| Election Name: | 1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election |
| Country: | New Jersey |
| Type: | Presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1843 New Jersey gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1843 |
| Next Election: | 1847 New Jersey gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1847 |
| Election Date: | October 8, 1844 |
| Image1: | File:Charles C. Stratton.png |
| Nominee1: | Charles C. Stratton |
| Party1: | Whig Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 37,985 |
| Percentage1: | 50.94% |
| Nominee2: | John Renshaw Thomson |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 36,581 |
| Percentage2: | 49.06% |
| Map Size: | x150px |
| Governor | |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Charles C. Stratton |
| After Party: | Whig Party (United States) |
The 1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on October 8, 1844. Whig nominee Charles C. Stratton defeated Democratic nominee John Renshaw Thomson with 50.94% of the vote.
This was the first election held under the New Jersey Constitution of 1844, which was adopted on June 29 and reformed the state government, notably establishing an independent executive branch. Before 1844, New Jersey Governors were elected by a majority of the New Jersey Legislative Council and held office as a member of that body.[1] Although the new constitution formally lifted the constitutional property requirement for suffrage, it added race and sex requirements; only white males over the age of 21 were eligible to vote in this election.[2]
| County | Stratton | Thomson | Total | Margin | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | Votes | Votes | Percent | |||
| Atlantic | 426 | 36.07% | 755 | 63.93% | 1,181 | -329 | -27.86% | ||
| Bergen | 774 | 36.08% | 1,371 | 63.92% | 2,145 | -597 | -27.84% | ||
| Burlington | 3,675 | 55.25% | 2,977 | 44.75% | 6,652 | 698 | 9.50% | ||
| Camden | 1,502 | 57.15% | 1,126 | 42.85% | 2,628 | 376 | 14.30% | ||
| Cape May | 750 | 72.46% | 285 | 27.54% | 1,035 | 465 | 44.92% | ||
| Cumberland | 1,567 | 53.96% | 1,337 | 46.04% | 2,904 | 230 | 7.92% | ||
| Essex | 5,385 | 59.86% | 3,611 | 40.14% | 8,996 | 1,774 | 19.72% | ||
| Gloucester | 1,484 | 64.66% | 811 | 35.34% | 2,295 | 673 | 29.32% | ||
| Hudson | 1,102 | 63.37% | 637 | 36.63% | 1,739 | 465 | 26.74% | ||
| Hunterdon | 2,545 | 43.91% | 3,251 | 56.09% | 5,796 | -706 | -12.18% | ||
| Mercer | 1,830 | 53.46% | 1,593 | 46.54% | 3,423 | 237 | 6.92% | ||
| Middlesex | 2,320 | 54.18% | 1,962 | 45.82% | 4,282 | 358 | 8.36% | ||
| Monmouth | 3,209 | 47.61% | 3,531 | 52.39% | 6,740 | -322 | -4.78% | ||
| Morris | 2,832 | 53.01% | 2,510 | 46.99% | 5,342 | 322 | 6.02% | ||
| Passaic | 1,534 | 56.21% | 1,195 | 43.79% | 2,729 | 339 | 12.42% | ||
| Salem | 1,791 | 54.40% | 1,501 | 45.60% | 3,292 | 290 | 8.80% | ||
| Somerset | 2,145 | 53.34% | 1,927 | 46.66% | 218 | 2,671 | 6.68% | ||
| Sussex | 1,274 | 27.14% | 3,421 | 72.86% | 4,695 | -2,147 | -45.72% | ||
| Warren | 1,640 | 37.10% | 2,780 | 62.90% | 4,420 | -1,140 | -25.80% | ||
| Total | 37,985 | 50.94% | 36,581 | 49.06% | 74,566 | 1,404 | 1.88% | ||
The Whigs were able to flip both houses of the state legislature, giving Stratton a trifecta that lasted his entire term.[3] In the General Assembly, Whigs were able to win 40 seats to the Democrats 18, a gain of 17 seats in the lower hose. Meanwhile, in the Senate, Whigs won 13 seats to the Democrats 6, a gain of 7.