The 1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1993. Incumbent Democratic governor James Florio was narrowly defeated by Republican former Somerset County freeholder and 1990 U.S. Senate nominee Christine Todd Whitman. Primary elections were held on June 8, 1993. In the Democratic primary, Governor Florio's only challenger, anti-tax activist John Budzash, was disqualified from the ballot due to invalid petition signatures. In the Republican primary, Whitman defeated W. Cary Edwards and James Wallwork.
Florio's defeat followed backlash from voters against his administration's tax increases.
Background.
1989 election.
In the 1989 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Florio—then a U.S. representative—defeated Republican U.S. representative Jim Courter by a wide margin. Previously, Florio had unsuccessfully challenged Democratic incumbent governor Brendan Byrne in 1977 and had lost the 1981 gubernatorial election to Republican Thomas Kean.
During his 1989 campaign, Florio said, "You can write this statement down: 'Florio feels there is no need for new taxes'". In 1990, Florio signed a $2.8 billion tax increase into law.
Florio administration.
The centerpiece of the Florio administration's legislative agenda was a $2.8 billion increase in tax revenues, which one consultant identified "the largest single tax increase in the history of the finances of the 50 states" and "a national test case on both political and economic grounds." The tax increase was highly unpopular, leading to non-partisan protests throughout the state. The Florio administration adopted a wait-and-see approach, hoping that protests would desist once the legislative package delivered benefits in the form of rebate checks, lower auto insurance rates, and increased funding for education.
Two other major legislative achievements were a popular gun control measure targeted at "assault-style weapons" and the Quality Education Act, which set new standards for public schools and set strict spending caps on local school boards.
1990 United States Senate election.
By fall 1990, Florio's approval rating sank to 18 percent; it would not exceed the low twenties until 1992.
The political impact of the anti-Florio "tax revolt" manifested in November 1990, when incumbent United States senator Bill Bradley was nearly unseated by Christine Todd Whitman. During her campaign, Whitman repeatedly asked Bradley for his position on the increase, but he demurred, calling it a state issue. Whitman's underdog near-victory endeared her to the Republican voter base and made her a symbol of opposition to Florio.
1991 midterm elections.
Republicans centered their 1991 legislative campaign on opposition to the Florio tax increase, as did even some incumbent Democrats, such as Senator Paul Contillo. Florio also faced backlash from the NRA Political Victory Fund, which spent nearly $250,000 targeting candidates in both parties who had voted in favor of the bill and supporting those who pledged to repeal it, and the New Jersey Education Association, which had supported Florio in 1989 but endorsed almost exclusively Republican candidates in response to the education spending caps.
The result was a resounding Republican victory in the 1991 elections. The Republicans gained ten seats in the State Senate (controlling the chamber for the first time since 1974) and 21 seats in the General Assembly. Both houses won veto-proof Republican majorities, which may have drawn political pressure off Florio for the remainder of his term. Florio's approval ratings began to rebound as the Republican legislature was given a share of the blame for the state's budgetary dysfunction.
Democratic primary.
Candidates.
Disqualified.
Florio was unopposed in the June primary election. Former Howell Township postal worker, John Budzash, originally filed to run against Florio in the primary. Budzash, who switched his party registration from Republican to Democratic one day before the filing deadline, led Hands Across New Jersey, a citizens group that protested the state tax increases. He was removed following a complaint from then-state party chair Raymond Lesniak alleging that many of his petition signatures were invalid.
Results.
This is also the most recent time that Cape May County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election.
! scope="col" colspan="2" style="width: 130px"|Party
! scope="col" style="width: 17em"|Candidate
! scope="col" style="width: 5em"|Votes
! scope="col" style="width: 3.5em"|%
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! colspan="3" style="text-align: right; margin-right: 0.5em" scope=row | Turnout
! style="text-align:right;" | Swing
Notes.
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References.
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