1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election
Country:New Jersey
Type:Presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1961 New Jersey gubernatorial election
Previous Year:1961
Next Election:1969 New Jersey gubernatorial election
Next Year:1969
Election Date:November 2, 1965
Image1:File:Richard J. Hughes 1962 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:Richard J. Hughes
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:1,279,568
Percentage1:57.4%
Nominee2:Wayne Dumont
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:915,996
Percentage2:41.1%
Map Size:280px
Governor
Before Election:Richard J. Hughes
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Richard J. Hughes
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1965. Incumbent Democrat Richard J. Hughes defeated Republican nominee Wayne Dumont with 57.39% of the vote. The gubernatorial elections from 1953 to 1965 are the last in New Jersey in which any party won more than two consecutive elections. This is the most recent time a Democrat was reelected Governor with a higher share of the vote than the previous election.

Primary elections were held on June 1, 1965.[1] Hughes was easily re-elected over token opposition from William H. Clark, while Dumont won a narrow primary over fellow state senator Charles W. Sandman Jr. of Cape May County.

Bergen County voted Democratic for the first time since 1931, and since this election, the county has become a bellwether having voted for the winning candidate all but once since. Democrats simultaneously flipped both houses of the New Jersey legislature, a first since 1915.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declined

Campaign

Senator Nelson Stamler ran an unannounced campaign for party support, citing opposition to court-mandated legislative redistricting and Dumont's proposal for a sales tax. After failing to gain endorsements, Stamler declined to run and instead endorsed Sandman.[4]

Results

General election

Candidates

Results

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey . . 1965 . August 24, 2015.
  2. News: Williams Is Given Edge on Shanley – Anti‐Goldwater Vote Seen Going to Jersey Senator. The New York Times . 26 Oct 1964. 34.
  3. News: G.O.P. Fights Pace Jersey Primaries; 3,146,000 Are Eligible to Vote on Tuesday. 54. 30 May 1965. The New York Times. Waggoner. Walter H..
  4. News: Stamler Indicates Entry Into Jersey G.O.P. Primary. The New York Times. 7 March 1965. 58.