Phil Murphy, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany, is projected to win New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.

Sweeping backlash to the deeply unpopular Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, became a focal point of the campaign that pitted Murphy against the state’s Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

Murphy, a former Wall Street executive and diplomat with no previous elected experience but deep pockets and strong ties to the Democratic Party, beat Republican Kim Guadagno Tuesday to succeed Chris Christie as New Jersey’s governor.

CNN projected the win for Murphy Tuesday night, based on exit polling and early results.

Murphy’s victory over Guadagno, Christie’s lieutenant governor, will usher in a new era of Democratic rule in the Garden State after eight years of Christie, a once-popular Republican who saw his approval rating plummet to historic lows in recent years.

Murphy, 60, will become the first Democrat in the governor’s office since Jon Corzine, another former Goldman Sachs executive who spent millions of his own money to win the seat who lost re-election to Christie in 2009.

When Murphy is sworn in Jan. 16, Democrats will control both the governor’s office and the state Legislature for the first time since Corzine’s four-year term.

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