Guadagno, Murphy will meet in November run to replace Christie

Phil Murphy, the wealthy former ambassador who plowed $16 million of his own money into his campaign, brushed aside his five Democratic rivals and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno prevailed after a tougher-than-expected challenge from a three-term Assemblyman on Tuesday night as they claimed their party's nominations for governor.  

Victories by the front runners set up a five-month showdown until November's general election, where Murphy is heavily favored after nearly eight years of Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Guadagno, his lieutenant governor.  The Associated Press called the races for both candidates roughly an hour after polls closed Tuesday.

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Guadagno, speaking around 10 p.m., distanced herself from Christie and emphasized that she was running based on "my values, my record, and my principles."

"Government has to be smaller and smarter," she said. "We must meet our obligations as public servants...We must all work together."

But Murphy, in remarks shortly before 10 p.m., wasted no time reminding people of Christie's legacy — and by extension, his November opponent, Guadagno.

"We are going to prove that you can be both pro-growth and progressive at the same time," he said. "That fairness isn't just a nice idea, but a critical tool for making our economy work for everyone.

"I reject completely the us-versus-them leadership that defines Chris Christie and Donald Trump."

Guadagno launched a stinging attack on Murphy, likening him to former Gov. Jon Corzine.

"Phil Murphy is going to reach into your back pocket and take your last dime," she said. "We need a governor who will put people before profits, who will put main street before Wall Street."

Guadagno pledged that, if elected, she will reduce property taxes in her first term or will not stand for reelection.

"If we elect Phil Murphy governor of the State of New Jersey, then the only person who will be able to live in the the State of New Jersey is Phil Murphy," she said. "My opponent is simply out of touch with the world we live in."

Murphy said he would stand up for New Jersey residents.

“New Jersey, here’s my simple promise to all 9 million of you: I’ve got your back,” Murphy said at the beginning of a roughly 20-minute speech.

He also told hundreds of supporters gathered at Newark’s Robert Treat Hotel that he would “draw the line” against President Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump will cut healthcare, he will gut public education, he will destroy our environment and target our immigrant communities all to feed his warped vision of America,” Murphy said. “We will stand up to this president with a steel backbone and tell him, you will not do that, Mr. President, in the great state of New Jersey. We are better than Donald Trump and we are better than Chris Christie.”

Guadagno’s political career has been lived mostly in the shadow of Christie. The governor has spent much of the last 7 ½ years dominating the headlines – first as a blunt-speaking rising star of the Republican Party, later as a scandal-plagued presidential also-ran.

It wasn’t until recently that Guadagno began trying to distinguish herself, but it came at a time when Christie is perhaps the most toxic political figure in New Jersey.  

For Murphy, Tuesday's election punctuates his unlikely rise within the Democratic Party. When he was the first to announce his candidacy in May 2016, six months before candidates typically declare, Murphy was still considered a distant third in the race. The two leading contenders in the Democratic field, Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, had been planning their own campaigns for years.  

But Fulop unexpectedly withdrew from consideration in the race last September and threw his support behind Murphy, and in doing so delivered his North Jersey coalition, a crucial base for the primary, to Murphy. A week later, Sweeney, of Gloucester County, dropped out of the race before even entering it, saying he saw no path to victory.  

Murphy has said his initial position in the race has served as a frequent reminder through the primary campaign, where he combined his vast financial resources with the fundamentals of knocking on doors, attending local events and dialing voters for support.  

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"We came from literally nowhere. I wake up every morning and go to bed at night still thinking and behaving like a long shot," Murphy said in a recent interview. "Last September is the point I remember very clearly, I was the third guy in or whatever. I don't think I've changed. And I won't change." 

Murphy has changed his mind on one count.

After resisting calls to limit his spending in the primary and saying that he is "not a believer in a cap," he agreed last week to participate in the state's public-funding program, which gives candidates $2 for every $1 they raise. Candidate spending is limited to $13.8 million, well below the $20 million Murphy spent of his own money and donations.  

Democratic rivals Sen. Ray Lesniak, former Treasury undersecretary Jim Johnson and Assemblyman John Wisniewski stepped up their criticism of Murphy as a wealthy hollow suit who is buying his political success. They have lamented New Jersey's political boss system and the influence of money. But no campaign in modern history has been successful without those two elements — money and county organizational support. 

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Johnson and Wisniewski sustained their focus on Murphy in the final days before the primary, accusing him of hypocrisy for saying he would agree to spending caps in the general election if he wins and saying that his Wall Street background conflicts with his progressive platform.

Guadagno, who earns an annual salary of $141,000 as lieutenant governor, had accepted public financing in the primary but spent just a tenth of what Murphy did. Guadagno outmatched her top rival for the nomination, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, raising nearly double the money he had heading into the primary.  

Even with a cash advantage, Guadagno still faced a strong challenge from Ciattarelli. Like Murphy, Ciattarelli had entered the race early but with little name recognition and a much lower public profile than Guadagno, the presumed front-runner.  

Ciattarelli amassed a considerable base of support among county leaders with a polished message and a five-point plan for New Jersey that appeared to  comprehensively address some of the state's most pressing concerns, such as school funding and tax reform.  

"I have a problem with any politician that deals in the platitudes, generalities and rhetoric. I can't do that," Ciattarelli said in April.  

Guadagno worked against Christie's historic unpopularity and was frequently described by her rivals as his quiet but loyal deputy. While she has recently disagreed with him publicly about some policy issues, Guadagno has pledged to continue Christie’s conservative philosophy that the governor is the last line of defense between the Democratic Legislature and taxpayers’ wallets.

She ran her campaign opposing all tax increases, and dubbed Ciattarelli “High Tax Jack” because he had proposed a package of reforms that he said would raise rates on high-income earners while also lowering tax bills overall. 

Ciattarelli had the preferred ballot position in just seven counties on New Jersey's 21 counties and took a month off at the beginning of the year to undergo treatment for cancer.

He addressed a room full of his supporters shortly after 9:30 p.m.

Moments before he walked on stage, he said he called Guadagno and “congratulated her on her victory.”

He added, “I’m going to campaign on behalf of the lieutenant governor” in the months leading up to the general election.

“We have but one goal in mind now, and that’s to win in November,” Ciattarelli said, flanked by his wife, Melinda and children.

Ciattarelli presented himself to voters as a new voice for the Republican Party after nearly eight years of rule by Christie and Guadagno. Although he had originally expressed a distaste for negativity, Ciattarelli increasingly portrayed Guadagno as a Christie loyalist who bore at least some responsibility for the state's record 11 credit-rating downgrades but could not claim as much credit as she did for its improved economy.

As lieutenant governor, Guadagno had been charged by Christie to promote job growth and find ways to improve the economy.  

A former accountant who recently sold his medical publishing company, Ciattarelli struck tones similar to that of Christie through the primary campaign. He has promised to deliver hard truths and disregard political expedience in favor of problem-solving, much as Christie had in his first term.  

"Anybody that thinks that we can solve New Jersey without some pain is disingenuous. The whole is that deep, and I'm not going down that way," Ciattarelli said in April. "I'm telling you this about Jack Ciattarelli: I do not care if I'm re-elected."  

In the eight years since Christie won the Republican primary, the number of Democratic voters has increased, from 1.75 million to 2.05 million, according to the state division of elections. Republicans have added about half as many registered voters in that time, from 1.03 million to 1.2 million, while the number of unaffiliated voters has remained about the same, with 2.4 million.  

Recent polling put Murphy as a two-to-one favorite in November, but that polling also assumed Guadagno would be the nominee.