1959 New Jersey Senate election
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The 1959 New Jersey Senate elections were held on November 3.
November 3, 1959
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12 of the 21 seats in the New Jersey State Senate 11 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 71%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by district Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold No election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The elections took place midway through the second term of Governor Robert Meyner. Eleven of New Jersey's 21 counties held regular elections for Senator; Cumberland County also held a special election to complete the unexpired term of W. Howard Sharp, who died in December 1958.[2]
Democrats gained two seats by flipping a seat in Burlington and Gloucester counties (which was vacant), as well as holding their vacant seat in Cumberland. Democrats nearly won control of the New Jersey Senate for the first time since 1915; only 567 votes separated victorious Republican Robert C. Crane and Democrat H. Roy Wheeler in Union County.
Incumbents not running for re-election
All ten incumbents ran for re-election.
Summary of results by county
| County | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | Frank S. Farley | Rep | No election | |||
| Bergen | Walter H. Jones | Rep | No election | |||
| Burlington | Albert McCay | Rep | Henry S. Haines | Dem | ||
| Camden | Joseph W. Cowgill | Dem | Joseph W. Cowgill | Dem | ||
| Cape May | Charles W. Sandman | Rep | Charles W. Sandman | Rep | ||
| Cumberland | Vacant[a] | Robert H. Weber | Dem | |||
| Essex | Donal C. Fox | Dem | Donal C. Fox | Dem | ||
| Gloucester | Vacant[b] | Thomas F. Connery Jr. | Dem | |||
| Hudson | William F. Kelly Jr. | Dem | No election | |||
| Hunterdon | Wesley Lance | Rep | No election | |||
| Mercer | Sido Ridolfi | Dem | No election | |||
| Middlesex | John A. Lynch | Dem | John A. Lynch | Dem | ||
| Monmouth | Richard R. Stout | Rep | Richard R. Stout | Rep | ||
| Morris | Thomas J. Hillery | Rep | No election | |||
| Ocean | W. Steelman Mathis | Rep | No election | |||
| Passaic | Anthony J. Grossi | Dem | No election | |||
| Salem | John A. Waddington | Dem | John A. Waddington | Dem | ||
| Somerset | William E. Ozzard[c] | Rep | William E. Ozzard | Rep | ||
| Sussex | George B. Harper | Rep | No election | |||
| Union | Robert C. Crane[d] | Rep | Robert C. Crane | Rep | ||
| Warren | Wayne Dumont | Rep | Wayne Dumont | Rep | ||
- This seat was vacant following the December 1958 death of Senator W. Howard Sharp.
- This seat was vacant following the May 1959 resignation of Senator Harold W. Hannold.
- Ozzard won a 1958 special election to complete the unexpired term of Senator Malcolm Forbes, who resigned.
- Crane won a 1956 special election to complete the unexpired term of Senator Kenneth Hand, who resigned to become a Superior Court judge.
Close races
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
- Union, 0.34%
- Gloucester, 1.54%
- Camden, 3.44%
- Essex, 5.88%
- Burlington, 8.26% gain
Burlington
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Henry S. Haines | 30,183 | 54.13% | ||
| Republican | Albert McCay (incumbent) | 25,575 | 45.87% | ||
| Total votes | 55,758 | 100.0% | |||
Camden
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph W. Cowgill (incumbent) | 61,656 | 51.72% | ||
| Republican | William G. Rohrer | 57,564 | 48.28% | ||
| Total votes | 119,220 | 100.0% | |||
Cape May
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles W. Sandman (incumbent) | 12,206 | 61.38% | ||
| Democratic | Fred C. Barthelmess | 7,679 | 38.62% | ||
| Total votes | 19,885 | 100.0% | |||
Cumberland (special)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert H. Weber | 17,419 | 56.10% | ||
| Republican | Robert G. Howell | 13,631 | 43.90% | ||
| Total votes | 31,050 | 100.0% | |||
Essex
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Donal C. Fox (incumbent) | 126,800 | 51.11% | ||
| Republican | Alfred C. Clapp | 112,218 | 45.23% | ||
| Independent | Anthony D. Scipio | 7,426 | 2.99% | ||
| Independent | Frank DeGeorge | 1,643 | 0.66% | ||
| Total votes | 248,087 | 100.0% | |||
Gloucester
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas F. Connery Jr. | 23,665 | 50.77% | ||
| Republican | John Joseph Kitchen | 22,943 | 49.23% | ||
| Total votes | 46,608 | 100.0% | |||
Middlesex
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John A. Lynch (incumbent) | 86,880 | 64.30% | ||
| Republican | Fred S. Brause | 48,231 | 35.70% | ||
| Total votes | 135,111 | 100.0% | |||
Monmouth
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard R. Stout (incumbent) | 54,946 | 57.79% | ||
| Democratic | Thomas J. Smith | 40,125 | 42.21% | ||
| Total votes | 95,071 | 100.0% | |||
Salem
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John A. Waddington (incumbent) | 12,215 | 59.92% | ||
| Republican | Peter B. Hoff | 8,172 | 40.08% | ||
| Total votes | 20,387 | 100.0% | |||
Somerset
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William E. Ozzard (incumbent) | 24,120 | 57.03% | ||
| Democratic | William H. Sutherland | 18,175 | 42.97% | ||
| Total votes | 42,295 | 100.0% | |||
Union
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert C. Crane (incumbent) | 82,609 | 49.61% | ||
| Democratic | H. Roy Wheeler | 82,042 | 49.27% | ||
| Independent | Frank Chodorov | 1,862 | 1.12% | ||
| Total votes | 166,513 | 100.0% | |||
Warren
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Wayne Dumont (incumbent) | 13,366 | 56.73% | ||
| Democratic | Thomas C. Swick | 10,194 | 43.27% | ||
| Total votes | 23,560 | 100.0% | |||