1990 United States Senate election in New Jersey
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 County results Bradley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Whitman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Jersey |
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 Federal government |
 State government |
 Newark |
 Jersey City |
 Hoboken |
 Atlantic City |
The 1990 New Jersey United States Senate election was held on November 6, 1990 to select the Class 2 U.S. Senator from the state of New Jersey. Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Bradley decided to seek re-election and narrowly edged out little-known Republican Christine Todd Whitman.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
- Bill Bradley, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1979
- Daniel Z. Seyler, Phillipsburg resident
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Bradley (incumbent) | 197,454 | 92.38% | |
| Democratic | Daniel Z. Seyler | 16,287 | 7.62% | |
| Total votes | 213,741 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary[]
Candidates[]
- Christine Todd Whitman, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Christine Todd Whitman | 112,214 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 112,214 | 100.00% | ||
General election[]
Candidates[]
- Bill Bradley, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1979 (Democratic)
- John Kucek (Populist)
- Don Mackle (Socialist Workers)
- Louis Stefanelli (Libertarian)
- Christine Todd Whitman, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (Republican)
Campaign[]
U.S. Senator Bill Bradley didn't realize he was in danger of losing re-election and the New Jersey voters' anger over taxes and economy until the week prior to the election.
In the early part of the campaign, Bradley already had a major image problem; he was comfortably ahead in the polls, so his staffers told him to play it safe. He aired television advertisements of himself walking on the beach, shooting a perfect shot on the court, and sitting back in his office with his basketball shoes on his desk. The advertisements backfired as voters were turned off and thought that he wasn't taking his job seriously, especially at a time when voters were suffering.
Another major problem with Bradley was how Democratic Governor Jim Florio implemented a $2.8 billion tax increase, hurting the state's economy. In addition, Bradley refused to answer questions pertaining to Florio's tax policies.
After Bradley realized he was in trouble, he released negative advertisements attacking Whitman's own record on taxes, accusing her of favoring tax increases when she was a Somerset County Freeholder. Bradley's image may have been further damaged by his newer advertisements.[3]
Polling[]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bill Bradley (D) |
Christine Whitman (R) |
Other/ Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | July 2–10, 1990 | 616 LV | ±4.0% | 64% | 17% | 19% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Sep. 24–Oct. 2, 1990 | 613 LV | ±4.0% | 56% | 26% | 18% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 16–22, 1990 | 532 LV | ±4.5% | 62% | 26% | 12% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 27–31, 1990 | 987 LV | ±3.2% | 55% | 27% | 18% |
| 466 PV | ±4.5% | 50% | 33% | 17% |
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
PV – "probable" voters
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Bradley (incumbent) | 977,810 | 50.4% | |
| Republican | Christine Todd Whitman | 918,874 | 47.4% | |
| Populist | John Kucek | 19,978 | 1.0% | |
| Libertarian | Louis Stefanelli | 13,988 | 0.7% | |
| Socialist Workers | Don Mackle | 7,804 | 0.4% | |
| Total votes | 1,938,454 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Results by County[]
| County | Bradley votes | Bradley % | Whitman votes | Whitman % | Other votes | Other % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 27.905 | 58.08% | 19,481 | 40.54% | 662 | 1.38% |
| Bergen | 121,020 | 49.24% | 121,600 | 49.47% | 3,180 | 1.29% |
| Burlington | 46,912 | 49.33% | 46,287 | 48.67% | 1,901 | 2.00% |
| Camden | 72,328 | 56.78% | 52,790 | 41.44% | 2,263 | 1.78% |
| Cape May | 16,627 | 54.11% | 13,528 | 44.02% | 573 | 1.86% |
| Cumberland | 18,186 | 56.82% | 12,765 | 39.89% | 1,053 | 3.29% |
| Essex | 93,052 | 61.09% | 56,722 | 37.24% | 2,539 | 1.67% |
| Gloucester | 35,379 | 57.01% | 25,374 | 40.89% | 1,307 | 2.11% |
| Hudson | 65,242 | 65.62% | 32,311 | 32.50% | 1,877 | 1.89% |
| Hunterdon | 10,849 | 36.11% | 18,309 | 60.94% | 886 | 2.95% |
| Mercer | 45,036 | 52.28% | 39,570 | 45.94% | 1,535 | 1.78% |
| Middlesex | 80,080 | 49.49% | 77,165 | 47.69% | 4,553 | 2.81% |
| Monmouth | 74,934 | 47.62% | 80,126 | 50.92% | 2,298 | 1.46% |
| Morris | 46.928 | 40.71% | 66,369 | 57.57% | 1,983 | 1.72% |
| Ocean | 54,714 | 39.90% | 76,948 | 56.12% | 5,547 | 3.98% |
| Passaic | 46.58% | 40,312 | 43,867 | 50.69% | 2,357 | 2.72% |
| Salem | 10,086 | 53.99% | 7,999 | 42.82% | 596 | 3.19% |
| Somerset | 27,508 | 40.30% | 38,426 | 56.30% | 2,320 | 3.40% |
| Sussex | 12.814 | 38.45% | 19,789 | 59.37% | 726 | 2.18% |
| Union | 66,716 | 52.11% | 57,628 | 45.38% | 3,184 | 2.51% |
| Warren | 11,722 | 48.72% | 11,820 | 49.12% | 520 | 2.16% |
See also[]
- 1990 United States Senate elections
References[]
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1990election.pdf
- ^ a b https://nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/1990/1990-primary-election-results-us-senate.pdf
- ^ King, Wayne (8 November 1990). "THE 1990 ELECTIONS: What Went Wrong?; Bradley Says He Sensed Voter Fury but It Was Too Late to do Anything". The New York Times.
- 1990 United States Senate elections
- United States Senate elections in New Jersey
- 1990 New Jersey elections