1958 United States Senate election in New Jersey

The 1958 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 4, 1958. Incumbent Senator H. Alexander Smith chose not to seek a third term in office. Democratic former U.S. Representative Harrison Williams won the open seat over U.S. Representative Robert Kean.

Primary elections were held on April 15. Kean defeated Eisenhower aide Bernard M. Shanley and Robert J. Morris, while Williams narrowly defeated Hoboken mayor John Grogan. The six total candidates running in the two primaries was the most since open primaries were established in 1913.^[1]

This was one of a record 15 seats Democrats gained from the Republican Party in 1958. Williams was the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from New Jersey since 1936; as of 2025, Democrats have won every subsequent election to this seat.

• Robert Kean, U.S. Representative from Livingston and son of former Senator Hamilton Fish Kean
• Robert J. Morris, chief counsel to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
• Bernard M. Shanley, aide to President Dwight Eisenhower

• H. Alexander Smith, incumbent Senator since 1944 (withdrew November 26, 1957;^[2] endorsed Kean)^[3]

• C. Douglas Dillon, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs^[4]
• Wayne Dumont, state senator from Warren County^[5]
• Peter Frelinghuysen Jr., U.S. representative from Morristown^[4]
• Walter H. Jones, state senator from Bergen County^[4] (declined February 28, 1958)^[6]
• James P. Mitchell, U.S. Secretary of Labor^[7]

In June 1957, Robert Kean announced that he was likely to run for Senate against Senator H. Alexander Smith. Kean, who was 65 and whose father and uncle had each served in the Senate, viewed 1958 as his last opportunity to run, given that New Jersey's junior senator, Clifford Case, was eleven years younger than Kean.^[8] Smith announced that he would stand for re-election, expressing surprise that Kean had entered the race without informing him.^[9] On November 7, immediately after Democratic governor Robert Meyner won a landslide re-election victory, Eisenhower aide Bernard Shanley joined the race, resigning as White House Appointments Secretary to run.^[4] Smith announced that he would confer with party leaders to stave off a divisive primary contest with Kean and Shanley,^[4][5] but following the conference, Smith announced in late November 1957 that he would not seek a third term in office.^[2][10]

Robert Morris joined the race on January 11, 1958. He announced a campaign focused on anti-communism and resistance to Soviet influence, saying, "The primary issue today is our survival as a free nation."^[11] Kean formally announced his campaign on January 30, grounding his campaign on international peace, national defense "strong enough to deter any possible aggressor," and "a healthy, expanding national economy with a stable dollar."^[12]

State senator Walter H. Jones of Bergen County, who was seen as a leading contender, announced he would not be a candidate on March 1.^[6]

Kean campaigned on a liberal platform throughout the state, touring all twenty-one counties. He ran on his record of tax reduction, liberalization of Social Security, and reduction in trade barriers, and called for increased spending on public works and military aid to counter Soviet expansion but warned against "pump-priming" New Deal-era measures. Kean introduced a tax cut bill in the House. Because of his busy schedule, his sons, Robert Jr., Hamilton, and future governor Thomas Kean, campaigned on his behalf.^[13][14]

Morris presented himself as the only conservative candidate in the race and a "strong new voice." He attributed the ongoing economic recession and inflation to spending on foreign aid and defense, which he argued was made necessary by both Democratic and Republican vacillation in the face of Russian imperialism. To combat the recession, he proposed an immediate cut in income and excise taxes. He also argued for a "big tent" approach to politics and posited that the ongoing decline in the Republican vote in New Jersey was due to Eisenhower's feuds with conservative Senators Joseph McCarthy and Robert A. Taft.^[15]

In an appeal to commuters, Shanley proposed a constitutional amendment barring a state from taxing residents of another state.^[16] Entering election day, George Cable of The New York Times reported Shanley had a "definite edge," but with Kean running a close second, and Morris expected to pull more votes from Shanley than Kean.^[17]

Both Shanley and Morris conceded the primary race on election night and endorsed Kean.^[21]

• John J. Grogan, mayor of Hoboken and president of the Shipyard Workers Union
• Joseph E. McLean, Commissioner of Conservation and Economic Development, former Princeton University professor and campaign manager for Robert Meyner in 1953
• Harrison A. Williams, former U.S. Representative from Plainfield

• Thorn Lord, chair of the Mercer County Democratic Organization,^[8] member of the Port of New York Authority and former U.S. Attorney (withdrew March 4)^[22][23][24]
• James F. Murray Jr., Jersey City Commissioner and former State Senator (withdrew March 4 and ran for U.S. House; endorsed McLean)^[23][25]
• John J. Winberry, former Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey and nominee for New Jersey's 8th congressional district in 1952 (ran as independent)^[25]

• Archibald S. Alexander, former New Jersey Treasurer, Undersecretary of the U.S. Army, and nominee in 1948 and 1952 (endorsed Williams)^[26]

The first Democratic candidate to announce was Hoboken mayor John Grogan, who entered the race on January 22, 1958, with the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.^[27] Another eight candidates, led by Harrison Williams and Thorn Lord, vied for establishment support and vowed to drop out in favor of the party choice. Finally, Meyner aide Joseph McLean also entered the race as an outsider candidate.

In late February, Democratic leadership culled the field of candidates to select an establishment choice, with Harrison Williams and Thorn Lord leading a field of ten candidates.^[28] Only Grogan and McLean announced they would force a primary regardless of the establishment choice.^[22] With Lord having a slight majority of support from leadership, party leaders empowered Governor Meyner to choose between Lord and Williams.^[8][24] On March 4, Meyner announced his support for Williams, who consequently received the support of 20 out of 21 county party organizations. Only Hudson County held out, maintaining their support for Grogan.^[23] Party leaders hoped to induce Grogan to withdraw by promising him a U.S. House seat, but talks between Meyner, Grogan, and Hudson County leader William F. Kelly failed.^[6][22]

The primary campaign shaped up as a contest between the state party organization, led by Meyner, and the Hudson County machine, which typically accounted for 40% of the statewide primary vote and had decided the Democratic nominee in every race for the past sixty years,^[29] but had been in decline since Frank Hague was defeated in 1949. Meyner campaigned for Williams in Edison, Livingston, Nutley, and Caldwell. To combat the ongoing economic recession, Williams proposed an expansion in federal transportation programs and substantial increases in federal unemployment benefits.^[30]

Grogan campaigned in all twenty-one counties and presented himself as the most liberal and most anti-communist of the three options. To combat recession, he proposed a tax cut, increased unemployment benefits, public works spending, and higher pensions. He had the full support of organized labor throughout the race and gained the endorsement of the Camden County Democratic Organization from Williams, against the wishes of Camden mayor George E. Brunner.^[29]

McLean emphasized his "unbossed" independence, resisting pleas from Meyner to abandon his campaign and contending that the race was actually between himself and Grogan, claiming Williams "never got off the ground." He proposed a tax cut to end the recession and a robust national defense spending for the nuclear age.^[31] Within Hudson County, he had the support of Jersey City mayor Charles S. Witkowski and former state senator James F. Murray Jr., both opponents of the county machine.

In the final week of the campaign, Williams made a pair of campaign stops in Hudson County,^[30] and Grogan won a late victory^[32] Grogan was also able to flip the Atlantic County Democratic Organization in the final week.^[31] As the campaign closed, it was regarded as a close contest and a test of the prestige of both Governor Meyner and the Hudson County organization. Meyner declined to make a prediction on election day and disclaimed the election as any test of his political strength.^[29] George Cable of The New York Times considered Grogan the slight favorite but said, "a victory by Mr. Williams would surprise no observers."^[17]

Williams was the first candidate to win a Democratic nomination in New Jersey without the support of Hudson County since the 1898 gubernatorial election.^[8] He attributed his victory directly to Meyner's support.^[21] Grogan carried Hudson County over McLean by a wide margin; he also pulled out narrow victories in Atlantic and Camden counties, where he had been endorsed late in the race.^[8]

• John M. D'Addetta, resident of Hoboken (People's Choice)
• Robert Kean, U.S. Representative from Livingston (Republican)
• Henry Krajewski, Secaucus resident and perennial candidate (Politicians are Jokers)
• Winifred O. Perry, Montclair resident and perennial candidate (Conservative)
• Albert Ronis, Bridgeton resident and perennial candidate (Socialist Labor)
• Daniel Roberts, resident of Newark (Socialist Workers)
• Harrison A. Williams, former U.S. Representative from Plainfield (Democratic)
• John J. Winberry, former Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey and Democratic nominee for New Jersey's 8th congressional district in 1952 (Independent)

Kean began the race as the favorite but soon faced political headwinds, as well as an energetic campaign from Williams with the support of state government under Meyner.^[8] He also struggled with divisions in his own party. Party chair Samuel L. Bodine died unexpectedly of a heart problem on September 15, leaving a vacancy during the campaign with no clear successor, creating an intra-party struggle for the seat between regional and ideological factions led by Clifford Case, Richard Stout, Walter H. Jones, Frank S. Farley, and Malcolm Forbes. At Kean's request, incumbent Senator Smith was named a temporary placeholder.^[34]

• 1958 United States Senate elections