January 20, 2017; January 20, 2026 [Update: condensed]

Below is a modification and condensing of an original post from January 16, 2018 with updates up to the 2024 Presidential Election and 2025 Gubernatorial Election.

Electoral College versus Popular Vote has been a point of contention, but remember:

• • Senators are elected by popular vote (before the Seventeenth Amendment was adopted in 1913, Senators were chosen by State Legislatures).

• • Members of the House of Representatives are elected by popular vote.

• • Justices of the Supreme Court are Nominated and for the most part are Confirmed by the Senate.

• • Governors of each state are elected by popular vote.

• • On the local level various officials are either appointed, or elected by popular vote or other means. I don’t know if flipping a coin or rolling a die was ever officially used.

Just a coincidence?:
Since the 1988 Presidential Election, the election of a new President of the United States has been followed by the election of the Governor of New Jersey for the opposite party (assuming a mostly two party system of Democrats and Republicans) 10 months later. Is this a coincidence or just balance?

Below are Presidential Election Years with New Jersey Gubernatorial Elections and other events indented.

1988 November 8: US Election: George Herbert Walker Bush

• • 1989 January 20: US Inauguration: George Herbert Walker Bush (41st President – Republican – Single Term)

• • 1989 November 7: NJ Election: James Joseph Florio

• • 1990 January 16: NJ Inauguration: James Joseph Florio (49th Governor – Democrat – Single Term)

1992 November 3: US Election: William Jefferson Clinton

• • 1993 January 20: US Inauguration: William Jefferson Clinton (42nd President – Democrat – First Term)

• • 1993 November 2: NJ Election: Christine Todd Whitman

• • 1994 January 18: NJ Election: Christine Todd Whitman (50th Governor – Republican – First Term)

1996 November : US Election: William Jefferson Clinton

• • 1997 January 20: US Inauguration: William Jefferson Clinton (42nd President – Democrat – Second Term)

• • 1997 November 4: NJ Election: Christine Todd Whitman

• • 1998 January 20: Christine Todd Whitman (50th Governor – Republican – Second Term = 1/5th)

2000 November 7: US Election: George Walker Bush

• • 2001 January 20: US Inauguration: George W. Bush (43rd President – Republican – First Term)

• • This is where it gets crazy.

• • 2001 January 31: Christine Todd Whitman resigns to become 9th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

• • 2001 January 31: Donald Thomas DiFrancesco (“51st” Governor – President of State Senate – Republican – “1/5 Term” (342 days))

• • 2001 November 6: NJ Election: James Edward McGreevey (See 5 points down)

• • 2002 January 8 at 12:00 pm: John J. Farmer Jr. (Acting Governor – Attorney General – Republican “1/5 Term” (90 minutes))

• • 2002 January 8 at 1:30 pm: John O. Bennett III  (Acting Governor – Republican – “1/5 Term” (4 days))

• • 2002 January 12: Richard James Codey (Acting Governor – Democrat – “1/5 Term” (3 days))

• • 2002 January 15: NJ Inauguration: James Edward McGreevey (52nd Governor – Democrat – “1/2 Term”)

• • 2004 August 12: James Edward McGreevey (announces resignation)

Time out: Why “1/5 Term” according to Wikipedia? … It’s the number of people, not literal fraction, count them:

1. 1. Whitman: 1107 days (1107/1453 Term)

1. 1. DiFrancesco: 342 days (342/1453 Term)

1. 1. Farmer: 90 minutes (1/23248 Term)

1. 1. Bennett: 3 days 22 hours 30 minutes (87/23248 Term)

1. 1. Codey: 3 days (3/1453 Term)

2004 November 2: US Election: George Walker Bush

• • It’s still kind of crazy.

• • 2004 November 15: James Edward McGreevey (resignation takes effect)

• • 2004 November 15: Richard James Codey (53nd Governor – President of State Senate – Democrat – “1/2 Term”)

• • 2005 January 20: US Inauguration: George W. Bush (43rd President – Republican – Second Term)

• • 2005 November 8: NJ Election: Jon Stevens Corzine

• • 2006 January 17: NJ Inauguration: Jon Stevens Corzine (54th Governor – Democrat – Single Term)

2008 November 4: US Election: Barack Hussein Obama

• • 2009 January 20: US Inauguration: Barack Hussein Obama (44th President – Democrat – First Term)

• • 2009 November 3: NJ Election: Christopher James Christie

• • 2010 January 19: NJ Inauguration: Christopher James Christie (55th Governor – Republican – First Term)

2012 November 6: US Election: Barack Hussein Obama

• • 2013 January 20: US Inauguration: Barack Hussein Obama (44th President – Democrat – Second Term)

• • 2013 November 5: NJ Election: Christopher James Christie

• • 2014 January 21: NJ Inauguration: Christopher James Christie (55th Governor – Republican – Second Term)

2016 November 8: US Election: Donald John Trump

• • 2017 January 20: US Inauguration: Donald John Trump (45th President – Republican – First Non-consecutive Term)

• • 2017 November 7: NJ Election: Philip Dunton Murphy

• • 2018 January 16: NJ Inauguration: Philip Dunton Murphy (56th Governor – Democrat -First Term)

2020 November 3: US Election: Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

• • 2021 January 20: US Inauguration: Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (46th President – Democrat – First Term)

• • 2021 November 2: NJ Election: Philip Dunton Murphy

• • 2022 January 20: NJ Inauguration: Philip Dunton Murphy (56th Governor – Democrat -Second Term)

2024 November 5: US Election: Donald John Trump

• • 2025 January 20: US Inauguration: Donald John Trump (47th President – Republican – Second Non-consecutive Term)

• • 2025 November 7: NJ Election: Rebecca Michelle “Mikie” Sherrill

• • 2026 January 20: NJ Inauguration: Rebecca Michelle “Mikie” Sherrill (57th Governor -Democrat -First Term)

This is post 6 of my alphabet posts.