Election 1981 Results
Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.
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1981 New Jersey governor election
Thomas H. Kean (Republican) beat James J. Florio (Democrat) in New Jersey in 1981, 49.5% to 49.4%, a margin of 0.08 points and 1,797 votes.
New Jersey changed party: in 1977 it went Democratic, for Brendan T. Byrne.
Republicans led in 12 of the 21 counties as they stood then and Democrats in 9. The largest, Bergen, cast 313,183 votes and went to the Republican by 9.1 points. The closest was Salem, where 493 votes separated the two parties.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
Governor
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas H. Kean won | Republican | 1,145,999 | 49.5% |
| James J. Florio | Democratic | 1,144,202 | 49.4% |
| All other candidates | 27,038 | 1.2% | |
| Total | 2,317,239 |
Every county
| County | Democrat | Republican | Others | Total | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen | 141,018 45.0% | 169,556 54.1% | 2,609 | 313,183 | R+9.1 |
| Essex | 129,969 57.9% | 92,185 41.1% | 2,169 | 224,323 | D+16.8 |
| Middlesex | 95,592 50.9% | 89,618 47.7% | 2,763 | 187,973 | D+3.2 |
| Union | 78,251 45.4% | 91,940 53.4% | 2,030 | 172,221 | R+7.9 |
| Monmouth | 67,970 42.8% | 88,873 55.9% | 2,090 | 158,933 | R+13.2 |
| Hudson | 101,045 64.2% | 54,740 34.8% | 1,706 | 157,491 | D+29.4 |
| Camden | 104,222 68.7% | 46,100 30.4% | 1,304 | 151,626 | D+38.3 |
| Ocean | 52,036 39.3% | 78,757 59.5% | 1,610 | 132,403 | R+20.2 |
| Morris | 41,311 31.9% | 86,883 67.1% | 1,362 | 129,556 | R+35.2 |
| Passaic | 58,573 47.8% | 62,273 50.8% | 1,695 | 122,541 | R+3.0 |
| Burlington | 52,421 52.8% | 45,949 46.2% | 1,006 | 99,376 | D+6.5 |
| Mercer | 53,897 54.8% | 43,156 43.8% | 1,378 | 98,431 | D+10.9 |
| Somerset | 25,121 36.0% | 43,697 62.5% | 1,045 | 69,863 | R+26.6 |
| Gloucester | 44,259 67.3% | 21,017 32.0% | 471 | 65,747 | D+35.4 |
| Atlantic | 30,712 47.3% | 33,460 51.5% | 809 | 64,981 | R+4.2 |
| Cumberland | 18,460 52.8% | 16,109 46.1% | 401 | 34,970 | D+6.7 |
| Sussex | 9,111 28.8% | 21,923 69.3% | 581 | 31,615 | R+40.5 |
| Cape May | 12,274 39.3% | 18,488 59.2% | 449 | 31,211 | R+19.9 |
| Hunterdon | 8,330 31.2% | 17,785 66.7% | 557 | 26,672 | R+35.4 |
| Warren | 9,296 39.7% | 13,649 58.2% | 500 | 23,445 | R+18.6 |
| Salem | 10,334 50.0% | 9,841 47.6% | 503 | 20,678 | D+2.4 |
Counties as they stood in 1981; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.
New Jersey governor elections we hold
| Year | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mikie Sherrill (D) | D+14.4 |
| 2021 | Phil Murphy (D) | D+3.2 |
| 2017 | Philip Murphy (D) | D+14.1 |
| 2013 | Chris Christie (R) | R+22.1 |
| 2009 | Chris Christie (R) | R+3.6 |
| 2005 | Jon S. Corzine (D) | D+10.4 |
| 2001 | James McGreevey (D) | D+14.8 |
| 1997 | Christine T. Whitman (R) | R+1.1 |
| 1993 | Christine T. Whitman (R) | R+1.0 |
| 1989 | James J. Florio (D) | D+24.0 |
| 1985 | Thomas H. Kean (R) | R+40.3 |
| 1981 | Thomas H. Kean (R) | R+0.1 |
| 1977 | Brendan T. Byrne (D) | D+13.9 |
| 1973 | Brendan T. Byrne (D) | D+34.8 |
| 1969 | William T. Cahill (R) | R+21.2 |
| 1965 | Richard J. Hughes (D) | D+16.3 |
| 1961 | Richard J. Hughes (D) | D+1.6 |
| 1957 | Robert B. Meyner (D) | D+10.1 |
| 1953 | Robert B. Meyner (D) | D+8.5 |
| 1949 | Alfred Eastlack Driscoll (R) | R+4.4 |
| 1946 | Alfred Eastlack Driscoll (R) | R+15.7 |
| 1943 | Walter E. Edge (R) | R+11.1 |
| 1940 | Charles Edison (D) | D+3.3 |
| 1937 | Arthur Harry Moore (D) | D+3.1 |
| 1934 | Harold G. Hoffman (R) | R+0.9 |
| 1931 | A. Harry Moore (D) | D+18.1 |
| 1928 | Morgan F. Larson (R) | R+10.1 |
| 1925 | Arthur Harry Moore (D) | D+4.2 |
| 1922 | George S. Silzer (D) | D+5.4 |
| 1919 | Edward I. Edwards (D) | D+3.3 |
| 1916 | Walter Evans Edge (R) | R+15.6 |
| 1913 | James Fairman Fielder (D) | D+8.8 |
| 1910 | Woodrow Wilson (D) | D+11.3 |
| 1907 | John Franklin Fort (R) | R+2.0 |
| 1904 | Edward C. Stokes (R) | R+11.9 |
| 1901 | Franklin Murphy (R) | R+4.7 |
| 1898 | Foster M. Voorhees (R) | R+1.6 |
| 1895 | John W. Griggs (R) | R+8.6 |
| 1892 | George T. Werts (D) | D+2.3 |
| 1889 | Leon Abbett (D) | D+5.3 |
| 1886 | Robert S. Green (D) | D+3.5 |
| 1883 | Leon Abbett (D) | D+3.3 |
| 1880 | George C. Ludlow (D) | D+0.3 |
| 1877 | George B. McClellan (D) | D+6.7 |
| 1874 | Joseph D. Bedle (D) | D+7.3 |
| 1871 | Joel Parker (D) | D+3.8 |
| 1868 | Theodore F. Randolph (D) | D+2.8 |
| 1865 | Marcus Lawrence Ward (R) | R+2.1 |