Challenger Chris Christie elected Governor of New Jersey

In a hotly contended race, Republican Chris Christie has defeated incumbent Democratic Governor John Corzine.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - Republican Chris Christie has been declared as the new Governor of New Jersey by the Associated Press, Fox News and most other political sources. The race, pitting the Christie against incumbent Democratic Governor John Corzine, has been close for several weeks, even with the presence of President Barack Obama last Sunday to bring additional life to the campaign.

With 90 percent of the precincts reporting, Christie was leading by more than 4 percentage points, with independent contender Dagget a very distant third, garnering only a little more than 5 percent of the vote.

The White House has downplayed the New Jersey and Virginia results, urging people not to read too much into these elections. Presidential Press Secretary Robert Gibbs observed, "I don't think, looking at the two gubernatorial races, you can draw with any great insight what's going to happen a year from now."

On Tuesday evening, Gibbs told POLITICO that President Obama wasn't even following the elections very closely tonight, saying, "He's not watching returns."

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