1997 NJ Gubernatorial Election

A leading figure in the GOP's moderate win, a national star, & after a term in which she delivered on multiple fiscally conservative promises that allowed her to oust Gov Jim Florio; Inc Christine Todd Whitman was held to a 1% win over Woodbridge Mayor & State Sen Jim McGreevey

Christine Todd Whitman's term was filled with numerous successes in her policy priorities, from delivering a 30% income tax cut to strengthening penalties in sentencies, to strengthening work requirements and limmiting welfare to 5 years, to increasing charter schools

At the same time, she also remained stringently liberal on social issues, Proudly vetoing a ban on parcial birth abortions (Overidden by the legislature), supporting afirmative action, and environmental issues.

Despite this, she had a few setbacks, mostly on the basis of being a national GOP star (such as in delivering the national GOP response to the 1995 State of the Union, to being seen as a possible national candidate in the GOP) damaging her popularity in the burgeoning Blue State

She also failed to do anything on two key issues, Exploding local property taxes, and an auto insurance premium crisis - both harming the affordability of the state and drawing criticism from residents.

It is this criticism and discontent which State Senator and Woodbridge mayor Jim McGreevey exploited. By running a focused dual issue campaign, sprinkling education for good measure, he turned what was seen as a sure win for the popular Todd Whitman into a squeaker.

In doing so, he damaged her national standing, (something already fragile with conservatives because of her social liberalism) leading the NYT to ask "whether her [Todd Whitman's] politics are the right mix for a party that is now between its conservative and more moderate wings"

But in the end, what saved Whitman was the Same thing that elected her in the first place, Jim Florio's Tax increases, the second of which (in 1993) Jim McGreevey had voted for in the state assembly.

This allowed the acrimony from the Florio Years to Cost McGreevey his first attempt at the governorship & Saving Todd Whitman's reelection in 1997.

In terms of Congressional Districts, Todd Whitman won 6/13 to McGreevey's 7/13, in terms of Legislative districts Todd Whitman won 19/40 to McGreevey's 21/40, and in terms of counties Todd Whitman won 11/21 to McGreevey's 10/21.

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