JON CORZINE

Councilman Julio Tavarez

Paterson - New Jersey's third largest city and now on the brink of a mayoral election next year - delivered the same voter turnout for Gov. Jon Corzine that he received four years ago in his first bid for governor.

These results are unofficial and don't include provisionals: Corzine received 16,038 votes in the Silk City, to Republican candidate (now Gov.-elect) Chris Christie's 2,040.

Those numbers almost mirror Corzine's 2005 performance against Mercer buisnessman Doug Forrester: 17,000 to 1,600 votes.

The stunner of the night in North Jersey for Democrats was the loss of their county ticket, the Kazmark-Way-Gomez-Stampone team that suffered the downside of a squeaker to the Corrado-Marratoa-O'Connell-Ciambrone team.

Democratic Party Chairman John Currie takes solace in the fact that incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine defeated Chris Christie here by a vote of 51 to 44% - solace that was shattered by evening's end when Corzine lost statewide.

But of most pressing concern to veteran county man Currie was the win by Republican clerk candidate Kristin Corrado over Democrat Keith Kazmark, 51.91% to 48.09% and the fall of three freeholder candidates, including incumbent rising star (and potential LG candidate) Freeholder Director Tahesha Way.

With provisionals not yet in, Way is losing to Ciambrone by 1400 votes.

In trouncing Chris Christie in Newark last night by 32,400 votes while losing statewide, Gov. Jon Corzine received a total of 35,669 Newark votes, compared to the 39,573 he received four years ago in his first bid for governor.

During the weeks leading up to Election Day, operatives fretted about the Central Ward, Mayor Cory Booker's old ward where the death of a local leader this past summer threw the political structure into doubt.

While the Central Ward did not perform as well for Corzine as it did in 2005, it's fall-off approximated the drop in numbers for the Democrat in other wards. In the Central, Corzine received 7,755 votes this year, compared to 8,700 in 2005.

In the North Ward, home to Steve Adubato's vaunted North Ward Democratic Organization, the governor received 6,302 votes, compared to 7,202 in 2005.

State jobs for Democrats are suddenly at a premium, and that potentially threatens one gubernatorial nomination to one of New Jersey's most sought after posts: Commissioner of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.  Democrats were unable to Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Joseph Spicuzzo's nomination through the Senate Judiciary Committee before they recessed on June 25.  Gov. Jon Corzine's loss of Middlesex County might make some Democrats question whether the governor should pull the Spicuzzo nomination and put someone else in the post, especially as some Senate Republicans have indicated that they intend to close question the Middlesex party leader when he does appear at his confirmation hearing during the lame duck session.

Gov. Corzine accepting the endorsement earlier this year of the Middlesex County Democratic Committee.

Gov. Jon Corzine lost Middlesex County last night unofficially by 6,924 votes, a county he won four years ago by 32,155.

But Middlesex County Democratic Committee Chairman Joe Spicuzzo believes there was little Corzine could have done, given the temper of the times, to salvage a win in this sprawling county of 400,300 registered voters - and little Middlesex County Democrats could have done to help him get there.

"I think it's all about the economy and people hurting in their pocket books," Spicuzzo said. "They wanted a change. I think Jon Corzine was better equipped to deal with the economic crisis, but that's not the way voters saw it."

The party chairman conceded that Corzine's toll roads leasing plan didn't help him in the big counties most impacted: Ocean, Monmouth and his own Middlesex.

Getty Images Photo

With 99% of the votes reported, Republican Christopher Christie’s lead in the race for governor is now at 99,730 a 49%-45% margin over the incumbent Democrat, Jon Corzine.  Independent Christopher Daggett finished at 6%, with 132,919 votes.  These numbers will change as unreported precincts and absentee ballots are added to the tallies.

Republicans picked up one seat in the State Assembly: in district 4, Domenick DiCicco won an open seat that the Democrats have held since 2003.  The GOP came close to ousting incumbents in districts 3 and 22.

Statewide, Republicans picked up eight Freeholder seats, including control in Monmouth County.  And the GOP won three hotly contested races for County Clerk, including a pickup in Passaic.  A Republican victory in the Parsippany mayoral race was tempered by a loss of a GOP mayor in Gloucester Township.

Watch for New Jersey Democrats to consider legislation that will change the way the state fills vacancies in the United States Senate.  Now that Democrats have lost the governorship, some party leaders are concerned that Republican Gov.-elect Christopher Christie would appoint a U.S. Senator if Democrat Frank Lautenberg, who turns 86 in January, leaves office without finishing the final four years of his term.  Some Democratic leaders have already discussed a plan to take the appointment away from the governor and forcing a quick special election.  Jon Corzine could sign that bill before he leaves office in January.

Five years ago, when there was a good chance that Democrat John Kerry might get elected president, the Democratic-controlled Massachusetts Legislature changed the law so that Republican Gov. Mitt Romney could not appoint Kerry's successor.

Republican Christopher J. Christie, who won acclaim as a corruption buster during his seven years as the United States Attorney, was elected Governor of New Jersey, defeating incumbent Jon S. Corzine by more than 105,000 votes.

Republicans picked up one State Assembly seat, captured control of the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, and won Freeholder seats in Bergen, Passaic, and Cumberland counties.

Christie, 47, is the first Republican to win statewide in twelve years.  He won big margins in Republican counties like Monmouth and Ocean, and beat Corzine in two Democratic counties, Middlesex and Gloucester.

Corzine, a Wall Street millionaire who has spent more than $130 million of his own money during his three campaigns for public office, was defeated for re-election by a 49%-45% margin.  Former state Environmental Protection Commissioner Christopher Daggett won just 5% in his independent bid for governor.

In District 4, Republican Domenick DeCicco won the seat of retiring Democratic Assemblywoman Sandra Love.  Democratic Assemblyman Paul Moriarty won re-election.    Democrats will control the Assembly 47-33.

Chris Christie tonight delivered for the New Jersey GOP a governorship - the first time a Republican has won a statewide race in New Jersey in a dozen years - and by a margin greater than even most Republicans expected. 

Once he is sworn in January, Christie will become the state's 55th governor.

By the time he started his victory speech, unofficial results showed a Christie victory of 106,000 over Corzine. 

Independent Christopher Daggett, up to 20% in one October poll, fell back to earth on Election Day, getting in the low single digits.

When the Bruce Springsteen cover band stopped playing for a few minutes to show footage of Daggett's concession speech with audio, the crowd gave off an intense boo.

Christie was introduced by Lieutenant Governor-Elect Kim Guadagno, who said "Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to see change.

"There is hope for real change. There is hope for lowering taxes. There is hope for smaller government. There is hope for new jobs in New Jersey."

Christie took to the podium and gave a simple salutation to the boisterous, shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of GOP faithful who had to wait over a decade for this moment.

"Hey, New Jersey - we did it," he said.

Christie received Gov. Corzine's concession call at about 10:40.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), left, with state Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Paramus) and Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange).

TRENTON - A few Democrats circulate in the big room here at the East Brunswick Hilton, sorting through the devastation with varying viewpoints and plans.

"It's hard for an incumbent in a recession," U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) says after lame duck Gov. Jon Corzine leaves the stage.

"Jon did a good job as governor, but the economic times are bad," Pallone adds. "That's all it comes down to. The economic times were bad, but we're on our way back."

There's Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), who endured his own drama this fall in which he apparently emerged on the losing end.