1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey
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The United States Senate election of 1916 in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Democratic senator James E. Martine ran for re-election to a second term in office but was defeated by Republican state senator Joseph Frelinghuysen in an election dominated by American preparedness for World War I.
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November 7, 1916
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 County results Martine: 40â50% 50â60% Frelinghuysen: 50â60% 60â70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections were held on September 26.[1] Senator Martine defeated a challenge from John W. Wescott, the Attorney General of New Jersey and an ally of President Woodrow Wilson. The Republican nomination narrowly went to State Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. over former Governor Franklin Murphy.
This was the first popular election for United States Senator in New Jersey history, following the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This was also the first of four straight elections to this seat in which the incumbent was defeated.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- August M. Bruggeman, Hoboken resident[2]
- James E. Martine, incumbent Senator since 1911[2]
- Frank M. McDermit, Newark attorney and perennial candidate[2][3]
- John W. Wescott, attorney general of New Jersey[3][2]
Campaign
Senator Martine drew a primary challenge from Woodrow Wilson ally John W. Wescott, the state attorney general. Wescott's strong alliance with President Wilson and Martine's opposition to administration policy on World War I and criticism of British war policy, including his expression of sympathy for executed Irish nationalist Roger Casement on the floor of the Senate, led some Democrats to think him vulnerable to a primary challenge.[3][4] Martine was known for his independence and had previously said that he would rather retire to his Union County farm than go to the White House "for orders."[4]
A third candidate from Newark, Frank McDermit, may have drawn away Martine supporters in Essex County. Wescott had the support of the Essex County machine.[3]
Results
Martine defeated Wescott by a large margin in Hudson County and won the strong support of ethnic Germans, who approved of his critical stance on Wilson's war policy. Despite strong opposition from the Nugent machine in Essex and McDermit's candidacy, Martine carried the county narrowly with a plurality.[3][5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James E. Martine (incumbent) | 50,961 | 48.76% | |
| Democratic | John W. Wescott | 29,627 | 28.35% | |
| Democratic | Frank M. McDermit | 17,373 | 16.62% | |
| Democratic | August M. Bruggeman | 6,559 | 6.28% | |
| Total votes | 104,520 | 100.00% | ||
| None | Blank votes | 14,993 | â | |
| Turnout | 119,513 | 100.00% | ||
Given his close alliance with Wilson personally and politically, Wescott's loss was seen as a blow to the administration and Wilson's re-election hopes.[4]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, former state senator for Somerset County and president of the New Jersey Senate
- Franklin Murphy, former governor of New Jersey (1902â05)
Campaign
In the campaign, the statewide party machine backed Franklin Murphy against a challenge by Joseph Frelinghuysen, a business executive and former state senator. Frelinghuysen was aligned with Austen Colgate, an insurgent candidate in the parallel primary for governor against Walter Edge. Opponents accused Frelinghuysen of non-residency, given that his winter home and business were in New York. Frelinghuysen was also opposed by automobile owners, based on his record as senator. On primary day, most observers expected Murphy to win.[3] Both candidates emphasized their opposition to President Wilson.[6]
Frelinghuysen actively targeted German-American voters during the campaign by highlighting Republican critiques of Wilson's foreign policy without endorsing full intervention, as well as arguing that Wilson's tariff policy harmed New Jersey's industrial and agricultural sectors. Murphy focused his campaign in the state's urban centers and industrial sector.[4][6]
Results
Frelinghuysen won a surprise victory over Murphy, who managed only a small plurality of under 5,000 in his home base of Essex County.[3][5] Frelinghuysen overcame his poor showing in the cities by winning large margins in the suburban and rural regions of the state.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joseph Frelinghuysen | 89,361 | 52.31% | |
| Republican | Franklin Murphy | 81,483 | 47.69% | |
| Total votes | 170,844 | 100.00% | ||
| None | Blank votes | 16,570 | â | |
| Turnout | 187,414 | 100.00% | ||
Results by county
| 1916 Republican U.S. Senate primary[5] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Frelinghuysen | Murphy | Total | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| Atlantic | 3,808 | 43.6% | 4,928 | 56.4% | 8,736 |
| Bergen | 5,437 | 46.3% | 6,307 | 53.7% | 11,744 |
| Burlington | 4,826 | 66.3% | 2,452 | 33.7% | 7,278 |
| Camden | 6,427 | 41.0% | 9,231 | 59.0% | 15,658 |
| Cape May | 1,170 | 41.7% | 1,633 | 58.3% | 2,803 |
| Cumberland | 1,971 | 48.7% | 2,077 | 51.3% | 4,048 |
| Essex | 14,501 | 42.9% | 19,267 | 57.1% | 33,768 |
| Gloucester | 2,344 | 66.0% | 1,207 | 34.0% | 3,551 |
| Hudson | 8,466 | 56.7% | 6,462 | 43.3% | 14,928 |
| Hunterdon | 1,232 | 81.5% | 279 | 18.5% | 1,511 |
| Mercer | 5,757 | 57.2% | 4,306 | 42.8% | 10,063 |
| Middlesex | 3,097 | 61.5% | 1,942 | 38.5% | 5,039 |
| Monmouth | 3,483 | 55.4% | 2,805 | 44.6% | 6,288 |
| Morris | 3,817 | 53.9% | 3,266 | 46.1% | 7,083 |
| Ocean | 1,622 | 61.4% | 1,020 | 38.6% | 2,642 |
| Passaic | 9,416 | 53.7% | 8,118 | 46.3% | 17,534 |
| Salem | 1,016 | 70.9% | 428 | 29.1% | 1,434 |
| Somerset | 3,157 | 88.6% | 407 | 11.4% | 3,564 |
| Sussex | 534 | 41.2% | 763 | 58.8% | 1,297 |
| Union | 6,486 | 62.5% | 3,884 | 37.5% | 10,370 |
| Warren | 794 | 53.1% | 701 | 46.9% | 1,495 |
General election
Candidates
- Livingston Barbour (Prohibition)
- William C. Doughty (Socialist)
- Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, former state senator from Somerset County and president of the New Jersey Senate (Republican)
- Rudolph Katz (Socialist Labor)
- James E. Martine, incumbent senator (Democratic)
Campaign
New Jersey was considered a battleground state in the 1916 presidential election, and the Senate race generally reflected national policy concerns. Martine emphasized Democratic policies such as tariff revision, antitrust enforcement, and federal support for labor and farming interests. Frelinghuysen endorsed the Republican platform, arguing for military preparedness, the establishment of a nonpartisan tariff commission to set rates, and development of a merchant marine force to protect American shipping. Both candidates supported federal aid to farmers.[7] Frelinghuysen joined his party's presidential nominee, Charles Evans Hughes, in assailing the Democratic incumbents for failing to anticipate and address unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany in the aftermath of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania and the Sussex crisis.[8] Frelinghuysen also coordinated with gubernatorial nominee Walter Edge.
The Socialist nominee, William Doughty, ran on a pacifist platform.
Results
Martine ran significantly behind the Democratic ticket, leading The New York Times to refer to him as "the worst-beaten man in the state."[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. | 244,715 | 55.99% | |
| Democratic | James E. Martine (incumbent) | 170,019 | 38.90% | |
| Socialist | William C. Doughty | 13,358 | 3.06% | |
| Prohibition | Livingston Barbour | 7,178 | 0.11% | |
| Socialist Labor | Rudolph Katz | 1,826 | 0.42% | |
| Total votes | 437,096 | 100.00% | ||