1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey
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The 1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Clifford P. Case defeated Democratic nominee Paul J. Krebs with 62.46% of the vote.
Primary elections were held on June 6.[1] Case turned away a challenge from conservative doctor James Ralph.[2] Krebs won a large plurality in the Democratic primary over Daniel Gaby and Joseph Karcher.
As of 2025, this was the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey,[a] the second longest such drought for Republicans in any state after Hawaii (since 1970).
Case outperformed Richard Nixon's vote share in the concurrent presidential election by 0.89%.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Clifford P. Case, incumbent United States Senator
- James W. Ralph, Bergen County physician and candidate for State Senate in 1971[2][3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Clifford P. Case (incumbent) | 187,268 | 70.13% | |
| Republican | James W. Ralph | 79,766 | 29.87% | |
| Total votes | 267,034 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Daniel M. Gaby, Somerset County advertising executive and chair of the Democratic Policy Council[3][4]
- Joseph T. Karcher, Sayreville Borough Attorney and former State Assemblyman[4]
- Henry Kielbasa, Linden railroad worker[3][4]
- Paul J. Krebs, former U.S. Representative from Livingston[4]
Withdrawn
- Patrick McGahn, chair of the Atlantic County Democratic Committee[4]
Declined
- Edward Crabiel, Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate[4]
Campaign
Krebs ran with the support of organized labor and the Hubert Humphrey presidential campaign, as well as the party establishment in Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties, while Gaby ran as a reform candidate and aligned himself with George McGovern's campaign.[2][3][5]
Results
Although McGovern won the state's presidential delegate primary easily over Hubert Humphrey, Krebs defeated Gaby by roughly 50,000 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Paul J. Krebs | 135,000 | 43.16% | |
| Democratic | Daniel M. Gaby | 86,213 | 27.56% | |
| Democratic | Joseph T. Karcher | 51,321 | 16.41% | |
| Democratic | Henry Kielbasa | 40,235 | 12.86% | |
| Total votes | 312,769 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Clifford Case, incumbent Senator since 1955 (Republican)
- A. Howard Freund, Roselle Park resident[3] (American)
- Paul J. Krebs, former U.S. Representative from Livingston (Democratic)
- Jules Levin, candidate for U.S. Senate in 1966 (Socialist Labor)
- Charles W. Wiley (Independent)
Campaign
From the start of the post-primary campaign, Krebs faced "virtually insurmountable political odds."[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Clifford P. Case (incumbent) | 1,743,854 | 62.46% | 2.44 | |
| Democratic | Paul J. Krebs | 963,573 | 34.51% | 2.47 | |
| American | A. Howard Freund | 40,980 | 1.47% | N/A | |
| Independent | Charles W. Wiley | 33,442 | 1.20% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Jules Levin | 10,058 | 0.36% | 0.12 | |
| Majority | 780,281 | ||||
| Turnout | 2,791,907 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Notes
- ^ Nicholas F. Brady who would later be appointed in the Class 1 seat in 1982 following the resignation of Harrison A. Williams, while Jeffrey Chiesa was later then appointed in this same Class 2 seat in 2013 following the death of Frank Lautenberg.
References
- ^ a b c "1972 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1972. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Insurgents' Victory Is Likely in Jersey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "4 DEMOCRATS SEEK TO OPPOSE CASE; But Jersey Senator Is Rated as Virtually Unbeatable". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f David Wildstein (September 2, 2019). "Labor Leader: Paul J. Krebs, last president of NJ CIO served one-term in Congress". Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Ronald (June 8, 1972). "VICTORS IN JERSEY SEEK PARTY RULE". The New York Times. p. 39.
- ^ "1972 General Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1972. Retrieved March 20, 2019.