(Reuters) -Republican Jack Ciattarelli conceded defeat to Democrat Phil Murphy in the New Jersey governor’s race on Friday, 10 days after the end of an election campaign in which he narrowed a wide lead enjoyed by the incumbent.
At a press conference in Raritan, his hometown, Ciattarelli said he had congratulated Murphy on his victory and assured supporters his concession was justified.
“I called Governor Murphy earlier today and congratulated him on his re-election and wished him well in serving people of New Jersey,” the former state senator said.
“There does not appear to be a path to victory or the basis for a recount. Nor do we know of any systemic or widespread fraud,” he told his supporters. “So no, I see no proof that this election was stolen.”
Ciattarelli, 59, prompted cheers from the audience when he announced he would run for governor again in four years.
The Republican candidate had campaigned against high taxes and sought to label Murphy, a wealthy former Goldman Sachs executive, as out of touch.
New Jersey has trended Democratic in recent years. President Joe Biden carried the state over former President Donald Trump last year by more than 15 percentage points.
Murphy, 64, is the first Democratic governor in four decades to win re-election in New Jersey, even though registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by more than 1 million in the densely populated state.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson in Washington; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
