Whitman Squeaks by to Keep N.J. Governorship

WASHINGTON —  New Jersey Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a role model for her party’s moderate wing, won a razor-thin victory in her reelection battle Tuesday against a surprisingly strong Democratic challenger in the marquee race of 1997’s state and local elections.

After trailing most of the night, Whitman pulled ahead of Democrat James McGreevey by 1 percentage point with 98% of the vote counted early today. Shortly after that, McGreevey appeared before his supporters to concede.

Whitman’s win--however slender--assures her continuing recognition as a national Republican leader. Still, the closeness of the contest may cast a shadow over the once-glowing hopes of Whitman’s admirers that her blend of patrician grace and crisp efficiency might earn her a place on the GOP’s presidential ticket in 2000. And for Democrats, the vigorous, pocketbook-oriented campaign waged by McGreevey provided at least a little cheer to an otherwise bleak array of results.

Indeed, in Tuesday’s other major races, the news was all good for Republicans.

In New York City, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani won a second term by a solid margin, becoming only the second Republican to win reelection to City Hall’s top job in this longtime Democratic citadel. And in the state’s 13th Congressional District, Republican Vito Fossella defeated Democrat Eric Vitaliano in the race for the Staten Island congressional seat that Republican Susan Molinari gave up to host a television show.

In Virginia, former GOP Atty. Gen. James Gilmore easily won the only other gubernatorial contest at stake, defeating Democrat Don Beyer, the incumbent lieutenant governor.

As Democrats have been quick to complain, the Republican National Committee came to the aid of its candidates in a huge way, shelling out millions of dollars to pay for the type of “issue advocacy” ads that are key to the controversy over fund-raising in the 1996 presidential campaign. The debt that the Democratic National Committee has incurred dealing with legal inquiries into its ’96 fund-raising left it unable to respond to the GOP ad barrage this fall.

President Clinton made a last-minute effort to counter the Republican campaign, stumping the last few days in New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

Whatever benefit the GOP ad campaign may have brought to its candidates, the results offered little evidence that, from a national perspective, either Republicans or Democrats are poised to break the partisan deadlock and lay claim to a new electoral majority.

Rather, the most closely watched race of the day--the New Jersey gubernatorial contest--demonstrated a troublesome divisiveness in GOP ranks. Whitman’s gender and personality stirred interest in her potential for national office, especially among those worried about the party’s inability to attract more backing from women. But her strong support of abortion rights aroused the wrath of staunch conservatives. Murray Sabrin, the Libertarian candidate, was expected to win some of these votes, benefiting McGreevey.

Some conservative leaders candidly said their goal was to undercut Whitman’s potential at the national level, even if that meant a Democratic victory in the state. The significance of their effort extended beyond the Garden State, demonstrating the difficulty of being a moderate in the modern GOP and underlining the problems the party faces elsewhere in the Northeast, where Republicans have been steadily losing ground to Democrats.

Also disquieting to Republicans--who place such great stock on the voter appeal of tax cuts--is that Whitman’s 30% cut in state income tax rates did not prevent McGreevey from mounting a formidable challenge. A little-known state senator and township mayor when the campaign began, he built support by exploiting voter dissatisfaction with New Jersey’s high auto insurance rates and soaring property taxes.

Despite hanging on to win, Whitman failed to build on the initial accomplishment of the tax cut with other measures that affected the lives of the voters, analysts said. For example, she offered her own plan for cutting auto insurance rates but failed to get it through the GOP-controlled Legislature.

In her moment of triumph, Whitman reacted with a mixture of joy and relief.

“This is truly a wonderful victory because it does speak to all we have done for New Jersey,” she told her supporters minutes after McGreevey’s concession. She then added wryly: “This state is a tough state. We want a lot.”

In the midst of its party’s problems in New Jersey, the GOP tax-cutting brigade took satisfaction from the way the Virginia race evolved. Gilmore made his plan to phase out Virginia’s annual tax on the value of personal vehicles the dominant issue in his campaign. Gilmore succeeds Republican Gov. George F. Allen, who was barred by law from seeking reelection.

Some Republicans also could find hope for a revival of their party’s prospects in the nation’s cities. Giuliani’s victory over Ruth Messinger, the Manhattan borough president, in the nation’s largest city, comes on the heels of last spring’s landslide reelection of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a Republican.

Times staff writer John J. Goldman in New York contributed to this story.