JON CORZINE

EAST BRUNSWICK - It's over.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) takes the microphone onstage here at the Hilton.

"There is not one minute of this that I would ever trade in," says Weinberg. "I have been driving in a car for five months with Rocco Mazza and the GPS. I've got to tell you, I grew to hate the woman and the GPS. I want to give him a personal thank you." 

Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), far left, onstage this morning in Cherry Hill.

In Gloucester County, home base of state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), Chris Christie has defeated incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine, 47.3% to 43.9%.

Christie was also officially determined to be the victor in Hunterdon (65.7% to 25.4%) and Sussex (63.7% to 25.8%) counties.

With 50% of the vote in, NJN Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron is reporting that Chris Christie is leading incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine, 49% to 45%.

Corzine in Camden County this morning.

EAST BRUNSWICK - Trepidation. Worry. Agitation. Borderline resignation.

Those are some of the emotions projecting into the big carpeted room here at the East Brunswick Hilton as the returns come in and some early trends appear to favor GOP gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie over Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine.

This is where Corzine's victory party is supposed to be going down.

But no one is daring to be the bon vivant at this anxious gathering here in support of another four years for Corzine.

"Tonight's going to be a good night, yes, tonight's going to be a good, good night," sing the Black Eyed Peas.

PARSIPPANY -- State Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Middletown), the Christie campaign chairman, just address a clearly upbeat crowd at the Republican rally.

“We’ve got some early numbers in, and we’re counting them very methodically. We’ve got an active war room, and we’re going through every town, every county, number by number by number,” he said.  “I can tell you that in the places where Chris Christie should be performing well, we are doing very, very well,” he said.

Kyrillos referenced a CNN report that Christie is leading among independents 58% to 44%.

“As this room knows, the key for our winning New Jersey is that independent vote. But let me just tell everybody that this may be a long night. This may be a close race. We’ll be down here periodically to keep people updated,” he said.

The amount of vitriol in the 1996 U.S. senate race between Democrat Robert Torricelli and Republican Dick Zimmer became the stuff of legend, even by Garden State standards.

Tonight, Zimmer showed up to Chris Christie’s party marking the conclusion to another particularly nasty race.  But how did it stack up to his own?

“I am resigned to the 1996 race being the permanent gold standard,” said Zimmer, who ran a much lower profile U.S. Senate race against incumbent Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) last year.  

Zimmer did see some parallels between the Torricelli race and Christie’s battle with Gov. Corzine.

“Robert Torricelli even said that I was opposed to mammography,” he said, noting that Corzine top campaign advisor Jamie Fox was also Torricelli’s chief of staff at the time.    “It worked.”

Click here to view county-by-county results
Click here to read Patrick Murray's Exit Poll blog
Links to County Clerk sites with Election Results

Webber at Christie's election night party

PARSIPPANY – Republican State Chairman/Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) was optimistic about Chris Christie’s chances tonight, and he said he was basing it on evidence – even if he wasn’t sharing specific numbers.

“The turnout we’re tracking has been very strong in the heavily Republican areas, and the last turnout model I saw had turnout had turnout a little light in the Democratic areas,” he said in the ballroom of the Parsippany Hilton, where Christie will take the stage later tonight to either claim victory, concede defeat, or neither if the race turns out too close to call.  

When asked how the Republicans’ get out the vote effort compared to four years ago, Webber was unequivocal.

“This effort it the best grass roots effort that the party has ever put together,” he said.

Team Irvington chief D. Bilal Beasely, center, campaigns for Corzine with Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark) and Corzine Campaign Director Phil Alagia

IRVINGTON - The early word from Irvington is that the Newark neighbor is poised to receive almost the same number of votes as it did four years ago.

Corzine in 2005 received 9,200 votes in Irvington. Operatives who have been following the numbers all day anticipate the governor receiving nearly 10,000 votes in the city.

"I believe Corzine's going to win," said Council President John Sowell, an ally of Team Irvington leader Councilman D. Bilal Beasely, the chief GOTV point person in Irvington.

But Essex County party operatives continue to worry about GOP candidate Chris Christie's performance in the suburbs of Essex County, where he was raised and attended high school.

NEWARK - Corroborated sources from the city's five wards show the city underperforming compared to the 2005 governor's race.

Four years ago, Jon Corzine received 39,600 votes in the state's biggest city.

Right now, projections show the governor receiving 33,200 votes or 8,000 votes in the North Ward, 8,000 in the South Ward, 7,000 in the West Ward, 4,200 in the East Ward, and 6,000 in the Central Ward.