1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey: Difference between revisions

1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey
	County results; Williams: 50–60% 60–70%
U.S. senator before election; Harrison A. Williams; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Harrison A. Williams; Democratic

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Revision as of 13:43, 23 March 2022

The 1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democrat Harrison A. Williams defeated Republican nominee David A. Norcross with 60.66% of the vote.

Primary elections were held on June 8, 1976^[1] and were uneventful. Williams easily staved off an anti-abortion campaign from attorney Stephen J. Foley. Norcross cleared a four-man field to win the Republican nomination in a landslide.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Stephen J. Foley, Deal attorney and anti-abortion activist^[2]
Harrison A. Williams, incumbent United States Senator

Campaign

Williams discounted Foley's campaign and referred to him as a single-issue candidate, though he admitted opposition to abortion was "an issue that deserves the most earnest, searching thought.”^[2] Foley's campaign was managed by future U.S. Representative Chris Smith.^[3]

Foley rejected the "single-issue" characterization, saying, “Pro‐life is not just antiabortion. It's anything that deals with the human equation, with human problems.”^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harrison A. Williams (incumbent)	378,553	85.12
	Democratic	Stephen J. Foley	66,178	14.88
Total votes			444,731	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

David A. Norcross, former Executive director of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission^[2]
James E. Parker, retired sheets metal mechanic and Democratic candidate for U.S. House in 1958 and 1960^[2]
N. Leonard Smith, high school teacher, former member of the Clarendon town council, and anti-abortion activist^[2]
Martin E. Wendelken, businessman and candidate for the U.S. House in 1972 and 1974^[2]

Campaign

Norcross held the endorsement of the state party organization, though Martin Wendelken had the support of the Bergen County organization and led a slate of candidates supporting Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign. Wendelken ran a campaign calling for a reduction in the size and scope of government, saying the key issues were unemployment and inflation.^[2]

James Parker ran a campaign calling for reduced utility rates. He said that he had switched parties in 1977 after Governor Brendan Byrne vetoed the Tocks Island dam.^[2] James Parker said that his campaign was "concerned about the killing of babies... I just can't believe that our country can solve its problems by killing babies.”^[2]

Results

Republican primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David F. Norcross	196,457	68.34%
	Republican	Martin E. Wendelken	45,472	15.82%
	Republican	James E. Parker	27,672	9.63%
	Republican	N. Leonard Smith	17,892	6.22%
Total votes			287,493	100.00

General election

Candidates

Bernardo S. Doganiero, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor)
David A. Norcross, former Executive director of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (Republican)
Hannibal Cundari, Libertarian
Leif O. Johnson, Labor
Harrison A. Williams, Democratic

Results

1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harrison A. Williams (incumbent)	1,681,140	60.66%
	Republican	David A. Norcross	1,054,508	38.05%
	Libertarian	Hannibal Cundari	19,907	0.72%
	Socialist Labor	Bernardo S. Doganiero	9,185	0.33%
	U.S. Labor	Leif O. Johnson	6,650	0.24%
Majority			626,635
Turnout			2,771,387
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "1976 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1976. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Narvaez, Alfonso (3 Jun 1976). "6‐Man U. S. Senate Race Gets Hotter as Primary Day Nears". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 Mar 2022.
^ "Early on, Smith was dismissed as a fluke". New York Observer. 23 Dec 2009. Retrieved 23 Mar 2022.
^ "1976 General Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1976. Retrieved March 18, 2019.

[New_Jersey-1] "1976 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1976. Retrieved March 18, 2019.

[primary-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Narvaez, Alfonso (3 Jun 1976). "6‐Man U. S. Senate Race Gets Hotter as Primary Day Nears". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 Mar 2022.

[3] "Early on, Smith was dismissed as a fluke". New York Observer. 23 Dec 2009. Retrieved 23 Mar 2022.

[4] "1976 General Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1976. Retrieved March 18, 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
  | percentage1        = '''60.66%'''
  | image2             = 3x4.svg
- | nominee2           = [[David A. Norcross|David F. Norcross]]
+ | nominee2           = [[David A. Norcross]]
  | party2             = Republican Party (United States)
  | popular_vote2      = 1,054,508
@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 }}
 {{Elections in New Jersey}}
-The '''1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey''' was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Harrison A. Williams]] defeated [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[David A. Norcross|David F. Norcross]] with 60.66% of the vote.
+The '''1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey''' was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Harrison A. Williams]] defeated [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[David A. Norcross]] with 60.66% of the vote.
+[[Primary election]]s were held on June 8, 1976<ref name="New Jersey">{{cite web|url=https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/1920-1970//1976-primary-election.pdf |title=1976 Primary Election Results |publisher=[[Secretary of State of New Jersey]] |year=1976 |access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref> and were uneventful. Williams easily staved off an anti-abortion campaign from attorney Stephen J. Foley. Norcross cleared a four-man field to win the Republican nomination in a landslide.
-==Primary elections==
-[[Primary election]]s were held on June 8, 1976.<ref name="New Jersey">{{cite web|url=https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/1920-1970//1976-primary-election.pdf |title=1976 Primary Election Results |publisher=[[Secretary of State of New Jersey]] |year=1976 |access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>
-===Democratic primary===
+==Democratic primary==
+===Candidates===
+*Stephen J. Foley, [[Deal, New Jersey|Deal]] attorney and anti-abortion activist<ref name=primary>{{cite news|title=6‐Man U. S. Senate Race Gets Hotter as Primary Day Nears|last=Narvaez|first=Alfonso|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=3 Jun 1976|access-date=23 Mar 2022|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/03/archives/6man-us-senate-race-gets-hotter-as-primary-day-nears.html}}</ref>
-====Candidates====
 *[[Harrison A. Williams]], incumbent [[United States Senate|United States Senator]]
-*Stephen J. Foley, attorney and anti-abortion activist
-====Results====
+===Campaign===
+Williams discounted Foley's campaign and referred to him as a single-issue candidate, though he admitted opposition to abortion was "an issue that deserves the most earnest, searching thought.”<ref name=primary/> Foley's campaign was managed by future U.S. Representative [[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://observer.com/2009/12/early-on-smith-was-dismissed-as-a-fluke/|title=Early on, Smith was dismissed as a fluke|newspaper=New York Observer|date=23 Dec 2009|access-date=23 Mar 2022}}</ref>
+Foley rejected the "single-issue" characterization, saying, “Pro‐life is not just antiabortion. It's anything that deals with the human equation, with human problems.”<ref name=primary/>
+===Results===
 {{Election box begin no change
 | title = Democratic primary results<ref name="New Jersey"/>
@@ Line 63: / Line 66: @@
 {{Election box end}}
-===Republican primary===
+==Republican primary==
+===Candidates===
+*[[David A. Norcross]], former Executive director of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission<ref name=primary/>
+*James E. Parker, retired sheets metal mechanic and Democratic candidate for U.S. House in 1958 and 1960<ref name=primary/>
+*N. Leonard Smith, high school teacher, former member of the [[Clarendon, New Jersey|Clarendon]] town council, and anti-abortion activist<ref name=primary/>
+*Martin E. Wendelken, businessman and candidate for the U.S. House in 1972 and 1974<ref name=primary/>
-====Candidates====
+===Campaign===
+Norcross held the endorsement of the state party organization, though Martin Wendelken had the support of the Bergen County organization and led a slate of candidates supporting [[Ronald Reagan 1976 presidential campaign|Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign]]. Wendelken ran a campaign calling for a reduction in the size and scope of government, saying the key issues were unemployment and inflation.<ref name=primary/>
-*[[David A. Norcross|David F. Norcross]], former Executive director of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
-*Martin E. Wendelken
-*James E. Parker
-*N. Leonard Smith
+James Parker ran a campaign calling for reduced utility rates. He said that he had switched parties in 1977 after Governor Brendan Byrne [[Tocks Island Dam controversy|vetoed the Tocks Island dam]].<ref name=primary/> James Parker said that his campaign was "concerned about the killing of babies... I just can't believe that our country can solve its problems by killing babies.”<ref name=primary/>
-====Results====
+===Results===
 {{Election box begin no change
 | title = Republican primary results<ref name="New Jersey"/>
@@ Line 79: / Line 86: @@
 | party = Republican Party (United States)
 | votes = 196,457
-| percentage = 68.34
+| percentage = 68.34%
 }}
 {{Election box candidate with party link no change
@@ Line 85: / Line 92: @@
 | party = Republican Party (United States)
 | votes = 45,472
-| percentage = 15.82
+| percentage = 15.82%
 }}
 {{Election box candidate with party link no change
@@ Line 91: / Line 98: @@
 | party = Republican Party (United States)
 | votes = 27,672
-| percentage = 9.63
+| percentage = 9.63%
 }}
 {{Election box candidate with party link no change
@@ Line 97: / Line 104: @@
 | party = Republican Party (United States)
 | votes = 17,892
-| percentage = 6.22
+| percentage = 6.22%
 }}
 {{Election box total no change
@@ Line 106: / Line 113: @@
 ==General election==
 ===Candidates===
+*Bernardo S. Doganiero, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor)
-'''Major party candidates'''
+*[[David A. Norcross]], former Executive director of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (Republican)
-*Harrison A. Williams, Democratic
-*David F. Norcross, Republican
-'''Other candidates'''
 *Hannibal Cundari, Libertarian
-*Bernardo S. Doganiero, Socialist Labor
 *Leif O. Johnson, Labor
+*Harrison A. Williams, Democratic
 ===Results===
@@ Line 128: / Line 131: @@
 {{Election box candidate with party link|
 | party = Republican Party (United States)
-| candidate = [[David A. Norcross|David F. Norcross]]
+| candidate = [[David A. Norcross]]
 | votes = 1,054,508
 | percentage = 38.05%

v t e (1974 ←) 1976 United States elections (→ 1978)
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Revision as of 13:43, 23 March 2022

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Campaign

Results

General election

Candidates

Results

See also

References