1988 United States Senate election in New Jersey

Background

Businessman Frank Lautenberg was elected in 1982 in a hard-fought, come-from-behind upset victory over U.S. Representative Millicent Fenwick. Given his narrow victory and low name recognition, New Jersey Republicans eagerly targeted his seat as a potential victory. Popular second-term Governor Thomas Kean led the efforts to recruit a challenger.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Frank Lautenberg, incumbent Senator since 1983
• Elnardo J. Webster, former Hudson County Freeholder
• Harold J. Young

Campaign

Senator Lautenberg formally launched his re-election campaign in April. He ignored his primary opponents, instead focusing on the general election and Pete Dawkins.

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

• Pete Dawkins, financial executive and retired U.S. Army brigadier general

Declined

• Leonard S. Coleman Jr., New Jersey Commissioner of Community Affairs

Campaign

In 1987, Governor Thomas Kean recruited Pete Dawkins to move from New York City to Rumson, New Jersey in order to campaign as a Republican for Senate. Kean served as Dawkins's campaign chair. Efforts to recruit Dawkins were paired with efforts to persuade Commissioner of Community Affairs Leonard S. Coleman Jr. against running; Coleman was a personal friend of the Governor and was the early favorite to challenge Lautenberg.

Pete Dawkins announced his campaign on March 1 with the enthusiastic endorsement of Governor Kean. At his campaign announcement, Kean praised Dawkins as "the only West Point cadet in history to be the Captain of Cadets, president of his class, captain of the football team and finish in the top 5 percent of his class, and, by the way, pick up a Heisman Trophy and Rhodes Scholarship on the side." Dawkins pledged support for giving a presidential line-item veto and a "sweeping reform" of the federal budget process, while favoring budget cuts, including cuts to military spending, over tax increases.

On April 19, President Reagan appeared and spoke at a pre-primary fundraising dinner for Dawkins in Washington D.C., where Dawkins presented Reagan with a football signed by many Heisman Trophy winners.

Results

Dawkins was unopposed in the primary.

General election

Candidates

• Pete Dawkins, financial executive and retired U.S. Army brigadier general (Republican)
• Thomas A. Fiske (Socialist Workers)
• Joseph F. Job, Bergen County Sheriff and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1970 (Independent)
• Frank Lautenberg, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1983 (Democratic)
• Jerry Zeldin (Libertarian)

Campaign

With no serious primary threat, Lautenberg and Dawkins targeted each other from early March. Both candidates being political moderates, the campaign quickly turned personal. Dawkins aimed to tie himself to the popular Governor Kean, while Lautenberg leaned on his relationship with New Jersey's more popular senior Senator, Bill Bradley.

The campaign was full of political mudslinging. In addition to his carpetbagging accusation, Lautenberg's campaign also accused Dawkins's of lying about his war record. Dawkins accused Lautenberg of running a smear campaign, called him a "swamp dog", and criticized him for saying he voted eight times against a senatorial pay raise without mentioning the fact that he did vote once for the pay raise.

Paul Begala and James Carville consulted for the Lautenberg campaign, while Roger Stone consulted for Dawkins. Stone called Dawkins “the biggest thing to hit New Jersey since Bill Bradley.”

Polling

Results

By county

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Monomuth
• Bergen
• Burlington

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Salem

References

References

1. Sullivan, Joseph F.. (29 Mar 1987). "POLITICS; SENATE RACE IS BEGINNING TO WARM UP". The New York Times.
2. AP. (26 Apr 1988). "Lautenberg Opens Drive for Re-election". [[The New York Times]].
3. Sullivan, Joseph F.. (16 May 1988). "Mud and Money Ready in Jersey Race". [[The New York Times]].
4. "1988 U.S. Senate Primary Results".
5. Sullivan, Joseph F.. (6 Mar 1988). "THE REGION: The Dawkins Challenge; 2 American Dreams Are On Display in Jersey Race". The New York Times.
6. Wildstein, David. (17 Jan 2022). "New Jersey GOP could have had a Black senator 34 years ago, but they went in a different direction".
7. Sullivan, Joseph F.. (1 Mar 1988). "Dawkins Announces Race for Senate". [[The New York Times]].
8. (November 2, 2018). "President Reagan's Remarks at Campaign Fundraising Reception for Pete Dawkins on April 19, 1988".
9. Otterbourg, Robert. (June 26, 1988). "NEW JERSEY OPINION; Carpetbagging is Not a Real Issue". [[The New York Times]].
10. (October 20, 1988). "New Jersey Senate Race A Mudslide". [[Chicago Tribune]].
11. May, Clifford D.. (October 26, 1988). "For Senate Rivals in Jersey, It's Personal". New York Times.
12. (February 14, 1988). "LAUTENBERG HOLDS EARLY LEAD OVER DAWKINS IN RACE FOR U.S. SENATE".
13. (June 13, 1988). "DAWKINS NAME RECOGNITION UP: LAUTENBERG RETAINS CLEAR LEAD BUT GAP NARROWED".
14. (October 6, 1988). "SENATE RACE UNCHANGED SINCE MAY; LAUTENBERG HOLDS COMMANDING 20 POINT LEAD OVER DAWKINS".
15. (October 31, 1988). "RACE FOR THE SENATE: LAUTENBERG STILL LEADS, BUT DAWKINS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE".
16. "Our Campaigns - NJ US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1988".
17. "Votes Cast for United States Senator at the General Election held November 8, 1988".
18. "NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Election Results Archive".