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] This is also the most recent statewide election in which the Democrat won Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election

← 1997 November 6, 2001 2005 →

Nominee Jim McGreevey Bret Schundler Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,256,853 928,174 Percentage 56.4% 41.7%

County results McGreevey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Schundler:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Richard Codey (acting) Democratic Elected Governor Jim McGreevey Democratic

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

Democratic Primary results^[1]

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^[a]

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

Republican Primary results^[1]

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 (Democratic)^[8]
• Costantino Rozzo (Socialist)^[8]
• William E. Schluter (Independent)^[8]
• Bret Schundler (Republican)^[8]
• Kari Sachs (Socialist Workers)^[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^[b]	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%

1. 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.
2. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   PV – "probable" voters

Hypothetical polling

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

New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 2001^[10]

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

1. "Official List Candidates for Governor For June 2001 Primary Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. April 17, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
2. Halbfinger, David M. (2001-06-27). "Schundler Wins G.O.P. Primary In New Jersey Governor's Race". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
3. Halbfinger, David M. (2001-08-07). "THE 2001 ELECTIONS: GOVERNOR; Democrat Vows to Alter Way 'Business Is Done in Trenton'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
4. Peterson, Iver (2004-02-29). "ON POLITICS; Is McGreevey Following In Florio's Footsteps?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
5. Halbfinger, David M. (2001-08-26). "ON POLITICS; One Pitches From Inside And the Other From Outside". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
6. Kocieniewski (1 Aug 2000). "Torricelli, Opposed Within Party, Drops New Jersey Governor Bid". The New York Times.
7. Halbfinger, David M. (1 Nov 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.
8. . NJ.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
9. "New Jersey November 2001 Off Year Election". TheGreenPapers.com. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
10. (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