1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election

Candidates • Herbert J. Buehler, former state senator from Point Pleasant Beach • John J. Degnan, New Jersey Attorney General • Frank J. Dodd, state senator from West Orange • James Florio, U.S. Representative from Runnemede • Kenneth A. Gibson, Mayor of Newark • William J. Hamilton, state senator from New Brunswick • Ann Klein, Human Services Commissioner, former Assemblywoman from Morristown, and candidate for governor in 1973 • Stella E. Mann • Barbara McConnell, state assemblywoman from Flemington • Joseph P. Merlino, president of the New Jersey Senate from Trenton • Rose Zeidwerg Monyek • Robert A. Roe, U.S. Representative from Wayne and candidate for governor in 1977 • Thomas F. X. Smith, Mayor of Jersey City Withdrew • Donald Lan, Secretary of State of New Jersey (withdrew April 1981) • Charles B. Yates, state senator from Edgewater Park Both Robert Roe and Jim Florio, who had run in 1977 against incumbent governor Byrne, ran again in 1981. Most of the campaign was dominated by Florio and Roe, the best known candidates on the basis of their 1977 challenge to Byrne. However, they remained in Washington, D.C. for much of the campaign, allowing a number of challengers to gain attention. For months, Gov. Byrne declined to endorse a candidate to succeed him. Instead, he praised several candidates: Degnan, Florio and Merlino for preserving the Pine Barrens; Merlino for his position on firearms; William J. Hamilton as a tax reformer; and Gibson as an urban planner. Eventually, Byrne threw his support behind Degnan and urged some other candidates to stand down. As the primary campaign came to a close, no clear favorite had emerged. ==Republican primary==

, won a large victory in New Jersey. His election and the early stages of his presidency served as the backdrop for the 1981 campaign, in which nearly all of the Republican field focused on their affinity with the President. Candidates • Anthony Imperiale, State Assemblyman from Newark • Thomas Kean, former Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly from Livingston • Lawrence F. "Pat" Kramer, mayor of Paterson and former Commissioner of Community Affairs • Richard McGlynn, former Superior Court Judge • Barry T. Parker, state senator from Mount Holly • John K. Rafferty, mayor of Hamilton • Bo Sullivan, businessman • James Wallwork, State Senator from Short Hills Withdrew • Donald J. Albanese, State Assemblyman from Belvidere (ran for State Senate) Declined • Raymond Bateman, former state senator and nominee for governor in 1977 The first candidate to enter the race for the Republican nomination was Assemblyman Donald J. Albanese, who announced even before the conclusion of the 1980 election. His announcement was shortly followed by that of Pat Kramer, the four-term mayor of Paterson. Both candidates entered the race as moderates, though emphasizing their appeal to supporters of President-elect Ronald Reagan following his overwhelming victory in the state. The surprise entry into the race was businessman Bo Sullivan, whose political involvement had been limited to service as finance chair of the Essex County Republican organization. Sullivan laid the groundwork for his campaign at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, where despite being a complete unknown, he fêted the New Jersey delegates with a lavish poolside dinner. Beginning in January, Sullivan spent over $1 million of his own money to fund a television ad campaign throughout the state. Both Kramer and Kean embraced capital punishment as a solution to crime and drug trafficking in the state. Campaign finance Results In his victory speech, Kean praised his opponents and said the fall campaign would be a referendum on the Byrne administration. "People are sick in this state about the loss of jobs, the rise in taxes, the expansion of government and the fear of crime that abounds in this state," he said. ==General election==

Candidates • James Florio, U.S. Representative from Runnemede (Democratic) • Bill Gahres, electrician and ditchdigger (Down With Lawyers) • Harry J. Gaynor, former mayor of Plainfield (Leadership By Example) In one early television ad, Kean was shown playing bocce, an indication that he was appealing to ethnic Italian voters. In the final days of the campaign, Vice President George H. W. Bush and U.S. Senator Bill Bradley campaigned with Kean and Florio, respectively. Polling Campaign finance Results Initial results On election night, the results were extremely close. At least two television networks inaccurately declared Florio the winner. Kean proceeded to his campaign headquarters in Livingston to deliver a prepared concession speech, but was stopped by his campaign manager. By the end of the night, Kean held a lead of 1,677 votes, and neither candidate would concede the race. Litigation arising from the Ballot Security Task Force activities led to the Republican National Committee operating under a consent decree through 2018 constraining its use of a variety of tactics it deployed in the New Jersey 1981 gubernatorial campaign. Recount Florio, who later admitted he "assumed [he] was going to win," as Kean's lead grew slightly. "The people have selected Tom Kean," he said. Though the recount was still ongoing, Florio said that there was no longer any doubt that Kean had won and abandoned his request for a manual recount in Salem, Sussex, and Warren counties. Despite his concession, Florio called for further inquiries into the activities of the Ballot Security Task Force. Results by county Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican • Atlantic • Bergen • Cape May • Hunterdon • Monmouth • Ocean • Union • Warren ==Notes==