New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli has finally conceded to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy when it became clear he could not overcome the Democrat’s nearly 3-point lead.
"I called Gov. Murphy earlier today and congratulated him on his re-election and wished him well in serving the people of New Jersey," Ciattarelli said at a news conference on Friday.
"I hate to lose," Ciattarelli said, "but I'm also someone who believes strongly in our republic and our democratic processes."
The Republican had previously announced that he was waiting for every legal vote to be counted before deciding on whether to proceed with a recount.
Last week, his campaign made clear that “no one on this team is alleging fraud or malfeasance, as we have not seen any credible evidence of that.”
On Friday, Ciattarelli said much the same: "I see no proof this election was stolen."
“To those who are disappointing that I am conceding, to those whose faith in our election system is shaken, to those who are angry that I’m not asking for a recount today, let me say this: I have worked every day and night for 22 months to become New Jersey’s governor. If you think I’d be standing here today conceding if I thought I won this election, you couldn’t be more wrong,” he said.
Ciattarelli continues to hit Murphy and state Dems on taxes, saying that there are some people who think taxes are the answer to the state's woes.
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) November 12, 2021
"I prefer to see things happen by fixing our problems."
Ciattarelli ran ads for months slamming Murphy's past comments on taxes.
Ciattarelli flatly says that there is "no proof that this election was stolen."
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) November 12, 2021
"I hate to lose. ... But I'm also someone who believes strongly in our republic and our democratic processes. Enough votes have been counted."
There's no widespread fraud, he says.
Of the close race, Ciattarelli said he doesn't see the result "as a failure."
"On the contrary, I am proud of what our campaign accomplished, proud of how we helped reinvigorate the Republican Party and mobilize new people who had never been involved before,” he added.