1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election
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The 1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1965. Democratic incumbent Richard J. Hughes defeated Republican nominee Wayne Dumont with 57 percent of the vote. Until 2025, the gubernatorial elections from 1953 to 1965 were 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.
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November 2, 1965
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| Turnout | 72.7% of eligible voters ( 0.6 pp)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Hughes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Dumont: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections were held on June 1, 1965.[2] Hughes was easily re-nominated 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
- William H. Clark, Newark Marxist activist and member of the Negro-Labor Vanguard
- Richard J. Hughes, incumbent governor since 1962
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard J. Hughes (incumbent) | 236,518 | 90.89% | |
| Democratic | William J. Clark | 23,722 | 9.12% | |
| Total votes | 260,240 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Wayne Dumont, state senator from Warren County
- Charles W. Sandman, Jr., state senator from Cape May County
- Harold P. Poeschel, Short Hills life insurance agent and perennial Conservative Party candidate[3][4]
Declined
- Nelson Stamler, state senator from Union County[5] (endorsed Sandman)
Campaign
Senator Nelson Stamler informally sought party support for a potential campaign, citing his opposition to court-mandated legislative redistricting and Dumont's proposal for a sales tax. After failing to gain sufficient endorsements, Stamler declined to run and instead endorsed Sandman.[5]
Results
| 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
- Wayne Dumont, state senator from Warren County (Republican)
- Richard J. Hughes, incumbent governor since 1962 (Democratic)
- Julius Levin, apartment manager (Socialist Labor)
- Robert Lee Schlachter (Conservative)
- Ruth F. Shiminsky (Socialist Workers)
- Christopher C. Vespucci (Veterans Choice)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard J. Hughes (incumbent) | 1,279,568 | 57.39% |  7.02 | |
| Republican | Wayne Dumont | 915,996 | 41.08% | 7.66 | |
| Conservative | Robert Lee Schlachter | 20,753 | 0.93% | 0.73 | |
| Independent | Christopher C. Vespucci | 5,378 | 0.24% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Julius Levin | 4,669 | 0.21% | 0.11 | |
| Socialist Workers | Ruth F. Shiminsky | 3,219 | 0.14% | 0.09 | |
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Results by county
| County | Hughes votes | Hughes % | Dumont votes | Dumont % | Other votes | Other % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 35,245 | 52.1% | 30,455 | 45.0% | 1,999 | 3.0% |
| Bergen | 179,197 | 55.9% | 138,097 | 43.1% | 2,997 | 0.9% |
| Burlington | 35,468 | 53.0% | 30,666 | 45.8% | 843 | 1.3% |
| Camden | 73,926 | 56.5% | 53,241 | 40.7% | 3,728 | 2.9% |
| Cape May | 11,127 | 50.8% | 10,449 | 47.7% | 335 | 1.6% |
| Cumberland | 19,501 | 55.0% | 15,800 | 44.6% | 159 | 0.4% |
| Essex | 178,830 | 60.9% | 109,081 | 37.1% | 5,830 | 2.0% |
| Gloucester | 26,411 | 51.6% | 24,487 | 47.8% | 328 | 0.7% |
| Hudson | 156,671 | 72.3% | 55,632 | 25.7% | 4,513 | 2.1% |
| Hunterdon | 8,996 | 43.0% | 11,726 | 56.1% | 189 | 0.9% |
| Mercer | 62,835 | 65.0% | 33,206 | 34.3% | 634 | 0.7% |
| Middlesex | 114,548 | 64.7% | 61,063 | 34.5% | 1,479 | 0.8% |
| Monmouth | 64,525 | 51.7% | 58,959 | 47.2% | 1,365 | 1.1% |
| Morris | 46,174 | 45.2% | 54,306 | 53.1% | 1,709 | 1.7% |
| Ocean | 23,982 | 44.5% | 28,879 | 53.6% | 1,041 | 1.9% |
| Passaic | 78,193 | 57.2% | 55,998 | 40.9% | 2,581 | 1.9% |
| Salem | 11,629 | 53.5% | 10,054 | 46.2% | 62 | 0.3% |
| Somerset | 29,659 | 50.7% | 27,207 | 46.5% | 1,588 | 2.8% |
| Sussex | 9,162 | 41.1% | 13,002 | 58.3% | 135 | 0.5% |
| Union | 103,067 | 56.0% | 78,820 | 42.8% | 2,277 | 1.3% |
| Warren | 10,422 | 40.8% | 14,868 | 58.3% | 227 | 0.8% |