Jack Ciattarelli Concedes New Jersey Governor's Race To Phil Murphy
RARITAN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Republican Jack Ciattarelli has officially conceded the New Jersey governor's race to Gov. Phil Murphy.
"I called Gov. Murphy earlier today and congratulated him on his reelection and wished him well in serving the people of New Jersey," he said Friday.
Ciattarelli addressed supporters in his hometown of Raritan.
"The campaign trail only reaffirmed that the people of New Jersey are among the most decent and hardworking in the country. They are also the most frustrated, for the state they love, the state I love is broken," he said. "I do not see the result of this election as failure. On the contrary, I am proud of what our campaign accomplished."
READ MORE: New Jersey Election Results 2021
Murphy released a statement after Ciattarelli's announcement, saying "I thank the Assemblyman, his wife Melinda, and his family for a spirited campaign and their commitment to public service."
"This election was not simply a choice of candidates, but of direction, and the people of New Jersey have chosen to keep moving forward," his statement continued. "We know our work of building a stronger and fairer state doesn't end with this election. And we know our path forward won't be easy as we continue to beat back this pandemic."
In a video message released after the election, Ciattarelli said he would not acknowledge Murphy's narrow victory until all mail-in and provisional ballots were counted.
CBS News and The Associated Press projected Murphy as the winner on Nov. 3.