1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1965. Democratic incumbent Richard J. Hughes defeated Republican nominee Wayne Dumont with 57 percent of the vote. Until 2025, the gubernatorial elections from 1953 to 1965 were the last in New Jersey in which any party won more than two consecutive elections. This is the most recent time a Democrat was reelected Governor with a higher share of the vote than the previous election.
Primary elections were held on June 1, 1965. Hughes was easily re-nominated over token opposition from William H. Clark, while Dumont won a narrow primary over fellow state senator Charles W. Sandman Jr. of Cape May County.
Bergen County voted Democratic for the first time since 1931, and since this election, the county has become a bellwether having voted for the winning candidate all but once since. Democrats simultaneously flipped both houses of the New Jersey legislature, a first since 1915.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- William H. Clark, Newark Marxist activist and member of the Negro-Labor Vanguard
- Richard J. Hughes, incumbent governor since 1962
Republican primary
Candidates
- Wayne Dumont, state senator from Warren County
- Charles W. Sandman, Jr., state senator from Cape May County
- Harold P. Poeschel, Short Hills life insurance agent and perennial Conservative Party candidate
Declined
- Nelson Stamler, state senator from Union County
Campaign
Senator Nelson Stamler informally sought party support for a potential campaign, citing his opposition to court-mandated legislative redistricting and Dumont's proposal for a sales tax. After failing to gain sufficient endorsements, Stamler declined to run and instead endorsed Sandman.General election
Candidates
- Wayne Dumont, state senator from Warren County
- Richard J. Hughes, incumbent governor since 1962
- Julius Levin, apartment manager
- Robert Lee Schlachter
- Ruth F. Shiminsky
- Christopher C. Vespucci