Ciattarelli se espera que conceda la elección del gobernador de Nueva Jersey esta tarde

Numerous media outlets are reporting that New Jersey’s Republican Gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli will formally concede the election to incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy this afternoon at 1 o’clock, more than one week after Election Day.

The former Assemblyman is expected to ask his supporters to accept the results of the election as “fair.”  Ciattarelli trails Murphy by 73,778 votes in a race which wound up being a lot closer than most polls had indicated it would turn out to be.  Murphy has 1,304,876 votes to Ciattarelli’s 1,231,098, a margin of 2.89 percent, or a lead of 51.06% to 48.17%.

Ciattarelli will make his concession at the Raritan Municipal Building, the same location where he began his political career back in 1989 as a borough Councilman, before eventually being elected to the New Jersey Assembly.

Governor Murphy is the first Democratic Governor to be re-elected in New Jersey in more than four decades.  The last was Brendan Byrne in 1977.

It is still not clear how many votes remain to be counted, so the final total will change.  All votes must be finalized by Saturday.