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.
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)
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)
Endorsements
Hirsh Singh
Individuals
Joseph Rudy Rullo, businessman, actor, and perennial candidate
Phil Rizzo
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
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.
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)
Ed Forchion (Legalize Marijuana), cannabis rights activist and perennial candidate
Justin Maldonado
David Winkler
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.
Endorsements
Phil Murphy (D)
Executive branch officials
Joe Biden, President of the United States (2021–2025)
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (2021–2025)
Barack Obama, former President of the United States (2009–2017)
Kal Penn, former Principal Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement (2009–2011)
U.S. Senators
Cory Booker, U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2013–present)
Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2007–present)
Bob Menendez, U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2006–2024)
Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont (2007–present)
U.S. Representatives
Jim Clyburn, U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 6th congressional district (1993–present) and House Minority Whip (2011-2019)
Bonnie Watson Coleman, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 12th congressional district (2015–present)
Gabby Giffords, former U.S. Representative for Arizona's 8th congressional district (2007–2012)
Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 5th congressional district (2017–present)
Andy Kim, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district (2019–2025)
Donald Norcross, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district (2014–present)
Frank Pallone, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 6th congressional district (1988–present)
Bill Pascrell, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 9th congressional district (2013–2024)
Donald Payne Jr., U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district (2012–2024)
Mikie Sherrill, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 11th congressional district (2019–2025)
Albio Sires, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 8th congressional district (2013–2023)
State legislators
Craig Coughlin, state assemblyman from the 19th district (2010–present) and Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly (2019–present)
Vin Gopal, state senator from the 11th district (2018–present)
Teresa Ruiz, state senator from the 29th district (2008–present) and President pro tempore of the New Jersey Senate (2018–2022)
Loretta Weinberg, state senator from the 37th district (2005–2022) and majority leader of the New Jersey State Senate (2012–2022)
County executives
Thomas DeGise, Hudson County Executive (2002–2023)
Joseph DiVincenzo, Essex County Executive (2003–present)
Local officials
Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, New Jersey (2014–present)
Ravinder Bhalla, mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey (2018–present)
Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey (2013–present)
Susan Knudsen, mayor of Ridgewood, New Jersey (Republican)
Anthony Vaz, mayor of Seaside Heights, New Jersey (2015–present) (Republican)
Individuals
Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States (2021–2025)
Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States (2021–2025)
Brian Fallon, musician
Fred Guttenberg, activist
Jon Bon Jovi, singer-songwriter
John Rzeznik, musician
Avi Schnall, director of New Jersey Agudath Israel of America (Republican)
Organizations
AAPI Victory Fund
Make the Road Action
Moms Demand Action
New Jersey Coalition of Latino Pastors and Ministers
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
Working Families Party
Garden State Equality
Sierra Club
Labor unions
Health Professionals and Allied Employees
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers New Jersey State Electrical Workers Association Construction division
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825
Jersey City Police Benevolent Association
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
UH Local 54
UFCW
Newspapers
Asbury Park Press
Courier News
Daily Record
Home News Tribune
New Jersey Herald
New York Daily News
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Record
The Star-Ledger
Jack Ciattarelli (R)
Executive branch officials
Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina (2011–2017) and United States ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018)
Governors
Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona (2015–2023) and the Chairman of the Republican Governors Association (2020–2022)
Donald DiFrancesco, former Governor of New Jersey (2001–2002) and president of the New Jersey Senate (1992–2002)
Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland (2015–2023)
U.S. Representatives
Frank LoBiondo, former U.S. Representative from New Jersey's 2nd congressional district (1995–2019)
Jeff Van Drew, U.S. Representative from New Jersey's 2nd congressional district (2019–present)
State legislators
Diane Allen, former state senator from the 7th district (1998–2018)
John F. Amodeo, former state assemblyman from the 2nd district (2008–2014)
Christopher "Kip" Bateman, state senator from the 16th district (2008–2022)
Chris A. Brown, state senator from the 2nd district (2018–2021)
Anthony M. Bucco, state senator from the 25th district (2019–present)
Larry Chatzidakis, former state assemblyman from the 8th district (1997–2008)
Kristin Corrado, state senator from the 40th district (2017–present), Chair of the New Jersey Senate Republican Conference (2019–present)
BettyLou DeCroce, state assemblywoman from the 26th district (2012–2022)
Christopher DePhillips, state assemblyman from the 40th district (2018–present)
Aura Dunn, state assemblywoman from the 25th district (2019–present)
Thomas Kean Jr., state senator from the 21st district (2003–2022) and Senate Minority Leader (2008–2022)
J. Edward Kline, former state assemblyman from the 2nd district (1985–1990)
Kenneth LeFevre, former state assemblyman from the 2nd district (1996–2002)
Gerry Nardello, former interim state assemblywoman from the 8th district (2011–2012)
Ryan Peters, state assemblyman from the 8th district (2018–2022)
Vincent Polistina, former state assemblyman from the 2nd district (2008–2012) and candidate for state senate in the 2nd district in 2021
Kevin J. Rooney, state assemblyman from the 40th district (2016–2024)
Gerard Scharfenberger, state assemblyman from the 13th district (2020–present)
Holly Schepisi, state assemblywoman (2012–2021) and senator (2021–present) from the 39th district
Jean Stanfield, state assemblywoman from the 8th district (2020–2022)
Mike Testa, state senator from the 1st district (2019–present)
Individuals
Ronna McDaniel, Chair of the RNC (2017–2024)
Steve Rogers, Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign advisor