1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1981. Republican Thomas Kean narrowly defeated Democrat James Florio with 49.46% of the vote following a recount of the ballots. The difference between the two was less than 2000 votes out of more than 2 million cast.[1]
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 County results Kean: 50–60% 60–70% Florio: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Jersey |
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Primary elections
Primary elections were held on June 2, 1981.[2]
Candidates
- Thomas Kean, former Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
- Lawrence Francis Kramer, former Mayor of Paterson
- Bo Sullivan, businessman
- James Wallwork, State Senator
- Barry T. Parker, State Senator
- Anthony Imperiale, State Assemblyman
- John K. Rafferty, Mayor of Hamilton
- Richard McGlynn, former Superior Court Judge
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean | 122,512 | 30.75 | |
| Republican | Lawrence Francis Kramer | 83,565 | 20.98 | |
| Republican | Bo Sullivan | 67,651 | 16.98 | |
| Republican | James Wallwork | 61,816 | 15.52 | |
| Republican | Barry T. Parker | 26,040 | 6.54 | |
| Republican | Anthony Imperiale | 18,452 | 4.63 | |
| Republican | John K. Rafferty | 12,837 | 3.22 | |
| Republican | Richard McGlynn | 5,486 | 1.38 | |
| Total votes | 398,359 | 100.00 | ||
Candidates
- James Florio, U.S. Representative
- Robert A. Roe, U.S. Representative
- Kenneth A. Gibson, Mayor of Newark
- Joseph P. Merlino, President of the New Jersey Senate
- John J. Degnan, New Jersey Attorney General
- Thomas F. X. Smith, Mayor of Jersey City
- Frank J. Dodd, State Senator
- William J. Hamilton, State Senator
- Barbara McConnell, State Assemblywoman
- Ann Klein, Human Services Commissioner
- Herbert J. Buehler, State Senator
- Stella E. Mann
- Rose Zeidwerg Monyek
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Florio | 164,179 | 25.92 | |
| Democratic | Robert A. Roe | 98,660 | 15.58 | |
| Democratic | Kenneth A. Gibson | 95,212 | 15.03 | |
| Democratic | Joseph P. Merlino | 70,910 | 11.20 | |
| Democratic | John J. Degnan | 65,844 | 10.40 | |
| Democratic | Thomas F. X. Smith | 57,479 | 9.08 | |
| Democratic | Frank J. Dodd | 23,866 | 3.77 | |
| Democratic | William J. Hamilton | 17,395 | 2.75 | |
| Democratic | Barbara McConnell | 16,123 | 2.55 | |
| Democratic | Ann Klein | 14,844 | 2.35 | |
| Democratic | Herbert J. Buehler | 4,266 | 0.67 | |
| Democratic | Stella E. Mann | 2,375 | 0.38 | |
| Democratic | Rose Zeidwerg Monyek | 2,129 | 0.34 | |
| Total votes | 633,282 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
Major party candidates
- Thomas Kean, Republican
- James Florio, Democratic
Other candidates
- Bill Gahres, Down With Lawyers
- Chester Grabowski, The Suffering Majority
- Jack Moyers, Libertarian
- Paul B. Rizzo, Independent-Honest-Available
- Harry J. Gaynor, Leadership By Example
- James A. Kolyer, III, Middle Class Candidate
- Jules Levin, Socialist Labor Party of America
- Charles C. Stone, Jr., Federalist
- James E. Harris, Socialist Workers Party
- Ernest D. Pellerino, Law & Order
- Jasper C. Gould, Contempt of Court
Voter intimidation
State Democrats accused the Republican National Committee of intimidating minority voters in Newark, Camden, and Trenton by setting up the Ballot Security Task Force which sent out mailers to voters in these cities and posted armed off-duty police officers and large signs at certain precincts.[3][4]
Results
The results of the initial ballot counting was close with Kean leading Florio by 1,677 votes. Two television networks had actually called the race for Florio at the time.[1] A recount took place over the next month and Kean was certified the winner besting Florio by 1,797 votes out of over 2.3 million votes cast.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean | 1,145,999 | 49.46% | ||
| Democratic | James Florio | 1,144,202 | 49.38% | ||
| Independent | Bill Gahres | 4,525 | 0.20% | ||
| Independent | Chester Grabowski | 4,496 | 0.19% | ||
| Libertarian | Jack Moyers | 2,377 | 0.10% | ||
| Independent | Paul B. Rizzo | 2,336 | 0.10% | ||
| Independent | Harry J. Gaynor | 2,209 | 0.10% | ||
| Independent | James A. Kolyer, III | 2,144 | 0.09% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Julius Levin | 2,073 | 0.09% | ||
| Independent | Charles C. Stone, Jr. | 1,948 | 0.08% | ||
| Socialist Workers | James E. Harris | 1,681 | 0.07% | ||
| Independent | Ernest D. Pellerino | 1,647 | 0.07% | ||
| Independent | Jasper C. Gould | 1,602 | 0.07% | ||
| Plurality | |||||
| Turnout | 2,317,239 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
References
- "Election night 1981, when the N.J. governor's race was too close to call". NJ.com. 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
- "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- Joffee, Robert (November 8, 1981). "Democrats Accuse GOP of Intimidating Minorities in N.J. Voting". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- Pilkington, Ed (August 24, 2020). "In 1981 a 'task force' intimidated voters at the polls. Will Republicans revert to their old tactics?". The Guardian. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
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