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{{Short description|none}}{{see also|1985 United States gubernatorial elections}}{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}

factoids

150px)|Municipality Results}}| map_size = Kean: {{legend0>#e27f7f#d75d5d#d72f30|70–80%}}| title = Governor| before_election = Thomas Kean| before_party = Republican Party (United States)| after_election = Thomas Kean| after_party = Republican Party (United States)}}{{ElectionsNJ}}The 1985 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1985. Incumbent Republican Governor Thomas Kean won a landslide re-election against the Democratic candidate, Essex County Executive Peter Shapiro. As of 2024, Kean's is the largest margin in terms of percentage and raw votes in all New Jersey gubernatorial elections.NEWS,weblink Raymond Bateman says Tom Kean won the 1985 gubernatorial election by largest margin in state's history, O'Neill, Erin, November 29, 2012, PolitiFact New Jersey, June 16, 2015, Kean was the first Republican to be re-elected governor since 1949, and the first Republican to ever win two four-year terms.Primary elections were held on June 4. Kean was unopposed for the Republican nomination. In the Democratic primary, Shapiro prevailed over strong competition from Senate President John F. Russo and Newark mayor Kenneth A. Gibson. Stephen B. Wiley and Robert Del Tufo ran competitive campaigns but finished well behind the top three.The general election was a foregone conclusion in favor of the popular incumbent. Kean won 564 out of 567 municipalities (all except Audubon Park, Chesilhurst, and Roosevelt)NEWS,weblink Reality Catches Up to a Utopian Legacy; A New Jersey Oasis Debates High Taxes and Suburban Growth, The New York Times, November 15, 1999, Hanley, Robert, June 16, 2015, When Gov. Thomas H. Kean, a Republican, ran for re-election in 1985, he won by a landslide, with 564 of the state's 567 towns. Roosevelt was one of the three that voted against him. (The others were two tiny boroughs in Camden County: Audubon Park and Chesilhurst.), and a 62% majority among African-American voters,NEWS,weblink How the G.O.P. Can Nail Down the Black Votework=The New York Times access-date=August 30, 2016, a remarkable margin for a modern Republican candidate. Kean's Coattail effect led the Republicans to win the New Jersey General Assembly>General Assembly for the first time since the 1971 elections.HTTP://WWW.UPI.COM/ARCHIVES/1985/11/05/REPUBLICAN-GOV-THOMAS-KEAN-WINNER-FOUR-YEARS-AGO-OF/6189500014800/ >TITLE=REPUBLICAN GOV. THOMAS KEAN, WINNER FOUR YEARS AGO OF... PUBLISHER=UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL ACCESS-DATE=JUNE 16, 2015, To date, Kean is the last Republican to win Essex County, New Jersey and Hudson County, New Jersey>Hudson counties in a statewide election and the last candidate of any party to carry every county. Until 2021, this was the last election where the winning candidate was of the same party as the sitting President.

Republican primary

Results

Incumbent Governor Thomas Kean was unopposed in the Republican primary election.{{Election box begin no changePUBLISHER=SECRETARY OF STATE OF NEW JERSEY ACCESS-DATE=JUNE 16, 2015, }}{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change| candidate = Thomas Kean (incumbent)| party = Republican Party (United States)| votes = 151,259| percentage = 100.00}}{{Election box total no change| votes = 151,259| percentage= 100.00}}{{Election box end}}

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Robert Del Tufo, former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
• Kenneth A. Gibson, mayor of Newark
• Elliot Greenspan, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Democratic Policy CommitteeNEWS,weblink 5th Democrat in Race For Governor in Jersey, Associated Press, The New York Times, March 16, 1985, June 16, 2015,
• John F. Russo, State Senator from Toms River and Senate Majority Leader
• Peter Shapiro, Essex County Executive and former State Assemblyman
• Stephen B. Wiley, former State Senator from Morris Township

Declined

• James Florio, U.S. Representative from Camden and nominee for Governor in 1981

Results

{{Election box begin no change| title = Democratic Party primary results}}{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change| candidate = Peter Shapiro| party = Democratic Party (United States)| votes = 101,243| percentage = 31.02}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change| candidate = John F. Russo| party = Democratic Party (United States)| votes = 86,827| percentage = 26.60}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change| candidate = Kenneth A. Gibson| party = Democratic Party (United States)| votes = 85,293| percentage = 26.13}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change| candidate = Stephen B. Wiley| party = Democratic Party (United States)| votes = 27,914| percentage = 8.55}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change| candidate = Robert Del Tufo| party = Democratic Party (United States)| votes = 19,742| percentage = 6.05}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change| candidate =Elliot Greenspan| party = Democratic Party (United States)| votes = 5,834| percentage = 1.65}}{{Election box total no change| votes = 326,403| percentage= 100.00}}{{Election box end}}

General election

Candidates

• George M. Fishman, retired social studies teacher (Communist)NEWS,weblink Other candidates in the race to be the Governor of Jersey, Staff, November 3, 1985, The New York Times, June 16, 2015,
• Virginia Flynn, word processor and Universal Life Church minister (Libertarian)
• Rodger Headrick, real estate salesman (The True Light)
• Julius Levin, apartment manager (Socialist Labor)
• Thomas Kean, incumbent Governor since 1982 (Republican)
• Mark Satinoff, sheet metal worker (Socialist Workers)
• Peter Shapiro, Essex County Executive and former Assemblyman (Democratic)

Campaign

Kean was riding on high popularity ratings from voters on account of the good economic situation of the state in the 1980s including a surplus in the state budget.NEWS,weblink Democrats in Jersey select Shapiro to face Kean in fall, June 5, 1985, The New York Times, Sullivan, Joseph F., June 16, 2015, His efforts to aid depressed cities through Urban Enterprise Zones and reaching out to groups not typically associated with the Republicans including African Americans and labor unions led to endorsements from black ministers, Coretta Scott King,NEWS, Norman, Michael, CORETTA KING, IN JERSEY, BACKS KEAN AS HE SEEKS THE SUPPORT OF BLACKS,weblink 22 August 2019, The New York Times, 26 October 1985, the AFL–CIO, and The New York Times.JOURNAL,weblink 1985 Elections: New Directions for Parties?, 1986, 41st, Congressional Quarterly, CQ Almanac, June 16, 2015, NEWS,weblink Governor Kean for New Jersey, NYT Editorial Board, The New York Times, October 29, 1985, June 16, 2015, Shapiro ran on a platform of reducing car insurance rates, the state's high property taxes, and improvement of the environment but his struggles of fundraising due to New Jersey being located in two expensive media markets (New York City and Philadelphia) and Kean's momentum left his campaign little-received.

Polling{| class"wikitable"

valign= bottom! style="width:200px;"| Poll source! style="width:175px;"| Date(s)administered! class=small | Samplesize! Margin oferror! style="width:100px;"| PeterShapiro (D)! style="width:100px;"| TomKean (R)! style="width:40px;"| Undecided|Star-Ledger/EagletonAugust 15–25, 1985586 RV±4.1% 13% 68% 19%|Star-Ledger/EagletonSept. 29–Oct. 8, 1985982 LV±3.2% 16% 67% 17%

Results

{{Election box begin | title=New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 1985WEB,weblink Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey, Secretary of State of New Jersey, 1985, June 16, 2015, }}{{Election box winning candidate with party link| }}{{Election box candidate with party link| }}{{Election box candidate with party linkcandidate=Rodger Headrick percentage=0.43% |change= N/A}}{{Election box candidate with party linkcandidate=Virginia Flynn percentage=0.24% |change={{increase}} 0.14}}{{Election box candidate with party linkcandidate=Mark Satinoff percentage=0.19% |change= {{increase}} 0.12}}{{Election box candidate with party linkcandidate=Jules Levin >votes=2,740 change={{increase}} 0.05}}{{Election box candidate with party linkcandidate=George M. Fishman percentage=0.10% |change= N/A}}{{Election box majority|

|votes = 794,402
|percentage = 40.26%
|change =

}}{hide}Election box turnout|

|votes = 1,972,624
|percentage =
|change =

{edih}{hide}Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)
|loser =
|swing =

{edih}{{Election box end}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

• U.S. Election Atlas
• October 28 analysis of the race by Prof. Cliff Zukin of the Eagleton Institute of Politics

{{1985 United States elections}}