See also: 2001 United States gubernatorial elections.
| Election Name: | 2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election |
| Country: | New Jersey |
| Type: | Presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1997 |
| Next Election: | 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2005 |
| Election Date: | November 6, 2001 |
| Image1: | File:Jim McGreevey 2009 Exodus 7 (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Jim McGreevey |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,256,853 |
| Percentage1: | 56.4% |
| Nominee2: | Bret Schundler |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 928,174 |
| Percentage2: | 41.7% |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Richard Codey (acting) |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jim McGreevey |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
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] Democratic nominee Jim McGreevey won the general election with 56% of the vote against Bret Schundler[2] — the first majority-elected governor since James Florio in 1989.[3] Democrats simultaneously ended Republican control of both houses of the legislature after 10 years.
This is also the last statewide election in Democrats won Monmouth and Ocean counties. This was the first time since 1973 that a Democrat won without carrying Cape May County. McGreevey, who was sworn in on January 15, 2002, resigned in November 2004 after disclosing both his homosexuality and an extramarital relationship with a man whom he had appointed as one of his advisors;[4] he was succeeded by Senate President Richard Codey, who filled the remainder of McGreevey's term.
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.
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.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin | Jim McGreevey (D) | Bret Schundler (R) | Bill Schluter (I) | Other/ Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | January 24–30, 2001 | 649 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 43% | 19% | — | 37% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | April 11–17, 2001 | 632 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 46% | 22% | — | 32% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | August 15–21, 2001 | 395 LV | ±5.0% | align=center | 54% | 33% | — | 14% | |
| align=center | 48% | 29% | 4% | 20% | |||||
| Rutgers-Eagleton | September 22–26, 2001 | 424 LV | ±4.0% | align=center | 46% | 31% | — | 24% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 13–17, 2001 | 449 LV | ±4.7% | align=center | 45% | 33% | — | 22% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Oct. 30–Nov. 2, 2001 | 746 LV | ±3.7% | align=center | 53% | 36% | — | 11% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin | Jim McGreevey (D) | Donald DiFrancesco (R) | Other/ Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | January 24–30, 2001 | 649 LV | ±4.0% | align=center | 39% | 26% | 35% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | April 11–17, 2001 | 632 LV | ±4.0% | align=center | 44% | 26% | 30% |
| County | McGreevey votes | McGreevey % | Schundler votes | Schundler % | Other votes | Other % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38,623 | 57.5% | 27,547 | 41.0% | 995 | 1.5% | ||
| 140,215 | 55.1% | 111,221 | 43.7% | 3,106 | 1.2% | ||
| 62,697 | 55.4% | 48,098 | 42.5% | 2,437 | 2.2% | ||
| 78,169 | 64.6% | 40,063 | 33.1% | 2,728 | 2.3% | ||
| 17,118 | 48.5% | 17,471 | 49.5% | 735 | 2.1% | ||
| 19,445 | 57.7% | 13,583 | 40.3% | 668 | 2.0% | ||
| 129,406 | 71.9% | 48,540 | 27.0% | 2,083 | 1.2% | ||
| 41,083 | 58.1% | 28,210 | 39.9% | 1,392 | 2.0% | ||
| 85,074 | 68.8% | 37,440 | 30.3% | 1,224 | 1.0% | ||
| 13,911 | 35.3% | 23,059 | 58.4% | 2,484 | 6.3% | ||
| 57,513 | 60.9% | 31,705 | 33.6% | 5,148 | 5.5% | ||
| 117,061 | 62.7% | 66,749 | 35.7% | 2,999 | 1.6% | ||
| 91,838 | 49.5% | 89,987 | 48.5% | 3,647 | 2.0% | ||
| 60,948 | 42.8% | 79,350 | 55.8% | 1,942 | 1.4% | ||
| 84,538 | 51.2% | 77,726 | 47.1% | 2,690 | 1.6% | ||
| 62,390 | 58.1% | 43,806 | 40.8% | 1,238 | 1.2% | ||
| 10,837 | 53.5% | 8,878 | 43.8% | 540 | 2.7% | ||
| 39,110 | 45.6% | 44,815 | 52.2% | 1,903 | 2.2% | ||
| 14,641 | 37.5% | 23,478 | 60.1% | 957 | 2.4% | ||
| 79,682 | 60.3% | 50,780 | 38.4% | 1,790 | 1.4% | ||
| 12,554 | 42.3% | 15,668 | 52.8% | 1,432 | 4.8% |
Official campaign websites