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1953 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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The 1953 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1953. Incumbent governor Alfred E. Driscoll was constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third term in office. Democratic former State Senator Robert B. Meyner defeated Republican businessman Paul L. Troast winning 53.17% of the vote.

1953 New Jersey gubernatorial election
← 1949 November 3, 1953 1957 →
 
Nominee Robert B. Meyner Paul L. Troast
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 962,710 809,068
Percentage 53.2% 44.7%
County results
Meyner:      50–60%      60–70%
Troast:      50–60%      60–70%
Governor before election

Alfred E. Driscoll
Republican

Elected Governor

Robert B. Meyner
Democratic

Primary elections were held on April 21, 1953.[1]

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Campaign

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The campaign was primarily a contest between businessman Paul Troast and state senator and billionaire magazine publisher Malcolm Forbes. Troast campaigned on a platform of spending cuts and was considered the favorite by the final weeks of the campaign.[3] He had the support of the Driscoll administration and virtually every major Republican leader, including 18 out of 21 county organizations,[2] while Forbes ran as an outsider anti-administration candidate.[3]

Results

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Troast won handily. Forbes carried his home county of Somerset and native Passaic by large margins, but trailed nearly everywhere else.[2]

Republican Party primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul L. Troast 218,826 51.59%
Republican Malcolm Forbes 166,364 39.22%
Republican Kenneth C. Hand 15,373 3.62%
Republican Alvin W. Van Schoick 7,504 1.77%
Republican Frederick F. Richardson 6,255 1.48%
Republican Fred E. Shepard 6,229 1.47%
Republican Charles Richard Klein 3,627 0.86%
Total votes 424,178 100.0%

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Campaign

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The primary campaign was a tight contest between the previous nominee, former Congressman Elmer H. Wene and former State Senator Robert B. Meyner. It was the first competitive Democratic primary for governor in at least 25 years. Meyner had the support of the state party establishment and a base in North Jersey, while Wene enjoyed an edge among rank-and-file voters and higher name recognition owing to his 1949 campaign.[3]

The Democratic campaign was insurgent, with both front-runners focusing on gambling and criminal enforcement scandals in the incumbent Republican Driscoll administration.[2]

Results

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On election night, the results were inconclusive and neither candidate claimed clear victory; Meyner led by about 6,000, owing to a large margin in Hudson County, but most of the outstanding vote was from Wene's base in rural South Jersey.[2] After Meyner was declared the victor following a recount, Wene refused to support him, calling the Jersey City results "questionable."[4]

Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robert B. Meyner 107,801 45.68%
Democratic Elmer H. Wene 106,216 45.01%
Democratic Alexander F. Ormsby 17,161 7.27%
Democratic John J. Winberry 4,828 2.05%
Total votes 236,006 100.00%

General election

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Candidates

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Campaign

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The race received national attention as a test of the popularity of the new Dwight Eisenhower presidency, as the only other state election holding elections, Virginia, was safely Democratic.[2]

Late in the campaign, Meyner suffered a setback when Democratic former mayor of Jersey Frank Hague Eggers endorsed Troast over his opposition to current mayor John V. Kenny, Meyner's chief backer. A week after that, Democratic runner-up and prior nominee Elmer H. Wene refused to support Meyner's candidacy, referring to the result in Jersey City, and therefore the primary overall, as "questionable." Though he did not endorse Troast, Wene said that "the election of a Democratic candidate would in truth be the election of Mayor Kenny and would destroy the integrity of our state government." State party chairman Charles R. Howell referred to Wene's statement as "pathetic" and accused Republicans of an alliance with former Democratic boss Frank Hague.[4]

Results

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New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1953[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert B. Meyner 962,710 53.17%   6.04
Republican Paul L. Troast 809,068 44.68%   6.86
Independent Clendenin Ryan 23,271 1.29% N/A
Independent Henry B. Krajewski 12,881 0.71% N/A
Socialist Labor Albert Ronis 2,882 0.16%   0.22
Majority
Turnout
Democratic hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1953. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Troast Nominated in Jersey; Meyner Leads Wene Slightly". The New York Times. April 22, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "CANDIDATES BUSY ON JERSEY STUMPS". The New York Times. April 15, 1953. p. 45. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "WENE REFUSES AID IN MEYNER'S RACE; Jersey Democrat Defeated in Gubernatorial Primary Says He Will Not Support Rival". October 28, 1953. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1953. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
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