1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey
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The 1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Clifford P. Case defeated Democratic nominee Paul J. Krebs with 62.46% of the vote.
Primary elections were held on June 6.[1] Case turned away a challenge from James Ralph. Krebs won a large plurality in the Democratic primary over Daniel Gaby and Joseph Karcher.
As of 2023[update], this was the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey.[a]
Senator Clifford Philip Case outperformed President Richard Nixon in terms of popular vote percentage by winning 0.89% more than Richard Nixon had won New Jersey with in the concurrent presidential election.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Clifford P. Case, incumbent United States Senator
- James W. Ralph
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Clifford P. Case (incumbent) | 187,268 | 70.13% | |
| Republican | James W. Ralph | 79,766 | 29.87% | |
| Total votes | 267,034 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Daniel M. Gaby, advertising executive and chair of the Democratic Policy Council[2]
- Joseph T. Karcher, Sayreville Borough Attorney and former State Assemblyman[2]
- Henry Kielbasa, railroad worker[2]
- Paul J. Krebs, former U.S. Representative from Livingston[2]
Withdrawn
- Patrick McGahn, chair of the Atlantic County Democratic Committee[2]
Declined
- Edward Crabiel, Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate[2]
Campaign
Krebs ran with the support of organized labor and the Hubert Humphrey presidential campaign, while Gaby ran as a reform candidate and aligned himself with George McGovern's campaign.[3]
Results
Although McGovern won the state's presidential preference primary easily, Krebs defeated Gaby by roughly 50,000 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Paul J. Krebs | 135,000 | 43.16% | |
| Democratic | Daniel M. Gaby | 86,213 | 27.56% | |
| Democratic | Joseph T. Karcher | 51,321 | 16.41% | |
| Democratic | Henry Kielbasa | 40,235 | 12.86% | |
| Total votes | 312,769 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Clifford Case, incumbent Senator since 1955 (Republican)
- A. Howard Freund, (American)
- Paul J. Krebs, former U.S. Representative from Livingston (Democratic)
- Jules Levin, candidate for U.S. Senate in 1966 (Socialist Labor)
- Charles W. Wiley, (Independent)
Campaign
From the start of the post-primary campaign, Krebs faced "virtually insurmountable political odds."[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Clifford P. Case (incumbent) | 1,743,854 | 62.46% |  2.44 | |
| Democratic | Paul J. Krebs | 963,573 | 34.51% |  2.47 | |
| American | A. Howard Freund | 40,980 | 1.47% | N/A | |
| Independent | Charles W. Wiley | 33,442 | 1.20% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Jules Levin | 10,058 | 0.36% | 0.12 | |
| Majority | 780,281 | ||||
| Turnout | 2,791,907 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Notes
- ^ Nicholas F. Brady who would later be appointed in the Class 1 seat in 1982 following the resignation of Harrison A. Williams, while Jeffrey Chiesa was later then appointed in this same Class 2 seat in 2013 following the death of Frank Lautenberg.
References
- ^ a b c "1972 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1972. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f David Wildstein (September 2, 2019). "Labor Leader: Paul J. Krebs, last president of NJ CIO served one-term in Congress". Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Ronald (June 8, 1972). "VICTORS IN JERSEY SEEK PARTY RULE". The New York Times. p. 39.
- ^ "1972 General Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1972. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
