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1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election
	County results; Hughes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% ; Dumont: 50–60%
Governor before election; Richard J. Hughes; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Richard J. Hughes; Democratic

The 1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1965. Incumbent Democrat Richard J. Hughes defeated Republican nominee Wayne Dumont with 57.39% of the vote. The gubernatorial elections from 1953 to 1965 are the last in New Jersey in which any party won more than two consecutive elections. This is the most recent time a Democrat was reelected Governor with a higher share of the vote than the previous election.

Primary elections were held on June 1, 1965.^[1] Hughes was easily re-elected over token opposition from William H. Clark, while Dumont won a narrow primary over fellow state senator Charles W. Sandman Jr. of Cape May County.

Bergen County voted Democratic for the first time since 1931, and since this election, the county has become a bellwether having voted for the winning candidate all but once since. Democrats simultaneously flipped both houses of the New Jersey legislature, a first since 1915.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Richard J. Hughes, incumbent Governor
William H. Clark, Newark Marxist activist and member of the Negro-Labor Vanguard

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard J. Hughes (incumbent)	236,518	90.89%
	Democratic	William H. Clark	23,722	9.12%
Total votes			260,240	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Wayne Dumont, State Senator from Warren County
Charles W. Sandman, Jr., State Senator from Cape May County
Harold P. Poeschel, Short Hills life insurance agent and perennial Conservative Party candidate^[2]^[3]

Declined

Nelson Stamler, State Senator from Union County^[4] (endorsed Sandman)

Campaign

Senator Nelson Stamler ran an unannounced campaign for party support, citing opposition to court-mandated legislative redistricting and Dumont's proposal for a sales tax. After failing to gain endorsements, Stamler declined to run and instead endorsed Sandman.^[4]

Results

Republican Party primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wayne Dumont	167,402	50.35%
	Republican	Charles W. Sandman Jr.	154,491	46.47%
	Republican	Harold P. Poeschel	10,576	3.18%
Total votes			332,469	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Wayne Dumont, State Senator from Warren County (Republican)
Richard J. Hughes, incumbent Governor since 1962 (Democratic)
Julius Levin, apartment manager (Socialist Labor)
Robert Lee Schlachter (Conservative)
Ruth F. Shiminsky (Socialist Workers)
Christopher C. Vespucci (Veterans Choice)

Results

New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1965^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Richard J. Hughes (incumbent)	1,279,568	57.39%	7.02
	Republican	Wayne Dumont	915,996	41.08%	7.66
	Conservative	Robert Lee Schlachter	20,753	0.93%	0.73
	Independent	Christopher C. Vespucci	5,378	0.24%	N/A
	Socialist Labor	Julius Levin	4,669	0.21%	0.11
	Socialist Workers	Ruth F. Shiminsky	3,219	0.14%	0.09
Majority
Turnout
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1965. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
^ "Williams Is Given Edge on Shanley – Anti‐Goldwater Vote Seen Going to Jersey Senator". The New York Times. October 26, 1964. p. 34.
^ Waggoner, Walter H. (May 30, 1965). "G.O.P. Fights Pace Jersey Primaries; 3,146,000 Are Eligible to Vote on Tuesday". The New York Times. p. 54.
^ ^a ^b "Stamler Indicates Entry Into Jersey G.O.P. Primary". The New York Times. March 7, 1965. p. 58.
^ "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1965. Retrieved August 24, 2015.

[state1965-1] "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1965. Retrieved August 24, 2015.

[2] "Williams Is Given Edge on Shanley – Anti‐Goldwater Vote Seen Going to Jersey Senator". The New York Times. October 26, 1964. p. 34.

[3] Waggoner, Walter H. (May 30, 1965). "G.O.P. Fights Pace Jersey Primaries; 3,146,000 Are Eligible to Vote on Tuesday". The New York Times. p. 54.

[stamler-4] "Stamler Indicates Entry Into Jersey G.O.P. Primary". The New York Times. March 7, 1965. p. 58.

[5] "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1965. Retrieved August 24, 2015.

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