Gov. Phil Murphy called on Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli to concede the “mathematically impossible” race. He added that to do otherwise would be “incredibly dangerous” and disrespectful of American institutions.
However, he said that state Senate President Steve Sweeney should not concede because, “We should have the respect to let that play out.”
According to NBCNY, the Democratic governor, whose narrow lead has grown to nearly 3%, vowed not to change, though he acknowledged more work needs to be acheived to reach moderate and GOP voters.
“No shot in our race”
When pressed if that was a double standard, Murphy admitted, “I actually don’t know the math on Steve’s race, and I had the impression that there was a shot. There is no shot in our race. I think that’s the difference.”
Ciattarelli campaign officials said they should know “in the next 48 hours” whether they will seek a recount, which could cost “around $1 million, if not more.”
Campaign legal counsel Mark Sheridan explained the margin would likely have about 1% between the candidates, and he admitted that the odds are against Ciattarelli. However, if Murphy’s lead narrows to 1%, it might “make sense” to go to the recount.
You can read: Phill Murphy celebrates victory over Ciattarelli in close governor’s race
“The odds of them all going in favor of Jack and changing the outcome of this election based on the current timeline is unlikely, but that doesn’t mean, it doesn’t bring it close enough to warrant a recount,” he said.
“I’m not looking to be Rudy Giuliani standing in front of a mulch pile. My goal is to make sure we get an accurate count and we make a reasonable decision based on the law and the facts to decide whether or not we are going to recount this,” added Sheridan.
Provisional ballots, which are used at the polling place on election, must also be counted, though Murphy’s campaign said mail in ballots are trending in his favor.
“Ciattarelli is mathematically eliminated, and he must accept the results and concede the race,” a campaign statement read. “His continuing failure to do so is an assault on the integrity of our elections.”
Noticias Newswire
