It Took 10 Days. But Murphy’s Republican Rival Has Conceded.

RARITAN, N.J. — Jack Ciattarelli, RepublicanWho ran a passionate campaign to unseat New Jersey’s DemocraticGovernor concedes defeat FridayHe acknowledged 10 days after the polls closed that there was no way to win,

Mr. CiattarelliTrailed Gov. Philip D. MurphyOn FridayAfter a nearly two-year campaign that mobilized rural and suburban voters, which saw them turn out in numbers that caught the attention of their leaders, 74,000 votes or three percentage points was enough to win. DemocratsIt is easy to be caught off guard.

Mr. Ciattarelli’s strong showing and a hard-fought win by RepublicansIn Virginiasent tremors through Democratic Party as it looked ahead to next year’s midterm elections and the party’s ability to hold on to its slim majority in Congress.

In New Jersey, RepublicansA half-dozen other legislative seats were also flipped, one of which was held by Stephen M. Sweeney, a labor leader who was, for more than a ten-year period, considered the second most powerful lawmaker within the state.

Mr. SweeneyThe DemocraticPresident of the State Senate, lost by a political newcomer Edward DurrThe winner, who ran with a small budget, admitted to being shocked by the win. He was also largely unprepared for his new life in lawmaking.

Mr. CiattarelliA former state assemblyman, he said that the election results were a rejection of the left-leaning policy championed by Mr. Murphy, a former Goldman SachsAn executive who achieved a series of progressive wins during his first term.

“Every single time misguided politicians take this state too far off track, the great people of this state push, pull and prod it right back to where it belongs,” Mr. CiattarelliAccording to Friday. “Right back to where it needs to be: the common-sense center.”

“I’m proud of how we helped reinvigorate the Republican Party and mobilized new people who have never been involved before,” he said.

Mr. Ciattarelli59-year-old Chancellor was running for the second time for governor. He conceded the race and said that he would run again in four years.

TheRace was closer than any poll or prediction by political strategists.

ButThere were many opinions about what the best takeaways were.

RepublicansMany moderate DemocratsWe agree Mr. CiattarelliThese results suggest that we need to refocus our priorities on bread and butter issues like taxes, and suburban affordability.

But Mr. Murphy’s progressive allies have argued that the lackluster turnout among DemocratsInstead, the mandate was to deliver on the promises to help low-income families and working-class families, as well as to address systemic racial, economic and social injustices. TrentonIn WashingtonWhere intraparty fighting has thwarted key Pillars of President Biden’s agenda.

Mr. Murphy, in a statement, said that his administration would continue to “govern as we have since Day 1.”

“ThisElection was more than a choice between candidates. It was a matter of direction and the people of New Jersey have chosen to keep moving forward,” Mr. Murphy said.

“WeWe will continue to stand by you New Jersey’s middle class and everyone striving to get there,” he added.

Registered DemocratsOutnumber RepublicansIn New JerseyMore than one million voters. AndThere was no doubt that Mr. Ciattarelli’s campaign had re-energized the state’s moribund Republican PartyThis is particularly true in congressional swing areas, where lawmakers face stiff challenges during midterm elections.

“ItWas anti-Biden sentiment out there,” said Michael SuleimanChairman of the Democratic PartyIn Atlantic CountyIt is located along the Jersey Shore. “A lot of anger. YouCould feel the anger of Republican voters.”

The Associated Press declared Mr. MurphyThe winner is announced the next day. Nov. 2 election, he held an approximately one percentage point edge over Mr. Ciattarelli.

OverThe past nine days Mr. Murphy’s lead only grew as mail and provisional ballots were slowly tallied in liberal-leaning strongholds, prompting DemocraticStrategists to beAccused Mr. CiattarelliTo inflame distrust in the electoral system.

Mr. Murphy’s campaign manager, Mollie Binotto, criticized the delay as an “assault on the integrity of our elections,” and the governor called it “dangerous.”

WhileBeing careful to state that there was no evidence for election fraud Mr. CiattarelliHe maintained that it was statistically possible for him to come within one point Mr. MurphyAfter approximately 70,000 emergency provisional votes were counted his campaign indicated that it would be open to asking a judge to authorize an recount.

AtOne point on election evening Mr. CiattarelliAs election workers struggled to count the nearly 550,000 ballots by paper and the nearly 500,000 electronic votes cast during the nine-day early voting period, the lead was significant.

ButThe race was not as close to the finish line as it once seemed.

By Friday afternoon, Mr. Murphy’s lead had reached 2.9 points — a full percentage point more than the margin of victory in VirginiaWhere the former is Democratic governor, TerryMcAuliffe, who conceded his race against an Republican financier, Glenn YoungkinThe morning after the polls close.

Mr. MurphyThis is the first DemocratTo win a second term New JerseyGovernor since 1977 Brendan Byrnere-elected.

TheVote-counting problems were mainly due a learning curve that was linked to the new electronic voting equipment and the large volume of mail ballots. These combined accounts accounted for approximately one-fifth (or 2,556,000) of the total vote-counting delays in the state. ThePaper ballots had to be manually counted starting on Election Day, and many other counties completed the tally this week.

EvenEven though some counties are still waiting to count emergency and provisional ballots CiattarelliLately, campaign officials acknowledged the fact ThursdayThe 74,000-vote gap is unlikely to shrink.

“Enough votes have been counted,” Mr. Ciattarelli said. “There does not appear to be a path to victory.”

Mary H. MelfiThe RepublicanIn the county clerk Hunterdon County, said she expected the delays linked to the new electronic poll books — which were purchased to offer early, machine voting in New Jersey for the first time — would ease during the next election.

“It was a rush to get equipment,” said Ms. Melfi, a former president New Jersey AssociationOf Counties. “It was a rush to set it up.”

ThereShe said there was no evidence of fraud.

“I think our process is pretty darn good and it’s accountable,” she said. “Voter confidence took a hit because voters are not used to waiting two weeks to get the results.”

AfterThe election, a new Facebook group, Audit NJ, began calling for a “forensic audit” of the results, quickly gathering more than 50,000 followers, many of whom expressed doubt in the accuracy of the count.

On Friday, Mr. Ciattarelli reiterated that there was no evidence of fraud as he called for a standardized reporting process among the state’s 21 counties to try to stop conspiracy theories from emerging.

“Sadly, in our current climate,” he said, “that slow count and the constantly changing online numbers gives rise to doubt in the system.”