| Murphy had consistently polled ahead of Ciattarelli, a former state legislator, in a bitter campaign that tested whether Democrats could hold on to their gains among suburban voters. Murphy tried to portray Ciattarelli as an acolyte of Donald Trump, while Ciattarelli said Murphy was trying to turn New Jersey into California. | 
 is projected by AP to defeat Republican Jack Ciattarelli to win a second term){kind=link}