1970 United States Senate election in New Jersey
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 County results Williams: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Gross: 40–50% 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Jersey |
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 Federal government |
 State government |
 Newark |
 Jersey City |
 Hoboken |
 Atlantic City |
The 1970 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Democrat Harrison A. Williams defeated Republican nominee Nelson G. Gross with 54.02% of the vote.
Primary elections were held on June 2, 1970.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
- Harrison A. Williams, incumbent United States Senator
- Frank Joseph Guarini, State Senator from Hudson County
Campaign[]
Guarini ran as the candidate of the powerful Hudson County Democratic machine.[2]
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harrison A. Williams (incumbent) | 190,692 | 65.59 | |
| Democratic | Frank Joseph Guarini | 100,045 | 34.41 | |
| Total votes | 290,737 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary[]
Candidates[]
- Nelson G. Gross, former Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and State Assemblyman
- James A. Quaremba
- Joseph T. Gavin
Declined[]
- Joseph Maraziti, State Senator from Morris County[2]
Campaign[]
Nelson Gross resigned his position as party chairman on April 9 to enter the race for Senate with the full-backing of Governor William T. Cahill. Cahill's support discouraged any serious contenders from challenging Gross in the primary.[2]
Gross was nonetheless privately criticized as a poor choice by some Republicans due to his ongoing investigation by the United States Department of Justice for involvement with a Mafia-backed labor union. The investigation was led by U.S. Attorney Frederick Bernard Lacey, who had been personally recommended to the Nixon administration by Senator Clifford Case. Case and Gross had been on uneven terms since Gross undermined Case's "favorite son" status at the 1968 Republican National Convention by bringing Bergen County delegates into the Nixon column.[2]
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nelson G. Gross | 150,662 | 65.39% | |
| Republican | James A. Quaremba | 43,547 | 18.90% | |
| Republican | Joseph T. Gavin | 36,208 | 15.71% | |
| Total votes | 230,417 | 100.00 | ||
General election[]
Candidates[]
- Nelson G. Gross, former Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and State Assemblyman (Republican)
- Joseph F. Job, Bergen County Sheriff (Independent)[3]
- Jules Levin (Socialist Labor)
- Joseph S. Mans (Independent)
- William J. O'Grady (Independent)
- Harrison A. Williams, incumbent Senator since 1959 (Democratic)
Campaign[]
Gross assailed Williams as a "radical liberal" and implied that he was involved in "influence peddling" for having sponsored special bills for about 70 Chinese seamen who jumped ship in the United States.[4]
In mid-October, President Richard Nixon campaigned for Gross as part of a one-day swing through Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin and New Jersey.[4]
Debates[]
Williams declined numerous calls for debates.[4]
Endorsements[]
- Newspapers
- The New York Times[5]
- The Trenton Times[6]
- The Star-Ledger[6]
Polling[]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Harrison Williams (D) |
Nelson Gross (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSCC[4][a] | October 15, 1970 | ? | ± ?% | 36% | 32% | 3% | 29% |
- ^ Poll released by the Gross campaign.
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harrison A. Williams (incumbent) | 1,157,074 | 54.02% |  7.89
| |
| Republican | Nelson G. Gross | 903,026 | 42.16% |  4.84
| |
| Independent | Joseph F. Job | 58,992 | 2.75% | N/A | |
| Independent | William J. O'Grady | 12,938 | 0.60% | N/A | |
| Independent | Joseph S. Mans | 6,066 | 0.28% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Jules Levin | 4,009 | 0.19% | 0.11
| |
| Majority | 254,048 | ||||
| Turnout | 2,142,105 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References[]
- ^ a b c "1970 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1970. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "GROSS QUITS AS G.O.P. CHAIRMAN IN JERSEY TO RUN FOR THE SENATE". The New York Times. 9 Apr 1970. p. 44. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
- ^ "Bergen Sheriff Plans to Run For Senate as Independent". The New York Times. 23 Apr 1970. p. 29. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Ronald (15 Oct 1970). "Test for G.O.P. in Jersey". The New York Times. p. 53. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
- ^ "The New Jersey Senate Race". The New York Times. 19 Oct 1970. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
In our opinion, the case for the re‐election of Senator Williams is clear and persuasive... Senator Williams is far and away the better choice.
- ^ a b c d "Gross Vows to Seek U.S. Aid for Jersey". The New York Times. 26 Oct 1970. p. 44. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
- ^ "1970 General Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1970. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- United States Senate elections in New Jersey
- 1970 United States Senate elections
- 1970 New Jersey elections