2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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For related races, see 2001 United States gubernatorial elections.
2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election
← 1997 November 6, 2001 2005 →
  Jim McGreevey 2009 Exodus 7 (cropped).jpg No image.svg
Nominee Jim McGreevey Bret Schundler
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,256,853 928,174
Percentage 56.4% 41.7%
2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
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

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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.

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% Increase 4.29
Republican Bret Schundler 928,174 41.68% Increase 0.23
Independent Bill Schluter 24,084 1.08% N/A
Green Jerry L. Coleman 6,238 0.28% Decrease 0.16
Libertarian Mark Edgerton 4,684 0.21% Decrease 4.51
Independent George Watson, Jr. 2,568 0.12% N/A
Conservative Michael W. Koontz 1,949 0.09% Decrease 1.36
Socialist Costantino Rozzo 1,537 0.07% Decrease 0.05
Socialist Workers Kari Sachs 1,078 0.05% Decrease 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%

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b c d e f g h "New Jersey, Senate & Presidential Elections 2008 Results & Polls". 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. ^ a b "Official List Candidates for Governor For November 2001 General Election" (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

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