See main article: 1948 United States presidential election.
| Election Name: | 1948 United States presidential election in New Jersey |
| Country: | New Jersey |
| Flag Year: | 1896 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1944 United States presidential election in New Jersey |
| Previous Year: | 1944 |
| Next Election: | 1952 United States presidential election in New Jersey |
| Next Year: | 1952 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 1948 |
| Image1: | Thomas Dewey (3x4 crop).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Thomas E. Dewey |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Home State1: | New York |
| Running Mate1: | Earl Warren |
| Electoral Vote1: | 16 |
| Popular Vote1: | 981,124 |
| Percentage1: | 50.33% |
| Nominee2: | Harry S. Truman |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Home State2: | Missouri |
| Running Mate2: | Alben W. Barkley |
| Electoral Vote2: | 0 |
| Popular Vote2: | 895,455 |
| Percentage2: | 45.93% |
| Map Size: | 405px |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Harry S. Truman |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Harry S. Truman |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1948 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 2, 1948. All contemporary 48 states were part of the 1948 United States presidential election. Voters chose 16 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
New Jersey was won by the Republican nominees, former Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York and his running mate Governor Earl Warren of California. Dewey and Warren defeated the Democratic nominees, incumbent President Harry S. Truman of Missouri and his running mate Senator Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky. Also in the running was the Progressive Party candidate, former Democratic Vice President Henry A. Wallace, who ran with former Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho.
Dewey carried New Jersey with 50.33% of the vote to Truman's 45.93%, a margin of 4.39%. Wallace came in a distant third, with 2.19%.[1]
Despite the closeness of the statewide result, Dewey won 15 of the state's 21 counties, while Truman won 6. However, Truman won several of the most heavily populated urban counties in the state, taking over 60% of the vote in Hudson County, winning majorities in Mercer, Camden, and Middlesex counties, and in rural Salem County, and winning with a plurality in Passaic County. However, Dewey won majorities in several heavily populated counties, including Bergen, Morris, Union, Monmouth, and Ocean counties, and also narrowly winning Essex County with a plurality, along with winning most of the state's Southern and rural counties. Wallace for his part performed most strongly in North Jersey, particularly in Essex, Union, and Passaic Counties.
New Jersey in this era was usually a swing state with a Republican lean, and its results in 1948 adhered to that pattern. As Truman narrowly defeated Dewey nationally in an upset victory, Dewey's narrow victory in New Jersey made the state almost 9% more Republican than the national average. Republicans won Burlington, Atlantic, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties for the first time since 1932. This is the last time Democrats won the presidency without Essex County.
| Election Name: | 1948 New Jersey Unofficial presidential primary |
| Country: | New Jersey |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Candidate1: | Thomas E. Dewey |
| Home State1: | New York |
| Color1: | FF8080 |
| Party1: | Republican |
| Popular Vote1: | 3,714 |
| Percentage1: | 36.54% |
| Candidate2: | Harold E. Stassen |
| Home State2: | Minnesota |
| Color2: | 37C871 |
| Party2: | Republican |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,129 |
| Percentage2: | 30.72% |
| Candidate3: | Harry S. Truman |
| Color3: | 3333ff |
| Party3: | Democratic |
| Home State3: | Missouri |
| Popular Vote3: | 1,100 |
| Percentage3: | 10.82% |
| Candidate4: | Douglas MacArthur |
| Color4: | fbceb1 |
| Party4: | Republican |
| Home State4: | New York |
| Popular Vote4: | 718 |
| Percentage4: | 7.06% |
| Candidate5: | Arthur Vandenberg |
| Color5: | 423121 |
| Party5: | Republican |
| Home State5: | Michigan |
| Popular Vote5: | 516 |
| Percentage5: | 5.08% |
| Map Size: | 205px |
Neither of the major parties held primaries for presidential candidates, but some counties held unofficial nonpartisan primaries. The sums of such elections are shown below. Most votes were Republican candidates, with Thomas E. Dewey and Harold Stassen as the top candidates.
| 1948 United States presidential election in New Jersey | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | ||
| Republican | Thomas E. Dewey | 981,124 | 50.33% | 16 | ||
| Democratic | Harry S. Truman (incumbent) | 895,455 | 45.93% | 0 | ||
| Progressive | Henry A. Wallace | 42,683 | 2.19% | 0 | ||
| National Prohibition | Claude A. Watson | 10,593 | 0.54% | 0 | ||
| 10,521 | 0.54% | 0 | ||||
| Socialist Workers | Farrell Dobbs | 5,825 | 0.30% | 0 | ||
| 3,354 | 0.17% | 0 | ||||
| Totals | 1,949,555 | 100.0% | 16 | |||
| County | Thomas E. Dewey[2] Republican | Harry S. Truman Democratic | Henry A. Wallace Independent Progressive | Claude A. Watson National Prohibition | Norman M. Thomas Socialist | Farrell Dobbs Socialist Workers | Edward A. Teichert Socialist Labor | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic | 31,608 | 54.43% | 25,313 | 43.59% | 995 | 1.71% | 56 | 0.10% | 79 | 0.14% | 8 | 0.01% | 12 | 0.02% | 6,295 | 10.84% | 58,071 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bergen | 142,657 | 65.70% | 69,132 | 31.84% | 3,503 | 1.61% | 327 | 0.15% | 1,312 | 0.60% | 82 | 0.04% | 118 | 0.05% | 73,525 | 33.86% | 217,131 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Burlington | 21,183 | 49.92% | 20,801 | 49.02% | 278 | 0.66% | 41 | 0.10% | 126 | 0.30% | 1 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.00% | 382 | 0.90% | 42,432 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Camden | 51,977 | 42.91% | 66,388 | 54.81% | 1,886 | 1.56% | 117 | 0.10% | 419 | 0.35% | 313 | 0.26% | 32 | 0.03% | -14,411 | -11.90% | 121,132 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cape May | 11,227 | 64.46% | 6,031 | 34.63% | 118 | 0.68% | 14 | 0.08% | 20 | 0.11% | 5 | 0.03% | 2 | 0.01% | 5,196 | 29.83% | 17,417 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cumberland | 16,556 | 51.24% | 15,195 | 47.02% | 449 | 1.39% | 42 | 0.13% | 46 | 0.14% | 7 | 0.02% | 18 | 0.06% | 1,361 | 4.21% | 32,313 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Essex | 166,963 | 48.60% | 155,468 | 45.25% | 11,741 | 3.42% | 6,560 | 1.91% | 2,004 | 0.58% | 343 | 0.10% | 488 | 0.14% | 11,495 | 3.35% | 343,567 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gloucester | 19,477 | 54.46% | 15,785 | 44.14% | 349 | 0.98% | 47 | 0.13% | 97 | 0.27% | 7 | 0.02% | 3 | 0.01% | 3,692 | 10.32% | 35,765 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hudson | 111,113 | 36.47% | 182,979 | 60.06% | 6,049 | 1.99% | 2,920 | 0.96% | 1,146 | 0.38% | 148 | 0.05% | 298 | 0.10% | -71,866 | -23.59% | 304,653 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hunterdon | 10,654 | 60.85% | 6,515 | 37.21% | 250 | 1.43% | 18 | 0.10% | 61 | 0.35% | 1 | 0.01% | 10 | 0.06% | 4,139 | 23.64% | 17,509 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mercer | 37,794 | 42.26% | 49,690 | 55.56% | 1,451 | 1.62% | 31 | 0.03% | 457 | 0.51% | 6 | 0.01% | 7 | 0.01% | -11,896 | -13.30% | 89,436 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Middlesex | 49,810 | 42.86% | 61,634 | 53.04% | 2,649 | 2.28% | 94 | 0.08% | 1,791 | 1.54% | 136 | 0.12% | 96 | 0.08% | -11,824 | -10.17% | 116,210 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Monmouth | 52,908 | 62.22% | 30,507 | 35.88% | 1,343 | 1.58% | 48 | 0.06% | 214 | 0.25% | 5 | 0.01% | 8 | 0.01% | 22,401 | 26.34% | 85,033 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Morris | 42,558 | 68.01% | 18,864 | 30.15% | 746 | 1.19% | 22 | 0.04% | 362 | 0.58% | 4 | 0.01% | 18 | 0.03% | 23,694 | 37.87% | 62,574 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ocean | 16,740 | 70.43% | 6,366 | 26.79% | 579 | 2.44% | 6 | 0.03% | 74 | 0.31% | 2 | 0.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 10,374 | 43.65% | 23,767 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Passaic | 59,675 | 45.75% | 60,147 | 46.11% | 4,870 | 3.73% | 70 | 0.05% | 574 | 0.44% | 4,685 | 3.59% | 409 | 0.31% | -472 | -0.36% | 130,430 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Salem | 8,961 | 48.65% | 9,278 | 50.37% | 127 | 0.69% | 25 | 0.14% | 20 | 0.11% | 2 | 0.01% | 5 | 0.03% | -317 | -1.72% | 18,418 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Somerset | 22,034 | 59.77% | 14,104 | 38.26% | 543 | 1.47% | 13 | 0.04% | 162 | 0.44% | 3 | 0.01% | 3 | 0.01% | 7,930 | 21.51% | 36,862 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sussex | 9,269 | 66.50% | 4,527 | 32.48% | 101 | 0.72% | 5 | 0.04% | 34 | 0.24% | 1 | 0.01% | 2 | 0.01% | 4,742 | 34.02% | 13,939 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Union | 87,402 | 53.89% | 66,759 | 41.16% | 4,514 | 2.78% | 127 | 0.08% | 1,493 | 0.92% | 66 | 0.04% | 1,819 | 1.12% | 20,643 | 12.73% | 162,180 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warren | 10,558 | 50.97% | 9,972 | 48.14% | 142 | 0.69% | 10 | 0.05% | 30 | 0.14% | 2 | 0.01% | 2 | 0.01% | 586 | 2.83% | 20,716 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Totals | 981,124 | 50.33% | 895,455 | 45.93% | 42,683 | 2.19% | 10,593 | 0.54% | 10,521 | 0.54% | 5,825 | 0.30% | 3,354 | 0.17% | 85,669 | 4.39% | 1,949,555 | ||||||||||||||||||