1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For related races, see 1993 United States gubernatorial elections.
1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election
← 1989 November 2, 1993 1997 →
  WhitmanChristineTodd.jpg Jim Florio 1993 (cropped).jpg
Nominee Christine Todd Whitman James Florio
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,236,124 1,210,031
Percentage 49.3% 48.3%
1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Whitman:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%
Florio:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Governor before election

James Florio
Democratic

Elected Governor

Christine Todd Whitman
Republican

Elections in New Jersey
Federal government
U.S. President
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
State government
General elections
Gubernatorial elections
Senate elections
General Assembly elections
  • 2019
  • 2021
Newark
Mayoral elections
Jersey City
Mayoral elections
Hoboken
Mayoral elections
Atlantic City
Mayoral elections
  • v
  • t

The 1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election was a race for Governor of New Jersey held on November 2, 1993. Incumbent Democratic governor James Florio was narrowly defeated by Republican Christine Todd Whitman following backlash from voters regarding tax increases that had occurred during Florio's tenure. Whitman became the first, and as of 2022, only female Governor of New Jersey.[1]

Primary elections were held on June 8. In the Democratic primary, Governor Florio's only challenger, anti-tax activist John Budzash, was disqualified from the ballot after his signatures were alleged to be invalid. In the Republican primary, former freeholder and 1990 U.S. Senate nominee Christine Todd Whitman defeated W. Cary Edwards and James Wallwork in a three-way race.

As of 2022, this is the last gubernatorial election in which Passaic and Mercer counties were more Republican than the state overall. This is also the most recent occasion that Cape May County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election.

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

Florio was unopposed in the June primary election. Former Howell Township postal worker, John Budzash, originally filed to run against Florio in the primary. Budzash, who switched his party registration from Republican to Democratic one day before the filing deadline, led Hands Across New Jersey, a citizens group that protested the state tax increases.[2] He was removed following a complaint from then-state party chair Raymond Lesniak alleging that many of his petition signatures were invalid.[3]

Results[]

Democratic primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Florio (incumbent) 200,420 100.00
Total votes 200,420 100.00

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

  • W. Cary Edwards, former New Jersey Attorney General and State Assemblyman from Oakland
  • J. Patrick Gilligan, American Stock Exchange consultant and former Morris Township board of education member[5][6]
  • James Wallwork, former State Senator from Short Hills
  • Christine Todd Whitman, former Somerset County Freeholder, former Board of Public Utilities president, and nominee for the United States Senate in 1990

Withdrew[]

  • Charles P. Hoffman, business consultant[5] (withdrew May 6, endorsed Wallwork)[6]

After W. Cary Edwards lost the 1989 primary to Jim Courter and Courter went down in landslide defeat to Jim Florio in the general election, Edwards was seen as the natural favorite for the 1993 nomination. He was a key member of the administration of popular Republican Thomas Kean, first as general counsel and then as state Attorney General. However, his path to the nomination became complicated in 1990, when Christine Todd Whitman nearly pulled off a historic upset of Senator Bill Bradley by campaigning against the Florio tax increase. Her two-point loss endeared her to the party base and made her the leading public advocate of the anti-tax cause.[7]

Both candidates ran as moderates in the mold of Governor Kean and both supported access to abortion.[7]

The third major candidate to enter the race was former State Senator James Wallwork.[8] He entered the race after both Edwards and Whitman voluntarily admitted to hiring illegal aliens.[8][7] Stressing his conservatism and business experience as contrasts to both Edwards and Whitman, who campaigned as moderates, Wallwork campaigned on a platform of limited government, reduced spending, and reduced taxes; he vowed to cut $2.2 billion in spending in order to completely reverse "every dime" of the Florio tax increase. He stressed his business experience. His platform included embracing public referenda and initiative provisions, term limits for public offices, and a ban on the common practice of "double-dipping," where politicians held two offices simultaneously.[8]

Campaign[]

The primary campaign was marked by negative exchanges between the three strongest candidates and Whitman's clear status as the front-runner throughout.[9][7]

Whitman was the favorite in polling by the first debate; her campaign claimed no less than a double-digit lead over both opponents.[9] In the final weeks of the campaign, she ran advertisements presenting herself as a candidate for change but not mentioning her opponents or Governor Florio by name.[10] Edwards attacked both Whitman in Florio in his advertisements, while Wallwork focused on painting Whitman as "liberal" and ran an ad stating that she had voted to raise taxes 17 times as Somerset Freeholder.[10] In the final week of the campaign, Whitman began running negative advertisements as well.[7]

A large portion of the campaign was focused on winning over the 522,000 New Jerseyans who had voted for H. Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential campaign. Perot remained popular in the state; on the final weekend of the campaign, he hosted a get-out-the-vote rally which all three candidates attended.[7]

Endorsements[]

Former Governor Thomas Kean did not make an endorsement in the primary, though Edwards ran advertisements featuring Kean praising his record as Attorney General.[11]

Debates[]

The three major candidates participated in at least six debates[10] and two mandatory televised debates.[9]

In the first televised debate in Whippany all three candidates agreed in their opposition to the Florio tax increase but disagreed over how to repeal it. Edwards called for a new popularly elected office of Auditor to evaluate potential budget cuts, while Wallwork and Whitman argued that the powerful line-item veto allowed the Governor to do so immediately.[9] Whitman also attacked Edwards for a nine percent increase in crime during his tenure as Attorney General, a preemptive rebuttal to Edwards's accusations that she was soft on crime.[9]

The second televised debate was focused on business issues and was less contentious; the candidates mostly agreed on automobile insurance reform, managed health care, unemployment, pollution legislation and sports betting.[10] At one point, during an exchange on unemployment, Edwards accused Whitman of not understanding the plight of the unemployed, saying "At least I have had a job in my life." Whitman demanded an apology for this and an earlier comment in which Edwards, during a two-person debate with Wallwork, said he "resented" running against a woman.[10] Edwards declined to apologize and later accused Whitman of "setting him up."[10] Another disagreement came over private school vouchers; Whitman supported them while Edwards was opposed and Wallwork deferred to a public referendum.[10]

Two non-televised debates were hosted by Perot supporters under the banner of "United We Stand." All three candidates attended the first but only Edwards and Wallwork attended the second.[7]

Results[]

Republican Party primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Christine Todd Whitman 159,765 39.96%
Republican W. Cary Edwards 131,578 32.91%
Republican James Wallwork 96,034 24.02%
Republican Charles P. Hoffman (withdrawn) 6,695 1.67%
Republican J. Patrick Gilligan 5,753 1.44%
Total votes 399,825 100.00

General election[]

Candidates[]

  • Alene S. Ammond, public-relations executive and former State Senator (Hands-On Government)[12]
  • Marilyn Arons, public advocate for disabled children (Maximum Citizen Involvement)[12]
  • Tom Blomquist, head of the New Jersey Conservative Party (Conservative)[12]
  • Pat Daly, (Abortion is Murder)[12]
  • Pete DiLauro, retired New York City Police Department officer (Common Sense Government)[12]
  • Tim Feeney, dentist (Independent Choice)[12]
  • James Florio, incumbent Governor of New Jersey (Democratic)
  • Tom Fuscaldo, former factory maintenance worker (Zero Sales Tax)[12]
  • Jerry T. Grant, car salesman (You and I)[12]
  • Kenneth R. Kaplan, industrial/commercial real estate broker (Libertarian)[12]
  • John L. Kucek, certified public accountant (Populist)[12]
  • Andrea Lippi, poet (People Purpose Progress)[12]
  • Richary J. Lynch, Camden businessman (Independents 4 Change)[12]
  • Joseph Marion, trade association manager (Independent)[12]
  • Mark J. Rahn, warehouse worker (Socialist Workers)[12]
  • Michael R. Scully, attorney (Fresh Start)[12]
  • Christine Todd Whitman, former Somerset County Freeholder and Board of Public Utilities president (Republican)
  • Andrew J. Zemel, quality control consultant (Integrity-Common Sense)[12]
  • Michael "Mike" Ziruolo, trucking consultant (Better Affordable Government)[12]

Campaign[]

Florio had become unpopular following a 1990 $2.8-billion tax increase though he promised not to raise taxes in his successful 1989 campaign.[13] As a result of the tax increase, Republicans were swept into both houses of the Legislature in . A 1990 bill that was signed into law banning assault weapons was used against Florio in advertisements by the National Rifle Association.[13] A proposal by Whitman to cut income taxes by 30% over three years were met with skepticism from voters.[14]

Polling[]

Polling for the election mostly showed that Florio would be reelected. Polls conducted within a few weeks of the election by The Star-Ledger, The New York Times, the Record of Hackensack, and Rutgers-Eagleton showed Florio besting Whitman by at least eight points.[14] The closest poll near the election was conducted by the Asbury Park Press showing a 38-38 tie with 22% undecided.[15] Undecided and independents tended towards Whitman at the time of the election.[14]

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Jim
Florio (D) 		Christine Todd
Whitman (R) 		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton June 10–16, 1993 642 RV ±3.5% 48% 43% 9%
Rutgers-Eagleton September 10–15, 1993 584 LV ±4.0% 47% 38% 15%
Rutgers-Eagleton October 11–14, 1993 577 LV ±4.0% 52% 40% 8%
Rutgers-Eagleton October 27–29, 1993 601 LV ±3.5% 48% 39% 13%

Results[]

1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Christine Todd Whitman 1,236,124 49.33% Increase12.12
Democratic James Florio (incumbent) 1,210,031 48.29% Decrease12.94
Independent Pat Daly 10,071 0.40% N/A
Libertarian Kenneth R. Kaplan 7,935 0.32% Decrease 0.26
Conservative Tom Blomquist 5,164 0.21% N/A
Independent Joseph Marion 4,311 0.17% N/A
Independent Richary J. Lynch 4,030 0.16% N/A
Independent Alene S. Ammond 3,330 0.13% N/A
Independent Tim Feeney 3,306 0.13% N/A
Independent Michael R. Scully 3,209 0.13% N/A
Independent Pete DiLauro 3,009 0.12% N/A
Independent Marilyn Arons 2,884 0.12% N/A
Populist John L. Kucek 2,822 0.11% N/A
Independent Tom Fuscaldo 2,314 0.09% Decrease 0.22
Independent Michael Ziruolo 2,127 0.08% Decrease 0.37
Independent Andrew J. Zemel 1,530 0.06% N/A
Independent Andrea Lippi 1,294 0.05% N/A
Socialist Workers Mark J. Rahn 1,242 0.05% Decrease 0.23
Independent Jerry T. Grant 1,231 0.05% N/A
Plurality 26,093 1.04%
Turnout 2,505,964
Republican gain from Democratic Swing

References[]

  1. ^ "Governor Christine Todd Whitman Biography".
  2. ^ Enda, Jodi (April 16, 1993). "Florio Gets An Opponent For Primary John L. Budzash Co-founded Hands Across New Jersey. He Had Just Registered As A Democrat". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  3. ^ Gray, Jerry (April 22, 1993). "Ruling Is Likely to Take Florio Rival Off Ballot". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Gubernatorial Primary Election Results for Election Held on June 8, 1993" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1993. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Enda, Jodi (June 8, 1993). "Judgment Day For Gop As Voters Pick An Opponent For Gov. Florio In Camden, There Is A Primary For Mayor And Council. Counties Are Picking Freeholder Nominees. And Every Senate And Assembly Seat Is Up For Grabs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Romano, Jay (16 May 1993). "An Admitted Long Shot, Gilligan Shows Optimism". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 Oct 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Gray, Jerry (5 June 1993). "In New Jersey Governor's Primary, Candidates Court Perot's Backers". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 4 Oct 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Romano, Jay (16 May 1993). "Campaigning With Jim Wallwork". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 Oct 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e Gray, Jerry (12 May 1993). "Sharply and Loudly, G.O.P. Rivals Debate". The New York Times. p. B4. Retrieved 4 Oct 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Gray, Jerry (27 May 1993). "3 Florio Foes Hold 2d G.O.P. Debate". The New York Times. p. B7. Retrieved 4 Oct 2021.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Joseph S. (5 June 1993). "3 Candidates Striving to Leave No Republican Unturned". The New York Times. p. B5. Retrieved 4 Oct 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Preston, David Lee (October 29, 1993). "Now, For Someone Completely Different Hearing The Many Other Voices For Governor: Ammond To Ziruolo". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Brownstein, Ronald (November 1, 1993). "Voters Seem Dissatisfied, Uncertain on Election Eve : Campaigns: Gubernatorial, mayoral posts at stake. No sweeping winds of change gauged in off-year races". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c Mondics, Chris (November 4, 1993). "N.J. Pollsters Regroup And Try To Figure Out What Went Wrong". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  15. ^ Jackson, Herb (November 3, 1993). "Whitman Rips Pollsters Who Failed To Predict Her Victory With AM-Elections RDP, BJT". Associated Press. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  16. ^ "Official List – Gubernatorial General Election Returns for Election Held November 2, 1993" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1993. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  17. ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey (2004 ed.). 1900. p. 493. ISBN 9781577411871. Retrieved June 12, 2015.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""