The 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the governor of New Jersey. Incumbent Governor Phil Murphy was first elected in 2017 with 56% of the vote and won re-election to a second term. Murphy and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, defeated the Republican ticket of Jack Ciattarelli and Diane Allen, 51.2% to 48%.
Murphy formally announced his intention to run for a second term on October 1, 2020. Primaries were held on June 8, 2021. Murphy, who won the Democratic nomination unopposed after his two primary challengers were disqualified, faced Ciattarelli, Green nominee Madelyn Hoffman, Libertarian nominee Gregg Mele, and Socialist Workers Party nominee Joanne Kuniansky in the general election. The race was considered by many media outlets to be a "safe" or "likely" Democratic hold, as Murphy had led a majority of pre-election polls by double digits. However, Murphy defeated Ciattarelli by a much smaller margin than expected.
Murphy is the first Democratic governor of New Jersey to win re-election since Brendan Byrne in 1977, as well as the first candidate of the same party as the incumbent U.S. president to win since Thomas Kean in 1985. This is also the first New Jersey gubernatorial election since 2009 where both the Democratic and Republican nominees received more than one million votes each. It also was the first New Jersey gubernatorial election where the Green Party candidate placed third. Murphy also became the first Democrat to win a New Jersey gubernatorial election without carrying Gloucester and Cumberland Counties since Robert B. Meyner in 1953, and the first Democrat to win a gubernatorial election without carrying Atlantic County since Richard J. Hughes in 1961.
Atlantic County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1993. Also, this was the first New Jersey gubernatorial election in which Somerset County voted more Democratic than the state as a whole since 1910. Murphy became the first New Jersey Governor since Brendan Byrne to win both of his elections with a majority of the vote each time. It was the first single-digit Democratic win in a governor's election since 1961. Murphy received the most votes for a Democrat or any governor since 1989, and Ciattarelli received the most for a Republican since 2013. Despite failing to flip the state, Ciattarelli swung the state more Republican from the 2020 presidential election than Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate for the concurrent Virginia gubernatorial election, did in his respective state even as he managed to flip the governorship. Ciattarelli also won three counties that Murphy won in 2017: Atlantic, Cumberland, and Gloucester.
Democratic primary Candidates
Nominee Phil Murphy, incumbent governor (2018–present)
Disqualified Roger Bacon, perennial candidate Lisa McCormick, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018
Declined Jamel Holley, state assemblyman from the 20th district (ran for State Senate) Stephen M. Sweeney, President of the New Jersey Senate (running for re-election)
Fundraising Primary campaign finance activity through June 28, 2021 Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand Phil Murphy $7,966,075 $7,752,229 $213,846 Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
Lieutenant gubernatorial nomination
Nominee Sheila Oliver, incumbent Lieutenant Governor (2018–2023)
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee Jack Ciattarelli, former member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 16th district (2011–2018) and candidate for governor in 2017
Eliminated in primary Brian Levine, former Somerset County commissioner (2014–2020), former mayor of Franklin Township, Somerset County (2004–2014) and candidate for governor in 2009 Phil Rizzo, pastor Hirsh Singh, businessman, engineer, and perennial candidate
Withdrew Joseph Rudy Rullo, businessman, actor and perennial candidate (endorsed Hirsh Singh) Doug Steinhardt, chair of the Warren County Republican Committee (2004–present), former mayor of Lopatcong (1999–2014) and former Chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee (2017–2020) Joseph Vicari, Ocean County commissioner
Declined Jon Bramnick, minority leader of the New Jersey General Assembly (running for State Senate) Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey (2010–2018) Joe Kyrillos, former state senator and assemblyman from the 13th district, Republican nominee for New Jersey's 6th congressional district in 1992, and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2012 Rik Mehta, pharmaceutical executive, attorney, and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020 (running for NJ-07 in 2022) (endorsed Jack Ciattarelli) Holly Schepisi, state assemblywoman (2012–2021) and senator (2021–present) from the 39th district (running for State Senate) (endorsed Jack Ciattarelli)
Fundraising Primary campaign finance activity through June 28, 2021 Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand Jack Ciattarelli $7,125,870 $7,045,692 $69,178 Brian Levine <$5,800 <$5,800 <$5,800 Phil Rizzo $678,619 $655,282 $23,337 Hirsh Singh $616,398 $615,931 $468 Doug Steinhardt (withdrew) $248,345 $221,819 $26,527 Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
Endorsements
Lieutenant gubernatorial nomination
Nominee Diane Allen, former state senator from the 7th district (1998–2018) and candidate for US Senate in 2002
Potential candidates not selected Holly Schepisi, state assemblywoman (2012–2021) and senator (2021–present) from the 39th district
On May 4, 2021, the New Jersey Globe published a list of nine potential candidates for lieutenant governor after speaking with "more than two dozen Republican leaders, strategists and activists." Diane Allen (who was selected as Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli's running mate) was one of the names on this list. The others were: Kristin Corrado, state senator from the 40th district (2017–present), chair of the New Jersey Senate Republican Conference (2019–present) Antony Ghee, candidate for New Jersey's 11th congressional district in 2018, hedge fund manager, and U.S. Army JAG captain Christine Hanlon, Monmouth County Clerk (2015–present) Barbara Kim-Hagemann, New Jersey VFW State Commander Nancy Munoz, state assemblywoman from the 21st district (2009–present) Laura Overdeck, businesswoman and philanthropist (founder and president of Bedtime Math and co-founder of the Women for a Stronger New Jersey Super-PAC) Ryan Peters, state assemblyman from the 8th district (2018–present) (will not be running for re-election to the State Assembly) Michele Siekerka, President & CEO of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (2014–present) and former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner (2010–2014) in the Christie administration
Debates + 2021 New Jersey Republican gubernatorial primary debates Date Host Moderator Link ParticipantsKey: Participant Absent Non-invitee Invitee Withdrawn Jack Ciattarelli Brian Levine Phil Rizzo Hirsh Singh 1 May 25, 2021 WKXW Eric Scott NN
A second debate on NJ PBS featuring Ciattarelli and Singh and moderated by NJ Spotlight News reporters Briana Vannozzi, Colleen O'Dea, and David Cruz was planned for May 26, 2021, but later cancelled on May 24, 2021, after Singh announced that he would decline to participate.
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JackCiattarelli BrianLevine PhilRizzo HirshSingh UndecidedPublic Policy Polling (D)May 24–25, 2021591 (LV)± 4.1%29%2%8%23%38%Brad Parscale (R)April 16–21, 2021>1200 (LV)± 3.0%20%3%10%22%–
Results
General election Five candidates appeared on the general election ballot, the lowest number of candidates for a New Jersey gubernatorial election since 1953, which also featured five.
Candidates Phil Murphy (Democratic), incumbent governor (2018–present) Running mate: Sheila Oliver, lieutenant governor (2018–2023) Jack Ciattarelli (Republican), former state assemblyman from the 16th district (2011–2018) and candidate for governor in 2017 Running mate: Diane Allen, former state senator from the 7th district (1998–2018) Gregg Mele (Libertarian), activist, lawyer, and candidate for in 2018 Running mate: Eveline Brownstein, activist and professor Madelyn R. Hoffman (Green), environmental activist, professor, and candidate for governor in 1997 and U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020 Running mate: Heather Warburton, activist and talk show host Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers), retail worker Running mate: Vivian Sahner, militant author
Withdrew Ed Forchion (Legalize Marijuana), cannabis rights activist and perennial candidate Justin Maldonado David Winkler
Fundraising General election campaign finance activity through November 19, 2021 Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand Phil Murphy $16,747,434 $16,393,069 $354,365 Jack Ciattarelli $16,361,174 $15,828,691 $532,483 Gregg Mele $6,000 <$5,800 N/A Madelyn Hoffman $1,874 <$5,800 <$5,800 Joanne Kuniansky <$5,800 <$5,800 <$5,800 Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
Debates Although New Jersey State Law gives until September 1, 2021, for independent gubernatorial candidates to fundraise $490,000 to qualify for the debates, the invitees of the first debate were definitively stated at around July 20, 2021, which was over a month before the deadline. Despite the third-party candidates being ineligible to debate in any debates that were sponsored by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, the New Jersey Globe held another debate for third-party lieutenant governor candidates on October 11, 2021. + 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial debates Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Republican Libertarian Green Socialist Workers Participant Absent Non-invitee Invitee Withdrawn Phil Murphy Jack Ciattarelli Gregg Mele Madelyn Hoffman Joanne Kuniansky 1 September 28, 2021 NJPAC Sade BaderinwaBrian TaffPPNNN 2 October 12, 2021 NJ PBS Briana VannozziPPNNN
+ 2021 New Jersey Lieutenant Governor debates Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Republican Libertarian Green Socialist Workers Participant Absent Non-invitee Invitee Withdrawn Sheila Oliver Diane Allen Eveline Brownstein Heather Warburton Vivian Sahner 1 October 5, 2021 New Jersey Globe David WildsteinShenell McCloudMicah RasmussenPPNNN 2 October 11, 2021 Joey FoxNNPPW
Predictions Source Ranking As of The Cook Political Report October 5, 2021Inside Elections November 1, 2021 Sabato's Crystal Ball November 1, 2021
Endorsements
Polling Aggregate polls Source of pollaggregationDatesadministeredDatesupdatedPhilMurphy (D)Jack Ciattarelli (R) Other/UndecidedMarginReal Clear PoliticsOctober 15–31, 2021November 1, 202150.5%42.7%6.8%Murphy +7.8%