1977 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1977 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1977. Incumbent Democrat Brendan Byrne defeated Republican nominee Raymond Bateman with 55.71% of the vote. As of 2022, this was the last time the counties of Hunterdon and Warren were carried by a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.[1] This would also be the last time New Jersey would reelect a Democratic Governor until Phil Murphy won reelection in 2021. As of 2022, this was the most recent New Jersey gubernatorial election in which both major party candidates are now deceased.
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 County results Byrne: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Bateman: 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Jersey |
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Primary elections
Primary elections were held on June 7, 1977.[2]
Candidates
- Brendan Byrne, incumbent Governor
- Ralph DeRose, former State Senator from Essex County
- James Florio, U.S. Representative from Cherry Hill
- A. Howard Freund
- Raymond Garramone, State Senator from Haworth
- Joseph A. Hoffman, former Department of Labor and Industry commissioner
- Paul T. Jordan, Mayor of Jersey City
- George Koukos
- Robert A. Roe, U.S. Representative from Wayne
- Melvin M. Whaley
- Emery J. Zold
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brendan Byrne (incumbent) | 175,448 | 30.30 | |
| Democratic | Robert A. Roe | 134,116 | 23.16 | |
| Democratic | Ralph DeRose | 99,948 | 17.26 | |
| Democratic | James Florio | 87,743 | 15.15 | |
| Democratic | Joseph A. Hoffman | 58,835 | 10.16 | |
| Democratic | Raymond Garramone | 6,602 | 1.14 | |
| Democratic | A. Howard Freund | 6,205 | 1.07 | |
| Democratic | Paul T. Jordan (withdrew) | 2,996 | 0.52 | |
| Democratic | Emery J. Zold | 2,934 | 0.51 | |
| Democratic | George Koukos | 2,889 | 0.50 | |
| Democratic | Melvin M. Whaley | 1,282 | 0.22 | |
| Total votes | 578,998 | 100.00 | ||
Candidates
- Raymond Bateman, State Senator from Branchburg Township
- Thomas Kean, State Assemblyman from Livingston
- C. Robert Sarcone, former State Senator from Essex County
- William A. Angus Jr., former Mayor of Moorestown
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Raymond Bateman | 196,592 | 54.70 | |
| Republican | Thomas Kean | 129,982 | 36.17 | |
| Republican | C. Robert Sarcone | 20,961 | 5.81 | |
| Republican | William A. Angus Jr. | 11,954 | 3.33 | |
| Total votes | 359,389 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Raymond Bateman (Republican)
- Brendan Byrne (Democratic)
- John F. Donato (Axe The Tax)
- Francis W. Flowers (Declare Your Independence)
- Bill Gahres (Right to Die)
- Robert Ganteaume (Grass Roots)
- Jasper C. Gould (Independent)
- Chester Grabowski (Independents for All)
- Leif O. Johnson (Labor)
- Jules Levin (Socialist Labor)
- Angelo S. Massaro (People's Choice)
- Richard D. McAleer (Anti-Income Tax)
- Chauncey E. McSpiritt (Cheap, Chauncey, Upstart)
- Frank J. Primich (Libertarian)
- Paul B. Rizzo (Independent)
- William Zsidisin (One For All)
Withdrew
- Anthony Imperiale (Independent)
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Brendan Byrne (D) |
Raymond Bateman (R) |
Anthony Imperiale (I) |
Others | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers/Eagleton | July 18–29, 1977 | 1004 A | 37% | 47% | — | 1% | 15% |
| 35% | 41% | 11% | 1% | 11% | |||
| Rutgers/Eagleton | September 20–27, 1977 | 844 RV | 39% | 46% | — | 1% | 13% |
| 38% | 42% | 8% | 0% | 12% | |||
| New York Times/WCBS-TV[3] | October 15–19, 1977 | 1,416 RV | 40% | 40% | — | — | 20% |
| ? LV | 43% | 43% | — | — | 14% | ||
| Rutgers/Eagleton | Oct. 24–Nov. 1, 1977 | 1,027 RV | 44% | 36% | — | 2% | 18% |
| ? LV | 50% | 40% | — | 1% | 9% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brendan Byrne (incumbent) | 1,184,564 | 55.71% |  10.96 | |
| Republican | Raymond Bateman | 888,880 | 41.81% |  9.96 | |
| Independent | Francis W. Flowers | 8,677 | 0.41% | N/A | |
| Independent | Chester Grabowski | 8,494 | 0.40% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Frank J. Primich | 5,674 | 0.27% | 0.12 | |
| Independent | Chauncey E. McSpiritt | 4,464 | 0.21% | N/A | |
| Independent | Paul B. Rizzo | 3,691 | 0.17% | N/A | |
| Independent | Richard D. McAleer | 3,688 | 0.17% | N/A | |
| Independent | John F. Donato | 3,189 | 0.15% | N/A | |
| Independent | Angelo S. Massaro | 3,031 | 0.14% | 0.05 | |
| Independent | William Zsidisin | 2,974 | 0.14% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Julius Levin | 2,276 | 0.11% | 0.09 | |
| Independent | Jasper C. Gould | 2,248 | 0.11% | N/A | |
| Independent | Leif O. Johnson | 1,601 | 0.08% | N/A | |
| Independent | Robert Ganteaume | 1,480 | % | N/A | |
| Independent | Bill Gahres | 1,333 | % | N/A | |
| Majority | 295,684 | 13.90 | |||
| Turnout | 2,126,264 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
- "One-Term and Done: The Curse that the Next Dem Governor Would Face". Insider NJ. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
- "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1977. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
- Sullivan, Joseph F. (26 Oct 1977). "Byrne and Bateman in Virtual Tie In Governorship Race, Poll Finds". The New York Times. p. 61. Retrieved 21 Aug 2021.
- "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1977. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
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