1981_New_Jersey_State_Senate_election

1981 New Jersey Senate elections
All 40 seats in the New Jersey State Senate; 21 seats needed for a majority
	Results by district; Democratic hold Democratic gain; Republican hold Republican gain
Senate President before election; Joseph P. Merlino; Democratic	Elected Senate President ; Carmen Orechio; Democratic

1981 New Jersey Senate election

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The 1981 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 3. The New Jersey legislature reapportioned its state legislative districts in advance of the 1981 election. The new districts resulted in many senators running for re-election in newly re-numbered districts. The election coincided with a tightly contested gubernatorial election between Thomas Kean and James Florio. Republicans gained five seats, narrowing the Democratic majority to 22-18.

Quick Facts All 40 seats in the New Jersey State Senate 21 seats needed for a majority, Majority party ...

A Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation resulted in the retirements of Senators Joseph A. Maressa and Angelo Errichetti, both of whom accepted bribes from the FBI under the guise of Arab oil sheikhs. Errichetti was convicted; Maressa was not prosecuted but opted to retire.^[1]

Contents
Incumbents not running • Summary of results
By District: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40

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[3] The seat was left vacant by the expulsion of Angelo Errichetti following his conviction for federal bribery charges.

[4] Redistricted to 10th district.

[5] Redistricted to 11th district.

[6] Redistricted to 12th district.

[7] Redistrict to 13th district.

[8] Redistricted to 15th district.

[9] Redistricted to 23rd district.

[10] Redistricted to 24th district.

[11] The seat had been vacant since Bernard J. Dwyer resigned to take his seat in the United States House of Representatives.

[12] Redistricted to 21st district.

[13] Redistricted to 20th district.

[14] Redistricted to 25th district.

[15] Redistricted to 26th district.

[16] Redistricted to 30th district.

[17] Redistricted to 32nd district.

[18] Redistricted to 36th district.

[19] This seat had been vacant since the resignation of Anthony Scardino to join the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission.

[Dumont-26] Senator Dumont previously served in the Senate from 1952 to 1966 but gave up his seat for one term in order to run for Governor in 1965.

[Maressa-1] [1]
Tinney, Kathleen (November 1, 2012). "Joseph A. Maressa, 89, former state Senator". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[times6.7-2] [2]
Sullivan, Joseph F. (June 7, 1981). "A NEW LOOK FOR THE LEGISLATURE". The New York Times. p. NJ1.

[1981primary-20] [3]
"Candidates for the Offices of State Senate and General Assembly" (PDF). Retrieved August 3, 2023.

[1981results-21] [4]
"Candidates for the Offices of State Senate and General Assembly" (PDF). Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[22] [5]
Prendergast, Frank J. (May 13, 1981). "Lavin Criticizes Perskie". Press of Atlantic City. p. 40. Retrieved August 4, 2023.

[:0-23] [6]
Micko, Lillian (October 27, 1981). "Money becomes main issue in 3rd district race". Courier-Post. p. 6. Retrieved August 4, 2023.

[24] [7]
Staff. "County Voters Shun Primary - Heavily", Asbury Park Press, June 6, 1979. Accessed September 15, 2016. "Elsewhere in the state, candidates running on a ticket fielded by Florio won the Democratic nominations in two Camden County Assembly districts over an opposing ticket backed by Errichetti.... Four-term Assemblymen Kenneth Gewertz and Francis Gorman were upset by Florio's team of Daniel Dalton and Dennis Riley in the fourth district, which takes in parts of Gloucester and Burlington counties as well as part of Camden."

[:1-25] [8]
"One incumbent fails to hold Senate seat". The Daily Register. Associated Press. June 3, 1981. p. 9. Retrieved August 4, 2023.

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District	Incumbent		Elected Senator
1st Legislative District	James Cafiero	Rep	James R. Hurley	Rep
2nd Legislative District	Steven P. Perskie	Dem	Steven P. Perskie	Dem
3rd Legislative District	Raymond Zane	Dem	Raymond Zane	Dem
4th Legislative District	Joseph A. Maressa	Dem	Daniel Dalton	Dem
5th Legislative District	Vacant^{[lower-alpha 1]}		Walter Rand	Dem
6th Legislative District	Lee Laskin	Rep	Lee Laskin	Rep
7th Legislative District	Charles B. Yates	Dem	Herman T. Costello	Dem
8th Legislative District	Barry T. Parker	Rep	H. James Saxton	Rep
9th Legislative District	John F. Russo^{[lower-alpha 2]}	Dem	Leonard T. Connors	Rep
10th Legislative District	Brian T. Kennedy^{[lower-alpha 3]}	Rep	John F. Russo	Dem
11th Legislative District	S. Thomas Gagliano^{[lower-alpha 4]}	Rep	Brian T. Kennedy	Rep
12th Legislative District	Eugene Bedell^{[lower-alpha 5]}	Dem	S. Thomas Gagliano	Rep
13th Legislative District	Joseph P. Merlino^{[lower-alpha 6]}	Dem	John P. Gallagher	Rep
14th Legislative District	Walter E. Foran^{[lower-alpha 7]}	Rep	Francis J. McManimon	Dem
15th Legislative District	Wayne Dumont^{[lower-alpha 8]}	Rep	Gerald R. Stockman	Dem
16th Legislative District	John H. Ewing	Rep	John H. Ewing	Rep
17th Legislative District	William J. Hamilton	Dem	John A. Lynch Jr.	Dem
18th Legislative District	Vacant^{[lower-alpha 9]}		James Bornheimer	Dem
19th Legislative District	Laurence Weiss	Dem	Laurence Weiss	Dem
20th Legislative District	Anthony E. Russo^{[lower-alpha 10]}	Dem	John Gregorio	Dem
21st Legislative District	John Gregorio^{[lower-alpha 11]}	Dem	C. Louis Bassano	Rep
22nd Legislative District	Donald DiFrancesco	Rep	Donald DiFrancesco	Rep
23rd Legislative District	John H. Dorsey^{[lower-alpha 12]}	Rep	Walter E. Foran	Rep
24th Legislative District	James P. Vreeland^{[lower-alpha 13]}	Rep	Wayne Dumont	Rep
25th Legislative District	James Wallwork	Rep	John H. Dorsey	Rep
26th Legislative District	Frank J. Dodd	Dem	James P. Vreeland	Rep
27th Legislative District	Carmen Orechio^{[lower-alpha 14]}	Dem	Richard Codey	Dem
28th Legislative District	John P. Caufield	Dem	John P. Caufield	Dem
29th Legislative District	Wynona Lipman	Dem	Wynona Lipman	Dem
30th Legislative District	Frank E. Rodgers^{[lower-alpha 15]}	Dem	Carmen Orechio	Dem
31st Legislative District	Wally Sheil	Dem	Edward T. O'Connor Jr.	Dem
32nd Legislative District	James A. Galdieri	Dem	Frank E. Rodgers	Dem
33rd Legislative District	William Musto	Dem	William Musto	Dem
34th Legislative District	Joseph Hirkala^{[lower-alpha 16]}	Dem	Joseph Bubba	Rep
35th Legislative District	Frank X. Graves Jr.	Dem	Frank X. Graves Jr.	Dem
36th Legislative District	Vacant^{[lower-alpha 17]}		Joseph Hirkala	Dem
37th Legislative District	Matthew Feldman	Dem	Matthew Feldman	Dem
38th Legislative District	John Skevin	Dem	John Paolella	Rep
39th Legislative District	Frank Herbert	Dem	Gerald Cardinale	Rep
40th Legislative District	Garrett W. Hagedorn	Rep	Garrett Hagedorn	Rep

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James R. Hurley	11,809	100.00%
Total votes			11,809	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edward H. Salmon	6,961	100.00%
Total votes			6,961	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James R. Hurley	32,443	53.8%
	Democratic	Edward H. Salmon	27,862	46.2%
Total votes			60,305	100.0%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steven P. Perskie (inc.)	5,400	83.79%
	Democratic	Reds Lavin	1,045	16.21%
Total votes			6,445	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joseph McGahn	8,941	100.00%
Total votes			8,941	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steven P. Perskie (incumbent)	29,843	51.7
	Republican	Joseph L. McGahn	27,890	48.3
Total votes			57,733	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raymond Zane (inc.)	13,337	100.00%
Total votes			13,337	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	D. Paul McMahon Jr.	8,015	100.00%
Total votes			8,015	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raymond J. Zane (incumbent)	37,613	63.2
	Republican	D. Paul McMahon, Jr.	21,903	36.8
Total votes			59,516	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel J. Dalton	10,448	65.63%
	Democratic	Kenneth A. Gewertz	5,471	34.37%
Total votes			15,919	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank B. Smith	2,766	60.12%
	Republican	Connie Roggio	1,835	39.88%
Total votes			4,601	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel J. Dalton	32,386	63.3
	Republican	Frank B. Smith	18,755	36.7
Total votes			51,141	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter Rand	9,595	54.27%
	Democratic	Ernest F. Schuck	8,085	45.73%
Total votes			17,680	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John H. Lyons Jr.	2,338	100.00%
Total votes			2,338	100.00%

1981 general election^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Herman T. Costello	31,172	57.1
	Republican	Michael J. Conda	23,391	42.9
Total votes			54,563	100.0

1981 general election^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Leonard T. Connors, Jr.	40,656	64.4
	Democratic	Wesley K. Bell	22,441	35.6
Total votes			63,097	100.0

1981 general election^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brian T. Kennedy (incumbent)	32,063	57.8
	Democratic	George Callas	22,807	41.1
	Citizens	Stan Johnson	574	1.0
Total votes			55,444	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter Rand	32,866	72.0
	Republican	John H. Lyons, Jr.	12,800	28.0
Total votes			45,666	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lee B. Laskin (incumbent)	7,777	100.00%
Total votes			7,777	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Greenberg	11,663	100.00%
Total votes			11,663	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lee B. Laskin (incumbent)	36,279	56.7
	Democratic	James Greenberg	27,735	43.3
Total votes			64,014	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Herman T. Costello	11,723	100.00%
Total votes			11,723	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Michael J. Conda	6,807	100.00%
Total votes			6,807	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	H. James Saxton	10,384	100.00%
Total votes			10,384	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raymond J. Storck	7,328	100.00%
Total votes			7,328	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	H. James Saxton	33,132	65.7
	Democratic	Raymond J. Storck	17,314	34.3
Total votes			50,446	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Leonard T. Connors	13,697	100.00%
Total votes			13,697	100.00%

1981_New_Jersey_State_Senate_election

Incumbents not running for re-election

Democratic

Republican

Summary of results by State Senate district

Close races

District 1

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

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General election

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District 2

Democratic primary

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Republican primary

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General election

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District 3

Democratic primary

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Republican primary

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General election

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District 4

Democratic primary

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Republican primary

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General election

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District 5

Democratic primary

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Republican primary

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General election

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District 6

Republican primary

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Democratic primary

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General election

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District 7

Democratic primary

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Republican primary

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General election

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District 8

Republican primary

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Democratic primary

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Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Wesley K. Bell	6,822	100.00%
Total votes			6,822	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John F. Russo (incumbent)	7,941	100.00%
Total votes			7,941	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hazel Gluck	11,728	100.00%
Total votes			11,728	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John F. Russo (incumbent)	38,166	58.6
	Republican	Hazel S. Gluck	26,933	41.4
Total votes			65,099	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Callas	6,506	100.00%
Total votes			6,506	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	S. Thomas Gagliano (incumbent)	8,456	100.00%
Total votes			8,456	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Roger J. Kane	7,755	100.00%
Total votes			7,755	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	S. Thomas Gagliano (incumbent)	33,521	59.1
	Democratic	Roger J. Kane	23,169	40.9
Total votes			56,690	100.0

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Eugene J. Bedell (incumbent)	8,143	100.00%
Total votes			8,143	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John P. Gallagher	5,930	100.00%
Total votes			5,930	100.00%