Democrat Phil Murphy will hang on to New Jersey governor seat, Associated Press projects

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
(Image credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)

The New Jersey governor race swung in Democrat Phil Murphy's direction on Wednesday evening, with The Associated Press projecting he will hang on to his seat.

The incumbent had a nail-biter of a night, as the race was considered too close to call for hours, even though he was expected to more easily defeat Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Both Murphy and Ciattarelli gave speeches on Tuesday night indicating their confidence that they would win, with Murphy noting the final results were taking "a little while longer than we had hoped."

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.