1961 New Jersey State Senate election
# 1961 New Jersey State Senate election

The 1961 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 5.

The elections took place alongside the election of Governor Richard J. Hughes. Ten of New Jersey's 21 counties elected Senators; no seats changed hands.

## Incumbents not running for re-election

### Democratic

All four Democratic Senators up for re-election ran for another term.

### Republican

* Walter H. Jones (Bergen) (ran for Governor)
* Wesley Lance (Hunterdon)

## Summary of results by county

| County | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | Party |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Atlantic | Frank S. Farley | Rep | Frank S. Farley | | Rep |
| Bergen | Walter H. Jones | Rep | Pierce Deamer | | Rep |
| Burlington | Henry S. Haines | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
| Camden | Joseph W. Cowgill | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
| Cape May | Charles W. Sandman | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
| Cumberland | Robert H. Weber | Dem | Robert H. Weber | | Dem |
| Essex | Donal C. Fox | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
| Gloucester | Thomas F. Connery Jr. | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
| Hudson | William F. Kelley Jr. | Dem | William F. Kelly Jr. | | Dem |
| Hunterdon | Wesley Lance | Rep | Raymond Bowkley | | Rep |
| Mercer | Sido Ridolfi | Dem | Sido Ridolfi | | Dem |
| Middlesex | John A. Lynch | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
| Monmouth | Richard R. Stout | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
| Morris | Thomas J. Hillery | Rep | Thomas J. Hillery | | Rep |
| Ocean | W. Steelman Mathis | Rep | W. Steelman Mathis | | Rep |
| Passaic | Anthony J. Grossi | Dem | Anthony J. Grossi | | Dem |
| Salem | John A. Waddington | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
| Somerset | William E. Ozzard | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
| Sussex | George B. Harper | Rep | George B. Harper | | Rep |
| Union | Robert C. Crane | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
| Warren | Wayne Dumont | Rep | No election | No election | No election |

### Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

* Ocean, 5.74%
* Hunterdon, 5.76%
* Cumberland, 9.27%

## Atlantic

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Republican | Frank S. Farley (incumbent) | 34,949 | 57.93% |
| | Democratic | John M. Keeley | 25,381 | 42.07% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 60,330 | 100.0% |

## Bergen

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Republican | Pierce H. Deamer Jr. | 160,125 | 55.81% |
| | Democratic | Fred C. Galda | 124,492 | 43.39% |
| | Conservative | Irving F. Kent | 1,626 | 0.57% |
| | Socialist Labor | Nathan Karp | 668 | 0.23% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 286,911 | 100.0% |

## Cumberland

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Robert H. Weber (incumbent) | 19,123 | 54.61% |
| | Republican | Carlton E. Mason | 15,875 | 45.34% |
| | Socialist Labor | Walter C. Wright | 18 | 0.05% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 35,016 | 100.0% |

## Hudson

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | William F. Kelley Jr. (incumbent) | 136,987 | 60.71% |
| | Republican | Norman H. Roth | 86,914 | 38.52% |
| | Conservative | Clifford R. Ensslin | 1,731 | 0.77% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 225,632 | 100.0% |

## Hunterdon

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Republican | Raymond E. Bowkley | 10,629 | 52.33% |
| | Democratic | Frank W. Bohren | 9,458 | 46.57% |
| | Conservative | Robert W. Harris | 223 | 1.10% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 20,310 | 100.0% |

## Mercer

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Sido L. Ridolfi (incumbent) | 57,895 | 64.45% |
| | Republican | Daniel A. O'Donnell | 31,929 | 35.55% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 89,824 | 100.0% |

Remarkably, Senator Ridolfi received the exact same number of votes he had received in 1957.

## Morris

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Republican | Thomas J. Hillery (incumbent) | 57,917 | 68.00% |
| | Democratic | Edward A. Dunbar | 27,259 | 32.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 85,176 | 100.0% |

## Ocean

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Republican | W. Steelman Mathis (incumbent) | 22,010 | 52.87% |
| | Democratic | Albert J. Cucci | 19,624 | 47.13% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 41,634 | 100.0% |

## Passaic

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Anthony J. Grossi (incumbent) | 72,676 | 55.13% |
| | Republican | Paul G. DeMuro | 58,080 | 44.06% |
| | Conservative | Charles R. Checkley | 804 | 0.61% |
| | Socialist | Harry Santhouse | 255 | 0.19% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 131,815 | 100.0% |

## Sussex

1961 general election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Republican | George B. Harper (incumbent) | 10,670 | 54.95% |
| | Democratic | Frank A. Dolan | 8,749 | 45.05% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 19,419 | 100.0% |
