Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Thomas Kean Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American businessman, academic administrator and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Kean served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Following his tenure as governor, ...

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 19 ...

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.John J. Degnan, by consolidating support in

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

. Kean had fewer challengers, most notably establishment favorite Pat Kramer and self-funded businessman

Bo Sullivan Joseph Aloysius "Bo" Sullivan (February 10, 1937 – March 13, 2000) was chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and a Republican Party politician who sought the nomination for Governor of New Jersey in the 1981 primary. Early life He ...

. The general election was framed as a referendum on the new

presidency of Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...

, in particular Reagan's cuts to federal spending. On election night, the results were too close to call, but showed a Kean lead of less than 1,700. Florio petitioned for a recount, which expanded Kean's lead slightly, and Florio conceded on November 30.

Background

After narrowly surviving a primary challenge in 1977, Governor

Brendan Byrne Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a privat ...

was re-elected to a second term in a come-from-behind victory over State Senator

Raymond Bateman Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of ...

. However, Byrne was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits. The election of

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

the year before (in particular Reagan's surprisingly easy victory in New Jersey) and the early impressions of the Reagan administration served as the backdrop for the 1981 campaign. Candidates in both parties emphasized their stances on the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, federal and state tax policy, and deregulation.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Herbert J. Buehler, former State Senator from

Point Pleasant Beach Point Pleasant Beach is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,665,John J. Degnan,

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confir ...

* Frank J. Dodd, State Senator from West Orange *

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 19 ...

,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Runnemede * Kenneth A. Gibson, Mayor of

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

* William J. Hamilton, State Senator from

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

* Ann Klein, Human Services Commissioner, former Assemblywoman from Morristown, and candidate for Governor in 1973 *Stella E. Mann *

Barbara McConnell Barbara Wright McConnell (October 5, 1936 – October 21, 2016) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1978 to 1982 and in the cabinet of former Governor James Florio. Bi ...

, State Assemblywoman from Flemington *

Joseph P. Merlino Joseph P. Merlino (July 12, 1922 – October 7, 1998) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as President of the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1981. Early life and career Merlino was born in 1922 in Trenton, New Jersey, th ...

, President of the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

from Trenton *Rose Zeidwerg Monyek * Robert A. Roe, U.S. Representative from Wayne and candidate for Governor in 1977 *

Thomas F. X. Smith Thomas Francis Xavier Smith (July 5, 1928 – May 31, 1996) was a reformist politician and author. He served as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1977 to 1981. Career Smith was affectionately known as "The Mouth That Roared" due to his outsp ...

, Mayor of

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Joseph P. Merlino Joseph P. Merlino (July 12, 1922 – October 7, 1998) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as President of the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1981. Early life and career Merlino was born in 1922 in Trenton, New Jersey, th ...

in late February. Merlino, who served as acting Governor during Byrne's frequent trips out of state, took the opportunity to announce his campaign from the governor's podium at the state Capitol Building. Florio entered shortly after, along with Attorney General John J. Degnan.

Campaign

The incredibly large primary field led candidates to define themselves on the issues, taking bold positions and trying to make the competition look unexciting by comparison. Most of the campaign was dominated by Florio and Roe, the best known candidates on the basis of their 1977 challenge to Byrne. However, they remained in Washington, D.C. for much of the campaign, allowing a number of challengers to gain attention. Byrne's supporters, who tended to be more liberal, split between several candidates. John J. Degnan was seen as Byrne's hand-picked successor, but Merlino, Kenneth A. Gibson, whose support had been critical to Byrne's 1977 primary win, gained key support from black voters.

Barbara McConnell Barbara Wright McConnell (October 5, 1936 – October 21, 2016) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1978 to 1982 and in the cabinet of former Governor James Florio. Bi ...

and

Thomas F. X. Smith Thomas Francis Xavier Smith (July 5, 1928 – May 31, 1996) was a reformist politician and author. He served as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1977 to 1981. Career Smith was affectionately known as "The Mouth That Roared" due to his outsp ...

also drew from the Byrne coalition. Much was made of Governor Byrne decision to endorse a candidate. For months, he demurred, praising several candidates including Degnan, Florio and Merlino for preserving the

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

, Merlino for his position on firearms, William J. Hamilton as a tax reformer, and Gibson as an urban planner. Eventually, Byrne threw his support behind Degnan, who had served as his Attorney General since 1978. Merlino ran a campaign focused on his record as President of the New Jersey Senate, making him sherpa of the Byrne legislative agenda and sometimes acting Governor. He emphasized his sponsorship of laws banning handguns and a prescription drug assistance bill targeted at senior citizens. His strategy was to get 70 percent of the vote in his native Mercer County and 20 and 25 percent in the New York and Philadelphia television markets, respectively. As the campaign came to a close, no clear favorite had emerged. Roe and Florio remained in the lead, but Degnan, Merlino, and Kenneth A. Gibson rose in opinion polls. In the final days, the Byrne administration made a determined attempt to talk Gibson out of the race, in hopes of consolidating liberal support behind Degnan.

Crime and guns

Most Democratic candidates stressed the need to fight crime, supporting restoration of the death penalty, mandatory sentences without parole for gun crimes, limits on plea-bargaining, and tougher treatment of violent juvenile defenders. Merlino, for instance, emphasized his sponsorship of a ban on the sale or importation of handguns. Some candidates who supported a national ban nevertheless called Merlino's ban unworkable. It drew opposition from many rural legislators and sportsmen's and gun clubsand support from the National Coalition to Ban Handguns. Two candidates broke from the pack on crime in different ways. In May, Florio was the sole Democrat endorsed by the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

; the organization endorsed all of the Republican candidates. Gibson maintained his opposition to the death penalty.

Endorsements

Results

Turnout was much higher than projected. Neil Upmeyer, director of the State Division of Elections, had predicted 575,000 Democrats would vote, and some campaign consultants projected the number would actually be much smaller. Florio won, dominating in South Jersey and displaying surprising strength throughout the state. In his victory speech, Florio suggested the fall campaign would be a referendum on the Reagan administration's spending cuts, which impliedly shifted the burden of governance to the states. " ew Jerseywill be the first state to confront the problems of the 80s," he said. "Whether or not we agree with the policies coming out of Washington, a massive shift in responsibility is taking place."

Republican primary

Ronald Reagan giving a speech at Liberty State Park in Jersey City New Jersey

Candidates

*

Anthony Imperiale Anthony M. Imperiale Sr. (July 10, 1931 – December 27, 1999) was a member of the New Jersey Legislature from Newark, New Jersey. Early life He was born on July 10, 1931, in Newark, New Jersey. He later served in the United States Marine Corp ...

, State Assemblyman from

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

*

Thomas Kean Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American businessman, academic administrator and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Kean served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Following his tenure as governor, ...

, former Speaker of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

from

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

* Lawrence F. "Pat" Kramer, mayor of Paterson and former Commissioner of Community Affairs * Richard McGlynn, former

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

Judge *

Barry T. Parker Barry T. Parker (born December 12, 1932) is an American Republican Party politician who served in both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate. Biography Parker was born in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey in 1932 and gradua ...

, State Senator from Mount Holly * John K. Rafferty, mayor of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

*

Bo Sullivan Joseph Aloysius "Bo" Sullivan (February 10, 1937 – March 13, 2000) was chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and a Republican Party politician who sought the nomination for Governor of New Jersey in the 1981 primary. Early life He ...

, businessman *

James Wallwork James Harold Wallwork (born September 17, 1930) is an American Republican Party politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and twice sought the Republican nomination for Governor. Early life and military career Wallwork ...

,

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

from Short Hills

Withdrew

* Donald J. Albanese, State Assemblyman from Belvidere (ran for State Senate)

Declined

*

Raymond Bateman Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of ...

, former State Senator and nominee for Governor in 1977 The first candidate to enter the race for the Republican nomination was Assemblyman Donald J. Albanese, who announced even before the conclusion of the 1980 election. Tom Kean, the former Assembly Speaker and runner-up in the 1977 primary, announced his campaign for the 1981 nomination in January. His announcement was shortly followed by that of Pat Kramer, the four-term mayor of Paterson. Both candidates entered the race as moderates, though emphasizing their appeal to supporters of President-elect

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

following his overwhelming victory in the state. The surprise entry into the race was businessman

Bo Sullivan Joseph Aloysius "Bo" Sullivan (February 10, 1937 – March 13, 2000) was chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and a Republican Party politician who sought the nomination for Governor of New Jersey in the 1981 primary. Early life He ...

, whose political involvement had been limited to service as finance chair of the Essex County Republican organization. Sullivan laid the groundwork for his campaign at the

1980 Republican National Convention The 1980 Republican National Convention convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980. The Republican National Convention nominated retired Hollywood actor and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California for pre ...

in Detroit, where despite being a complete unknown, he fêted the New Jersey delegates with a lavish poolside dinner. Beginning in January, Sullivan spent over $1 million of his own money to fund a television ad campaign throughout the state. Former Senator

James Wallwork James Harold Wallwork (born September 17, 1930) is an American Republican Party politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and twice sought the Republican nomination for Governor. Early life and military career Wallwork ...

, an Essex County resident like Kean and Sullivan, ran as a firm conservative and Reagan supporter. John K. Rafferty, mayor of suburban Hamilton Township, had run Reagan's New Jersey campaign for a time before being replaced by Raymond J. Donovan, who had become the most powerful Republican in the state after Reagan appointed him

United States Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

. The candidate least aligned with Reagan was former judge Richard McGlynn of Short Hills, who referred to one candidate forum as a "Ronald Reagan sound-alike contest."

Anthony Imperiale Anthony M. Imperiale Sr. (July 10, 1931 – December 27, 1999) was a member of the New Jersey Legislature from Newark, New Jersey. Early life He was born on July 10, 1931, in Newark, New Jersey. He later served in the United States Marine Corp ...

, a former independent State Senator who had led armed self-defense forces during the

1967 Newark riots The 1967 Newark riots were an episode of violent, armed conflict in the streets of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Taking place over a four-day period (between July 12 and July 17, 1967), the Newark riots resulted in at least 26 deaths and ...

, ran on a platform of "law and order."

Campaign

The candidates focused on presenting themselves as close, either personally or ideologically, to the new

Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...

. Though he had been a loyal supporter of President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

during the 1976 primary, Kean hired

Roger Stone Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American conservative political consultant and lobbyist. Since the 1970s, Stone has worked on the campaigns of Republican politicians, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Rea ...

, who had served as Reagan's northeast coordinator and quoted Reagan in his campaign announcement. Kramer cited his experience as a business and municipal executive as similar to Reagan's as

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...

. Both Kramer and Kean embraced

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

as a solution to crime and drug trafficking in the state. Kramer's campaign, which had broad establishment support in all regions of the state, suffered a setback when the legislature passed an open-primary law, which effectively abolished the powerful "county line" for the 1981 primary. At that point, Kramer had already secured nine out of 21 county endorsements, while none of the other candidates had more than two. "We were driving to lock the thing up by the filing deadline," Kramer said, "and then they changed the law on me." Kramer's reputation also suffered from the perception of Paterson and

Passaic County Passaic County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Passaic County was enumerated at 524,118, an increase of 22,892 (4.6%) from t ...

as corrupt, though he aggressively distanced himself from an ongoing probe into highway bid-rigging by voluntarily testifying before a grand jury. He referred to the bid-rigging conspiracy and attendant whisper campaign as "a cancer that was killing me." Taxes, crime, and economic stagnation remained major issues as they had been in 1977. In May, Kean released his plan for a comprehensive series of tax cuts over four-years, which he said would work "hand in glove" with the supply-side economic program of the Reagan administration. He promised a two-phase halving of the state corporate income tax and a reduction of the sales tax. Kramer was highly critical of the Kean plan, calling it "a blueprint for defeat of the Republican Party in November." He recalled the 1977 campaign, where the early Republican polling lead had vanished after

Raymond Bateman Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of ...

's economic program was heavily attacked by Governor Byrne. Kramer said, "If we insist on playing tax plan politics for the sake of a primary victory, as Tom Kean is doing once again, we are asking for a repeat of the 1977 Republican disaster." Kramer instead proposed that spending cuts and deregulation must precede any tax cut. By the end of the primary, no clear dominating issue or leading candidate had become evident. Kean, Kramer, Sullivan, and Wallwork were all considered contenders for the nomination.

Hoax Wallwork assassination attempt

In April, less than a month after the

attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan On March 30, 1981, President of the United States Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton. Hinckley believed the attac ...

, Wallwork was the subject of a complicated hoax assassination attempt. Wallwork was speaking at the Veterans Administration hospital in East Orange when a patient yelled, “There’s a man with a gun and he’s going to shoot the senator.” Wallwork was safely escorted from the building. The hospital’s chief of police, Joseph Lancellotti, claimed to have unsuccessfully wrestled with the assassin before he escaped. Wallwork was assigned a police security detail to guard his home and escort him to campaign events. However, a

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

inquest revealed that Lancelotti's claims were a hoax; further investigation revealed that he had a history of mental illness and similar hoaxes, including claims that he was shot at and kidnapped. He had previously served a prison sentence for calling in a false bomb threat.

Results

In his victory speech, Kean praised his opponents and said the fall campaign would be a referendum on the Byrne administration. "People are sick in this state about the loss of jobs, the rise in taxes, the expansion of government and the fear of crime that abounds in this state," he said.

General election

Candidates

*

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 19 ...

, U.S. Representative from Runnemede (Democratic) *Bill Gahres (Down With Lawyers) *Harry J. Gaynor (Leadership By Example) *Jasper C. Gould (Contempt of Court) *Chester Grabowski (The Suffering Majority) *James E. Harris (Socialist Workers) *

Thomas Kean Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American businessman, academic administrator and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Kean served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Following his tenure as governor, ...

, former Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly (Republican) *James A. Kolyer III (Middle Class Candidate) *

Jules Levin Julius "Jules" Levin (3 February 1922 – 16 May 1988) was the last Socialist Labor Party of America candidate for United States President in the 1976 Presidential election; his running mate was Constance Blomen. It was after Levin's poor ...

(Socialist Labor) *Jack Moyers (Libertarian) *Ernest D. Pellerino (Law & Order) *Paul B. Rizzo (Independent-Honest-Available) *Charles C. Stone Jr. (Federalist)

Campaign

The candidates primarily sought to contrast themselves on economic issues, down to the personal contrast between Kean as the scion of a wealthy political dynasty and Florio as the upstart grandson of ethnic immigrants. Kean continued his praise of Reagan's economic program and worked to link Florio to the Byrne administration, while Florio pointed to his record in Congress as an opponent of Reagan's agenda and leading proponent of environmental regulation. In one early television ad, Kean was shown playing bocce, an indication that he was appealing to ethnic Italian voters. Despite the initial framing, Kean distanced himself from some of Reagan's platform as Reagan became less popular with Democrats in the state. Kean campaigned on a theme of change from the previous eight years of the Byrne administration, and Florio attempted to counter this message with television spots projection Florio as the candidate for change instead. In the final days of the campaign, Vice President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and U.S. Senator

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

campaigned with Kean and Florio, respectively. Bush and Kean emphasized that the race was about local issues, rather than a referendum on the White House; Bradley and Florio argued the opposite.

Debates

In their first debate at Monmouth College, the lead candidates focused on economic issues. Kean blamed the state of the New Jersey economy of Byrne's tax and regulatory policies. Florio countered that a "drastic, across-the-board" corporate tax cut would threaten bankruptcy. Both candidates postured themselves as tough on crime, supporting capital punishment and new prison construction. Both supported Reagan's handling of the air controllers' strike, though only Kean did so enthusiastically. A second debate before the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce likewise focused on the economy. Florio attacked Kean's program as "

voodoo economics Reaganomics (; a portmanteau of ''Reagan'' and ''economics'' attributed to Paul Harvey), or Reaganism, refers to the neoliberal economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. These policies are commonly associat ...

" and compared it to similar plans which he said caused "financial chaos" in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Kean repeatedly challenged Florio to rule out an increase in the income tax, but Florio declined. After the debate, he said, "I am not prepared to unequivocally say that in the Florio administration there will never, never be a tax increase—that would be irresponsible."

Polling

Initial results

On election night, the results were extremely close. At least two television networks inaccurately declared Florio the winner. Kean proceeded to his campaign headquarters in

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

to deliver a prepared concession but was stopped by his campaign manager. By the end of the night, Kean held a lead of 1,677 votes, and neither candidate would concede.

Ballot Security Task Force

Immediately after the election, New Jersey Democrats accused the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

of intimidating minority voters in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, Camden, and Trenton via the

Ballot Security Task Force The National Ballot Security Task Force (BSTF) was a controversial group founded in 1981 in New Jersey, United States by the Republican National Committee (RNC) as a means of intimidating voters and discouraging voter turnout among likely Democra ...

, a private organization which sent out mailers to voters in these cities and posted armed off-duty police officers and large signs at certain precincts.

Recount

Florio, who later admitted he "assumed ewas going to win," filed a petition for a formal recount in court. The process took another 27 days. In that time, both candidates set up transition offices to prepare to take office. On one occasion, both men showed up for a hotel ribbon-cutting ceremony with scissors. Florio conceded on November 30 as Kean's grew slightly. "The people have selected Tom Kean," he said. Though the recount was still ongoing, Florio said that there was no longer any doubt that Kean had won and abandoned his request for a manual recount in Salem, Sussex, and Warren counties. Despite his concession, Florio called for further inquiries into the activities of the Ballot Security Task Force. After 27 days, Kean was declared the winner on December 2.

References

{{1981 United States elections

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

Voter suppression November 1981 events in the United States