Murphy, Ciattarelli nearly tied in New Jersey governor race

By MIKE CATALINI
Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciattarelli were locked in what amounts to a tie in the New Jersey governor’s race. The Associated Press had not declared a winner in the contest on Wednesday, which was too early to call. But Murphy had a lead of less than a percentage point in incomplete results as county elections officials continued to count ballots. The closeness of the race surprised experts, who watched public polls showing Murphy leading comfortably and looked to his party’s registration advantage of more than a million voters. Murphy had no public schedule on Wednesday, and Ciattarelli has also not announced plans to appear publicly.