The New Jersey governor’s race is turning out to be interesting, as some predicted it would. With a little more than half of the vote in, the Republican, Jack Ciatterelli, is leading the incumbent Democrat, Philip Murphy, by 3.4 points. Will the lead hold up? I have no idea. But this race is a lot closer than normal in New Jersey — more bad news for Democrats.
In Buffalo, New York, the socialist crackpot who defeated the incumbent mayor in the Dem primary is losing to the same guy, running as a write-in candidate, in the general election.
In Minneapolis, as John has reported, voters have roundly rejected a “defund the police” measure. The margin, as I write this, is more than 10 points.
In New York City, Eric Adams, a Democrat, is cruising to victory over his GOP opponent, as expected. Keep in mind, though, that Adams defeated left-wing Dems in the primary by running as a pro-cop (he used to one), pro-law enforcement candidate.
UPDATE: About three-quarters of the New Jersey vote is now in, and Gov. Murphy has pulled basically even. Maybe it’s just the pessimist in me, but I’m thinking Murphy will pull it out.
However, I agree with Politico’s Matt Friedman who says:
Whether Murphy wins or loses, the results offer a massive reality check for New Jersey Democrats. . . .
Much of Murphy’s campaign focused on tying Ciattarelli, the 59-year-old Central Jersey native and founder of a medical publishing company, to Trump. That attack appears to have lost its appeal.
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