1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election
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Kean: 50–60% 60–70% Florio: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Jersey |
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The 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held November 3, 1981. Republican Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly Thomas Kean narrowly defeated Democratic U.S. Representative James Florio, 49.46%–49.38%, following a recount. Kean's margin of victory was 1,797 votes out of more than two million votes cast. As of 2025, the 1981 gubernatorial election remains the closest gubernatorial contest in New Jersey history.
Primary elections were held June 2, 1981. The 1981 primaries were unique in New Jersey history (prior to 2025) in lacking county lines, whereby county party organizations endorsed candidates for preferential ballot positions, reliably delivering them a large percentage of the vote. As a result, a record number of candidates ran for the Democratic and Republican nominations, and the primaries were highly competitive. Kean and Florio prevailed, each with less than one-third of the vote.
The general election was framed as a referendum on the new presidency of Ronald Reagan and, in particular, Reagan's cuts to federal spending. On election night, the results were too close to call, but Kean led by fewer than 1,700 votes. Florio petitioned for a recount, which expanded Kean's lead slightly; Florio conceded the race on November 30.