Elections McGreevey first ran for governor in
1997, but was defeated in a close race (47% to 46%) by incumbent
Republican Christine Todd Whitman.
Libertarian candidate
Murray Sabrin received slightly over 5% of the vote. McGreevey ran for the governorship again in
2001 and won with 56% of the vote, making him the first majority-elected governor since
James Florio. His Republican opponent in that race was
Bret Schundler. In 2005, David D'Amiano, a key McGreevey fund-raiser, was sentenced to two years in prison. D'Amiano extorted $40,000 from a Middlesex County farmer named Mark Halper, who cooperated with investigators. In the 47-page indictment, there are repeated references to the involvement of "State Official 1," later revealed to be McGreevey. In a conversation with Halper, McGreevey used the word "Machiavelli," the code allegedly arranged by D'Amiano intended to assure the farmer that his $40,000 campaign contribution would get him preferential treatment in a dispute over his land.
Tenure After being elected governor, on November 6, 2001, McGreevey inherited a $5 billion
budget deficit. During his term, McGreevey raised the tax on cigarettes and increased the state income tax for the wealthy. Raised
Catholic but maintaining a
pro-choice stance on
abortion, he stated as governor that he would not receive
Communion at public church services. Among McGreevey's accomplishments were auto insurance reform, restructuring the Division of Motor Vehicles to the
Motor Vehicle Commission, signing the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act into law, implementing a
stem cell research plan for New Jersey, heavily lobbying for the state's first
domestic partnership law for same-sex couples and signing such a law in early 2004.
Time described McGreevey's administration as having been "beset by ethical lapses". McGreevey's chief of staff, state police director, and commerce secretary all left their posts due to alleged conflicts of interest. Cipel relocated to the United States to work for McGreevey's 2001 gubernatorial campaign as a liaison to the Jewish community. Members of the Legislature questioned the appointment, and it was criticized because Cipel was unqualified for the position. McGreevey brought up Cipel's name six weeks into his administration in a February 14, 2002, interview with
The Records editorial board at its offices, saying: McGreevey assisted Cipel in obtaining a townhouse near McGreevey's home. Cipel reportedly stated that he needed to live near the governor because his job involved being on call on a 24-hour basis. According to the
Star-Ledger newspaper, McGreevey even accompanied Cipel on a final walk-through of the townhouse, which the real estate agent said she found "odd". Questions about McGreevey's
sexual orientation and the nature of his relationship with Cipel were allegedly well-known by political journalists. In March 2002, Cipel stepped down from his Homeland Security position and was reassigned to an advisor position regarding government operations. In August 2002, Cipel resigned from the McGreevey administration. Cipel later threatened to file a
sexual harassment lawsuit against McGreevey. This threat led to McGreevey's August 2004 resignation from office. McGreevey held a nationally televised press conference. At the press conference, he said: "At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is. And so my truth is that I am a gay American." He also said that he had "engaged in an adult consensual affair with another man" (whom his aides immediately named as Cipel), and that he would resign effective November 15, 2004. For his part, Cipel later asserted that he was heterosexual and denied having had an affair with McGreevey; Cipel has contended that McGreevey subjected him to
sexual harassment and sexual assault and then fired him when his advances were rejected. McGreevey's decision to delay the effective date of his resignation until after September 3, 2004, avoided a special election in November to replace him as governor. Doing so allowed the Democratic Party to retain control of the governorship for the rest of the four-year term, until January 2006. It avoided the prospect of a special election in tandem with the presidential election, which could have resulted in a Republican victory and helped
George W. Bush capture New Jersey's
electoral votes. (Bush did not win New Jersey's electoral votes in the
2004 presidential election. He won 46 percent of the statewide vote, which was more than the 40 percent he had received in the
2000 race but was not enough to defeat Democrat
John Kerry in New Jersey. Nevertheless, Bush was re-elected to the White House.) Almost immediately after McGreevey's announcement,
New Jersey Republicans and Democrats alike called upon the governor not to wait until November to resign and instead to do so immediately. An editorial in
The New York Times read, "Mr. McGreevey's strategy to delay resignation does not serve New Jersey residents well. The state will be led by an embattled governor mired in personal and legal problems for three months." On September 15, U.S. District Judge
Garrett E. Brown Jr. dismissed
Afran v. McGreevey, filed by
Green Party lawyers Bruce Afran and
Carl J. Mayer, dismissing their claim that the postponement of McGreevey's resignation had left a vacancy, thereby violating New Jersey residents' voting rights. Brown stated that McGreevey "clearly intends to hold office until November 15, 2004. The requirement of holding a special election does not arise. The rights of registered voters are not being violated." Fellow Democrat and
New Jersey Senate President
Richard Codey took office upon McGreevey's resignation and served the remainder of the term until January 17, 2006. In March 2013, McGreevey was accused of “whitewashing” his accusations of sexual assault and harassment. The article, from conservative blog Newsbusters, blamed CBS for allowing him to do it. The article claimed that McGreevey, during an interview with CBS, focused on his own sexuality and skipped over the scandal that led to him leaving office. The article said: "While telling his story, McGreevey skipped over the scandal of his appointment, focusing on his sexuality instead. McGreevey had appointed his lover, Golan Cipel, an Israeli citizen, as the state's counter-terrorism czar in the wake of 9/11, and when pressed, gave him a $110,000-a-year job as an 'adviser.' " ==Post-gubernatorial activities==