1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election
← 1961 November 2, 1965 1969 →
 
Nominee Richard J. Hughes Wayne Dumont
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,279,568 915,996
Percentage 57.4% 41.1%
County results
Hughes:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Dumont:      50–60%
Governor before election

Richard J. Hughes
Democratic

Elected Governor

Richard J. Hughes
Democratic

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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

Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard J. Hughes (incumbent) 236,518 90.89%
Democratic William H. Clark 23,722 9.12%
Total votes 260,240 100.00%

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

Republican Party primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Dumont 167,402 50.35%
Republican Charles W. Sandman Jr. 154,491 46.47%
Republican Harold P. Poeschel 10,576 3.18%
Total votes 332,469 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1965[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard J. Hughes (incumbent) 1,279,568 57.39% Increase 7.02
Republican Wayne Dumont 915,996 41.08% Decrease 7.66
Conservative Robert Lee Schlachter 20,753 0.93% Increase 0.73
Independent Christopher C. Vespucci 5,378 0.24% N/A
Socialist Labor Julius Levin 4,669 0.21% Increase 0.11
Socialist Workers Ruth F. Shiminsky 3,219 0.14% Increase 0.09
Majority
Turnout
Democratic hold Swing

References

  1. ^ a b c "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1965. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. ^ "Williams Is Given Edge on Shanley – Anti‐Goldwater Vote Seen Going to Jersey Senator". The New York Times. October 26, 1964. p. 34.
  3. ^ Waggoner, Walter H. (May 30, 1965). "G.O.P. Fights Pace Jersey Primaries; 3,146,000 Are Eligible to Vote on Tuesday". The New York Times. p. 54.
  4. ^ a b "Stamler Indicates Entry Into Jersey G.O.P. Primary". The New York Times. March 7, 1965. p. 58.
  5. ^ "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1965. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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