1988 United States Senate election in New Jersey explained

Election Name:1988 United States Senate election in New Jersey
Country:New Jersey
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1982 United States Senate election in New Jersey
Previous Year:1982
Next Election:1994 United States Senate election in New Jersey
Next Year:1994
Election Date:November 8, 1988
Image1:Frank Lautenberg 1983 congressional photo.jpg
Nominee1:Frank Lautenberg
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:1,599,905
Percentage1:53.55%
Nominee2:Pete Dawkins
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:1,349,937
Percentage2:45.18%
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Frank Lautenberg
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Frank Lautenberg
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1988 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg won re-election to a second term with a margin of 8.37%. This is the last time that a Senate candidate was elected to the United States Senate in New Jersey at the same time that a presidential candidate of the opposite party won New Jersey.

Background

See also: 1982 United States Senate election in New Jersey. Businessman Frank Lautenberg was elected in 1982 in a hard-fought, come-from-behind upset victory over U.S. Representative Millicent Fenwick. Given his narrow victory and low name recognition, New Jersey Republicans eagerly targeted his seat as a potential victory. Popular second-term Governor Thomas Kean led the efforts to recruit a challenger.[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Senator Lautenberg formally launched his re-election campaign in April.[2] He ignored his primary opponents, instead focusing on the general election and Pete Dawkins.[3]

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declined

Campaign

In 1987, Governor Thomas Kean recruited Pete Dawkins to move from New York City to Rumson, New Jersey in order to campaign as a Republican for Senate. Kean served as Dawkins's campaign chair.[4] Efforts to recruit Dawkins were paired with efforts to persuade Commissioner of Community Affairs Leonard S. Coleman Jr. against running; Coleman was a personal friend of the Governor and was the early favorite to challenge Lautenberg.[1] [5]

Pete Dawkins announced his campaign on March 1 with the enthusiastic endorsement of Governor Kean. At his campaign announcement, Kean praised Dawkins as "the only West Point cadet in history to be the Captain of Cadets, president of his class, captain of the football team and finish in the top 5 percent of his class, and, by the way, pick up a Heisman Trophy and Rhodes Scholarship on the side." Dawkins pledged support for giving a presidential line-item veto and a "sweeping reform" of the federal budget process, while favoring budget cuts, including cuts to military spending, over tax increases.[6]

On April 19, President Reagan appeared and spoke at a pre-primary fundraising dinner for Dawkins in Washington D.C., where Dawkins presented Reagan with a football signed by many Heisman Trophy winners.[7]

Results

Dawkins was unopposed in the primary.

General election

Candidates

Campaign

With no serious primary threat, Lautenberg and Dawkins targeted each other from early March. Both candidates being political moderates, the campaign quickly turned personal.[4] On the day of Dawkins's campaign announcement, Lautenberg pointed out that he was a lifelong New Jerseyan, while Dawkins had moved to the state to run for Senate. Dawkins responded, "The important thing is not where we were born, but who we are, what our vision for the state is, and how we intend to act in the United States Senate."[6] Lautenberg's carpetbagging accusation was a theme throughout the campaign.[8] Dawkins aimed to tie himself to the popular Governor Kean, while Lautenberg leaned on his relationship with New Jersey's more popular senior Senator, Bill Bradley.[4]

The campaign was full of political mudslinging. In addition to his carpetbagging accusation, Lautenberg's campaign also accused Dawkins's of lying about his war record.[9] Dawkins accused Lautenberg of running a smear campaign, called him a "swamp dog",[10] and criticized him for saying he voted eight times against a senatorial pay raise without mentioning the fact that he did vote once for the pay raise.[9]

Paul Begala and James Carville consulted for the Lautenberg campaign, while Roger Stone consulted for Dawkins. Stone called Dawkins “the biggest thing to hit New Jersey since Bill Bradley.”[5]

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
Frank
Lautenberg (D)
Pete
Dawkins (R)
Other/
Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton Poll[11] Jan. 29–Feb. 8, 1988575 LV±4.2% align=center45%16%39%
Rutgers-Eagleton PollMay 18–26, 1988611 LV±4.0% align=center45%28%27%
Rutgers-Eagleton PollSeptember 16–22, 1988765 LV±3.5% align=center53%32%16%
Rutgers-Eagleton Pollalign=center rowspan="2" October 17–25, 1988774 RV±3.5% align=center50%38%12%
627 LV±4.0% align=center50%39%11%
Rutgers-Eagleton Pollalign=center rowspan="2" November 3–6, 19881,183 RV±2.9% align=center49%38%13%
954 LV±3.3% align=center51%39%10%

Results

By county

CountyLautenberg %Lautenberg votesDawkins %Dawkins votesOther %Other votes
54.7% 41,004 44.6% 33,417 0.7% 493
52.6% 199,195 45.5% 172,257 1.9% 7,291
52.0% 75,513 47.3% 68,657 0.6% 929
59.1% 110,718 40.1% 75,162 0.8% 1,438
46.6% 19,720 52.8% 22,349 0.5% 223
55.4% 25,379 42.9% 19,680 1.7% 771
65.0% 170,591 32.4% 85,169 2.6% 6,855
53.4% 46,247 42.9% 39,232 1.7% 1,055
61.7% 108,355 37.0% 65,092 1.3% 2,270
41.1% 18,281 57.6% 25,615 1.2% 544
61.8% 80,569 37.7% 49,122 0.6% 724
55.1% 141,067 43.8% 112,182 1.1% 2,796
50.8% 117,063 48.3% 111,318 0.8% 1,906
43.0% 79,237 56.4% 103,843 0.6% 1,057
46.0% 84,812 53.2% 98,161 0.8% 1,512
52.7% 77,827 45.0% 66,440 2.4% 3,512
48.8% 12,485 49.1% 12,562 2.1% 534
46.4% 47,648 52.5% 53,969 1.1% 1,138
38.4% 19,035 60.4% 29,909 1.2% 613
55.0% 109,852 44.1% 88,027 0.9% 1,775
45.8% 15,307 53.2% 17,774 1.1% 356

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: POLITICS; SENATE RACE IS BEGINNING TO WARM UP. 29 Mar 1987. Sullivan. Joseph F.. The New York Times . 24 Mar 2022.
  2. News: Lautenberg Opens Drive for Re-election. 26 Apr 1988. The New York Times. AP. 24 Mar 2022.
  3. News: Mud and Money Ready in Jersey Race. 24 Mar 2022. 16 May 1988. The New York Times. Sullivan. Joseph F..
  4. News: THE REGION: The Dawkins Challenge; 2 American Dreams Are On Display in Jersey Race. Sullivan. Joseph F.. The New York Times . 6 Mar 1988. 24 Mar 2022.
  5. Web site: New Jersey GOP could have had a Black senator 34 years ago, but they went in a different direction. 17 Jan 2022. 24 Mar 2022. Wildstein. David. New Jersey Globe.
  6. News: Dawkins Announces Race for Senate. Sullivan. Joseph F.. The New York Times. 1 Mar 1988. B6. 24 Mar 2022.
  7. Web site: President Reagan's Remarks at Campaign Fundraising Reception for Pete Dawkins on April 19, 1988. .
  8. News: Otterbourg . Robert . NEW JERSEY OPINION; Carpetbagging is Not a Real Issue . . June 26, 1988 . May 16, 2015.
  9. News: Povich . Elaine S. . New Jersey Senate Race A Mudslide . May 16, 2015 . . October 20, 1988.
  10. News: May . Clifford D. . For Senate Rivals in Jersey, It's Personal . New York Times . October 26, 1988 . May 16, 2015.
  11. https://eagletonpoll.parc.us.com/client/index.html#/search Rutgers-Eagleton Poll