Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno are facing off to replace New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie after the state’s primary election Tuesday.
Murphy took 48.2 percent of the vote for the Democratic Party while Guadagno took 46.8 percent of the vote for the Garden State GOP. Coming in second place for the Democratic Party was Black candidate Jim Johnson, who took almost 22 percent of the vote.
Johnson is a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. He held several senior positions in President Bill Clinton’s administration, including secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, and was former chair of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.
Supporters of Johnson gathered at Trumpets Jazz Club in his hometown of Montclair, where he thanked them for their hard work and vowed to not give up fighting.
“We have made a difference in this state, we will continue to make a difference in this state,” Johnson said. “You will hear from us again and again and again.”
Reports indicate that as for his political future, Johnson said he plans to pursue office without getting into specifics, only saying that he would “need time to step back and reflect on all that I’ve learned and we’ll make some decisions moving forward.”
During his campaign, Johnson said he wanted to make changes in New Jersey by highlighting issues such as transit, lowering property taxes, foreclosures and improving criminal justice.