Soon after the polls closed Tuesday in Princeton and across New Jersey, it became clear that Democrats were leading the day, winning decisive victories in local and statewide races.
As an increasingly combative campaign drew to an end, Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), the longtime frontrunner, lost much of the lead he'd held in polls throughout the campaign but still came out on top, winning more than 50 percent of votes statewide.
Corzine had 53.5 percent of the vote, compared to Forrester's 43.2 percent, with 91 percent of precincts reporting.
Borough and Township officials and others involved in local politics gathered in the Nassau Inn's Yankee Doodle Tap Room to tally election results from the Borough's 10 districts and the Township's 14 districts.
After polls closed at 8 p.m., results began arriving in the wood-paneled room and were tallied on two large wall charts. The mostly Democratic crowd responded with enthusiasm as the results trickled in.
Corzine won decisively with at least two-to-one margins in Princeton Borough and Township. In the Borough, Corzine received 1,660 votes to Forrester's 605. In the Township, Corzine won 3,424 votes to Forrester's 1,509.
Democrats were victorious in all the other races on the ballot in the Borough, including the contest for two seats on the Borough Council. Incumbents Mildred Trotman and David Goldfarb were reelected as expected, winning 1,637 and 1,583 votes, respectively. Independent challenger and Princeton school board member Joshua Leinsdorf received 697 votes.
Though Trotman won a spot on the council, she will likely not take the seat for another term. She is likely to be selected as the new mayor at tonight's Borough Council meeting to replace Mayor Joseph O'Neill, who died last month. Two years are left in O'Neill's term, but the replacement will only be elected to a one-year term by the council, at the conclusion of which she can choose to run for election to finish out the term. If she becomes mayor, Trotman will vacate her seat on the Borough Council, leaving an opening that the Democratic Municipal Committee would have 30 days to fill.
Most of the University's undergraduate dormitories lie within Borough District 1, in which about 180 people voted. An estimated 160 of them were students, District 1 committeeman Mark Salzman '07 said.
About 1,600 people are registered in District 1, Borough Council member and Democratic Committee chairman Andrew Koontz said. Of those, 500 to 600 are University students still on campus, while most of the others are alumni who have not cancelled their registrations.
Though the raw voter turnout was only about 10 percent of those registered in the district, he said it is "very impressive" to see such high turnout considering the transience of the student population. In District 1, 125 votes were cast for Corzine and 54 were cast for Forrester.
Twelve provisional ballots were filed in the Borough.
Outside of New Jersey, the only other gubernatorial race was in Virginia. Though the state leans Republican, Democrat Tim Kaine won more than 50 percent of the votes for governor in the state, defeating Republican Jerry Kilgore. Kaine's wife is Anne Holton '80, a state judge in Richmond.
In New York, Republican Michael Bloomberg won reelection as the city's mayor by more than 15 percent. Princeton's Bloomberg Hall is named for Bloomberg's daughter, Emma Bloomberg '01.
As governor, Corzine will appoint a Democrat to serve out the remainder of his term in the Senate, which expires in January 2007.
Three Democratic congressmen — Representatives Robert Andrews, Robert Menendez and Frank Pallone — have all openly announced their interest in being appointed to the Senate. All three have also actively campaigned for Corzine in the past.
Representative Rush Holt and acting governor Richard Codey have also been discussed as possible senatorial appointees. Holt's district includes Princeton, and he was the assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab until 1998.
Corzine lives in an apartment in Hoboken, but will likely move into the governor's mansion, Drumthwacket, which is located half a mile from the Princeton campus on Stockton Street, following his inauguration as governor. He will also become a University trustee ex officio, in accordance with the bylaws of the University charter.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.