ABERDEEN -- Shortly before 9:40 p.m., Republican Kim Guadagno appeared on stage to concede the New Jersey governor's race to Democrat Phil Murphy, saying she made "the best possible case" to voters in her efforts to succeed Gov. Chris Christie.

"We left no stone unturned," Guadagno, Christie's lieutenant governor, said, quickly arresting the lusty boos that sprang up at the mention of Murphy's name.

Thanking her running mate, Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, and her "long-suffering spouse," retired state Superior Court Judge Michael Guadagno, the lieutenant governor said she was proud of the campaign they'd run together.

"We were fighting for our families and we will continue that fight for lower taxes and a safer New Jersey," Guadagno said. "This is not the end. ... We may have lost the battle, but we will win this war in the long run."

She went on to adapt a bit of former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt's famous 1910 address at to the Sorbonne in Paris, saying "The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena ..."

"Let's continue to be the woman and the man in the arena making sure New Jersey families are well-cared for," Guadagno said.

Then, a few minutes later, as if to provide the final link between sincerity and insouciance, Guadagno's brother's band began playing the Johnny Paycheck classic "Take This Job and Shove It."

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.