Corzine says he called Christie just before 11 p.m. Tuesday "and congratulated him on becoming New Jersey's next governor." He pledged to work with Christie to ensure a smooth transition.
The 47-year-old Christie is a former federal prosecutor. Many voters were disenchanted with Corzine in New Jersey, home to the nation's highest property taxes.
Corzine lost despite spending much of his fortune on the campaign and getting help from Democratic stars including President Barack Obama.
Christie accepted public financing and was outspent by more than $12 million.
With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Christie had 49 percent of the vote to Corzine's 44 percent.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)—Chris Christie, an aggressive former prosecutor who racked up a perfect conviction rate in public corruption cases and became the darling of New Jersey's Republican Party establishment, has unseated the deep-pocketed but unpopular Gov. Jon Corzine.
Christie, 47, on Tuesday became the first member of his party in a dozen years to win a statewide contest in heavily Democratic New Jersey. President Barack Obama invested heavily in the race, campaigning with Corzine five times on three separate visits.
With 75 percent of precincts reporting, Christie had 50 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for Corzine. Independent candidate Chris Daggett, who at one point had been feared as a potential spoiler, had about 5 percent.
Christie accepted public financing in the race against the wealthy incumbent and was outspent by more than $12 million. He did get financial help from the Republican Governors Association and other national Republican groups, which bought television time in the pricey New York and Philadelphia media markets.
Christie ran on a platform of smaller government and relentlessly criticized Corzine for what he called poor economic stewardship—unemployment was 9.8 percent in October and property taxes averaged $7,045 per household, the nation's highest. But he was criticized during the campaign for remaining vague about how he would solve New Jersey's chronic fiscal problems.
The physically robust Christie endured an onslaught of personal attacks from the Corzine campaign; his weight even became a central issue at one point.
Christie made a reputation for himself as a hard-charging U.S. attorney who locked up 130 officials without losing a single corruption case.
However, his image as an ethics champion was questioned when revelations emerged that he had lent a subordinate money but failed to report it, and that he'd been involved in a traffic accident but was not ticketed.
In the final days of the campaign, while Corzine was campaigning with Obama and former President Bill Clinton, Christie hit all 21 counties aboard a bus, campaigning with New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean.
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who was sharply criticized when he yelled, "You lie," during Obama's health care speech to a joint session of Congress, stumped for Christie in the campaign's final weekend.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
