The New Jersey gubernatorial election surprised pretty much everyone Tuesday night, as incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy, who was widely expected to win easily, trailed Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli for most of the evening. The race remains a dead heat with 90% of the vote in, and a mere 15,000 votes separating the two candidates.
“Every pollster was wrong,” former New Jersey governor Chris Christie told Guy Benson from our sister site Townhall. “This is likely to be a recount race, either way… There’s a very legitimate chance Jack could win this.”
👀 just got off the phone with @GovChristie. “Every pollster was wrong. This is likely to be a recount race, either way…There’s a very legitimate chance Jack could win this.”
He’s concerned about data discrepancies in reported totals & haziness on where outstanding votes are.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 3, 2021
Christie wasn’t predicting victory for Ciattarelli but last night said there was still a path for victory for him. With the final results likely to be very close, Christie says the New Jersey GOP and the national party are preparing for potential legal battles.
There are no automatic recounts in New Jersey, but candidates have the right to request one regardless of the margin.
“When any candidate at any election shall have reason to believe that an error has been made in counting the votes of that election, the candidate may, within a period of 17 days following such election, apply to a judge of the Superior Court assigned to the county wherein such district or districts are located, for a recount of the votes cast at the election in any district or districts,” the law states.
“We’ve got to have time to make sure that every legal vote is counted,” Ciattarelli told supporters Tuesday night.
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