How different would the 2017 result have been if Christie had resigned over Bridgegate and Guadagno ran in 2017 as an incumbent governor? Would Guadagno have survived or still gone down to defeat as bad as she did Tuesday?
When Christie Todd Whitman resigned to become George W. Bush's EPA Administrator, her GOP successor didn't seek a full-term. Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler (R) lost to Jim McGreevey (D) by 15 points. Whitman didn't leave because of a scandal, so had Christie resigned, my guess is Murphy would have won by 20 points.