1984 United States Senate election in New Jersey

1984 United States Senate election in New Jersey

November 6, 1984

Nominee Bill Bradley Mary V. Mochary Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,986,644 1,080,100 Percentage 64.16% 34.88%

County results Bradley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Bill Bradley Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Bill Bradley Democratic

The 1984 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Democrat Bill Bradley defeated Republican nominee Mary V. Mochary with 64.16% of the vote, winning every county in the state. To date, this is the most recent time Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren counties were won by a Democrat in a statewide election. This was also the last time Morris County voted Democratic in a statewide election until 2020, where Senator Cory Booker won the county in his reelection and Joe Biden won the county in the 2020 presidential race.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on June 5, 1984.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Bill Bradley, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Elliot Greenspan, perennial candidate

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Bradley (incumbent)	404,301	92.95%
	Democratic	Elliot Greenspan	30,680	7.05%
Total votes			434,981	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Mary V. Mochary, Mayor of Montclair
• Robert J. Morris, anti-communist activist

Results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mary V. Mochary	111,851	61.37%
	Republican	Robert J. Morris	70,418	38.63%
Total votes			182,269	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Bill Bradley, incumbent Senator since 1979 (Democratic)
• Jasper C. Gould (Independent)
• James T. Hagen (Independent)
• Harold F. Leiendecker (Libertarian)
• Jules Levin (Socialist Labor)
• Mary V. Mochary, mayor of Montclair (Republican)
• Priscilla Schenk (Socialist Workers)

Campaign

Mochary was forced to suspend her campaign in October due to her husband's life-threatening illness. She traveled with her husband to Stanford, California for an experimental heart transplant.

A Mochary bumper sticker attempting to tie her campaign to the popular Reagan-Bush ticket.

Results

1984 United States Senate election in New Jersey

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Bradley (incumbent)	1,986,644	64.16%
	Republican	Mary V. Mochary	1,080,100	34.88%
	Independent	James T. Hagen	10,409	0.34%
	Libertarian	Harold F. Leiendecker	7,135	0.23%
	Socialist Labor	Jules Levin	6,053	0.20%
	Socialist Workers	Priscilla Schenk	3,224	0.10%
	Independent	Jasper C. Gould	2,891	0.09%
Total votes			3,096,456	100.00%
	Democratic hold