1973 New Jersey Senate election

← 1971 November 6, 1973 1977 →
All 40 seats in the New Jersey State Senate 21 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader J. Edward Crabiel Alfred Beadleston Party Democratic Republican Independent Leader's seat 7th (retired) 5th (redistricted) Last election 16 24 0 Seats before 17 21 0 Seats won 29 10 1 Seat change 12 11 1
Results by district      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      Republican hold      Republican gain      Independent gain
Senate President before election Alfred Beadleston Republican Elected Senate President Frank J. Dodd Democratic

The 1973 New Jersey State Senate Senate elections were held on November 6. The result of the elections were large gains for the Democratic Party, which won control of the Senate. The party picked up twelve seats.^[1] This election marked the first time since 1967 that Democrats controlled the State Senate.

The election coincided with Brendan Byrne's landslide re-election over Republican Charles W. Sandman Jr.^[2] The election also took place amidst the height of the Watergate scandal, just weeks after the Saturday Night Massacre.

This was also the first New Jersey Senate election held using single-member districts, as the state completed its long transition following the 1964 Reynolds v. Sims decision. As of 2022^[update], it remains the largest single change in seats for Democrats or any party since single-member districts were adopted. This remains the greatest number of seats held by the Democrats since the adoption of single members districts.

Background

Redistricting

Until 1965, the New Jersey State Senate was composed of 21 senators, with each county electing one senator. After the U.S. Supreme Court, in Reynolds v. Sims (more commonly known as One Man, One Vote), required redistricting by state legislatures for congressional districts to keep represented populations equal, as well as requiring both houses of state legislatures to have districts drawn that contained roughly equal populations, and to perform redistricting when needed.^[3] In 1965, the Senate was increased from 21 members to 29 members, and larger counties were given more than one seat, and some smaller counties shared one or two senators. The map was changed again in 1967, and again in 1971, as the state adjusted to the one man, one vote ruling.

For the first time, the state was to be divided into 40 legislative districts, with each district electing one State Senator and two members of the General Assembly. The districts were drawn first to achieve a population balance (districts were drawn to be within +/- 4% of each other), and then to be as geographically compact as possible.^[4]

For the most part, incumbent senators were given their own districts in which to run, with one exception. Senators William J. Bate and Joseph Hirkala, both of Passaic County (District 14), were re-districted into the same district, numbered 34. Bate successfully ran for Assembly rather than challenge Hirkala.

Incumbents not running for re-election

Democratic

• J. Edward Crabiel, Middlesex (District 18) (ran for Governor)
• Norman Tanzman, Middlesex (District 19)
• Ralph DeRose, Essex (District 28) (ran for Governor)
• William J. Bate, Passaic (District 30) (redistricted; ran for Assembly)
• William F. Kelly Jr., Hudson (District 32)

Republican

• Frank Italiano, Camden (District 5)
• John F. Brown, Ocean (District 9)
• Peter W. Thomas, Morris (District 24)
• Harold C. Hollenbeck, Bergen (District 36)
• Alfred D. Schiaffo, Bergen (District 39)

Two incumbent Republican senators were elected to Congress in 1972 and resigned in January 1973 to take their seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both seats were won by Democrats:

• District 21: Matthew John Rinaldo was succeeded by Democrat Thomas Dunn, the Mayor of Elizabeth.
• District 23: Joseph Maraziti was succeeded by Democrat Stephen Wiley, a Morristown attorney.

Summary of results by State Senate District