The 1968 New York state election was held on November 5, 1968, to elect a judge of the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

and a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, as well as all members of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

and the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

Nominations

The Republican State Committee met on March 27 at Albany, New York and designated U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits, and endorsed the Democratic/Liberal Judge Adrian P. Burke, for re-election. The

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

primary for U.S. Senator was won by Paul O'Dwyer, the brother of Mayor of New York William O'Dwyer (in office 1946–1950). Paul O'Dwyer gathered 25,000 signatures, and got on the primary ballot by petition on a peace platform and favoring

Eugene McCarthy Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916December 10, 2005) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. ...

to be nominated for President. In a tight race, he defeated

Nassau County Executive Nassau County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead. Nassau County is situated on western Long Island, ...

Eugene H. Nickerson Eugene Hoffman Nickerson (August 2, 1918 – January 1, 2002) was the Democratic county executive of Nassau County, New York, from 1962 until 1970. Nickerson was the only Democrat to be elected county executive in Nassau County until 2001. Late ...

, the candidate of the party bosses and supporter of Robert F. Kennedy for President, and Congressman

Joseph Y. Resnick Joseph Yale Resnick (July 13, 1924 – October 6, 1969) was an American inventor, World War II veteran and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state), New York (New York ...

, the candidate who planned to back Lyndon B. Johnson for re-election. The vote was O'Dwyer 275,877; Nickerson 257,639; and Resnick 229,803. The Liberal primary for U.S. Senator was won by the incumbent Republican Jacob K. Javits who defeated Murray Baron, a former Liberal New York County Chairman. The Conservative State Committee met on April 2, and designated by acclamation James L. Buckley for the U.S. Senate, and endorsed the Democratic/Liberal Judge Adrian P. Burke for re-election. The

Peace and Freedom Party The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a left-wing political party with affiliates and former members in more than a dozen American states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana and Utah, but none now have ballot status besides C ...

nominated Herman B. Ferguson, a former elementary-school assistant principal, for the U.S. Senate. Ferguson had been convicted of conspiring to murder moderate civil rights leaders Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young, and his candidature was contested. On October 2, a

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

justice ruled that Ferguson was entitled to run.''FERGUSON WINS PLACE ON BALLOT; State Court Upholds Right to Run for U.S. Senate''
in NYT on October 3, 1968 (subscription required)

Nominations

Result

Notes

Sources

See also