Knabb 2002 Through flashbacks by its characters, who have lived during the '60s in their youth ...
) *
Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...
(largest municipality: Hamilton Township) *
Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,Paterson Paterson may refer to: People *Paterson (surname) *Paterson (given name) Places Australia *Paterson, New South Wales * Paterson River, New South Wales *Division of Paterson, an electoral district in New South Wales * Paterson, Queensland, a loc ...
) * Union (largest municipality:
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
)


By congressional district

Christe won 10 of 12 congressional districts, including four that elected Democrats, although he won the 9th district by a very narrow margin.


See also

*
2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election The 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2009. Incumbent Democratic governor Jon Corzine ran for a second term against Republican Chris Christie, Independent Christopher Daggett, and nine others, in addition to ...
* Governors of New Jersey *
2013 United States gubernatorial elections United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2013 in New Jersey and Virginia. These elections formed part of the 2013 United States elections. Before the elections, both seats were held by Republicans. Republican incumbent Chri ...
*
Fort Lee lane closure scandal The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, better known as Bridgegate, was a political scandal in the U.S. state of New Jersey in 2013 and 2014. It involved a staff member and political appointees of then-governor Chris Christie colluding to create tr ...


References


Notes


External links


Interesting facts about Jersey gubernatorial election

Barbara Buono for Governor

Chris Christie for Governor
(incumbent)
Seth Grossman for Governor

Troy Webster for Governor

Kenneth Kaplan for Governor
{{2013 United States elections
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Chris Christie