Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick

Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli conceded to Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Friday.  And despite his obvious disappointment about the outcome, Ciattarelli made it clear that he let the vote count play itself out, even though he thought voting rules in New Jersey allows the counting process to go on too long.  He also made it clear that there was no fraud, there were no indications of irregularities, and there was no mathematical way he could win the election even when all of the votes are counted.  One can only hope that Ciattarelli's graciousness will inspire other Republicans to pull away from Trump and his accusations of fraud.  His fellow New Jersey Republican Chris Christie has already made the case that the party put Trump and his rants about the 2020 election behind them.

Christie, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, may or may not have a political future, but Ciattarelli just might have one.  He'd hoped to succeed Murphy as governor of New Jersey, and he might yet do that; he's already made it clear that he hopes to run for the governorship again in 2025.  (Murphy will be term-limited.) And given how close he came to winning this time and the goodwill he won with his concession speech, he's very much a favorite.