The 1984 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on November 6, 1984, to determine who would represent the people of New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives. This election coincided with national elections for President of the United States, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. New Jersey had fourteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1980 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
Overview 1984 United States House of Representatives elections in New JerseyPartyVotesPercentageCandidatesSeats+/–Democratic1,508,32050.42%1481Republican1,470,83649.16%1462Libertarian6,5240.22%50Socialist Labor5240.02%10Independents5,4540.18%40Totals2,991,658100.00%3814
Redistricting
Following the 1980 United States census, the New Jersey Legislature had conducted decennial redistricting. The resulting map, which was considered heavily favorable to the Democratic Party and approved by Democratic governor Brendan Byrne, was used for the 1982 elections. However, Republicans challenged the map under the "equal representation" clause of Article One, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. In Karcher v. Daggett, 462 U.S. 725 (1983), the Supreme Court of the United States (in an opinion written by former New Jersey judge William J. Brennan Jr.) ruled that the 1982 map violated the equal representation clause because its districts were not drawn to achieve as close to population equality as practicable. The Court ruled that all deviations, no matter how minimal, must be justified by a legitimate government interest. New Jersey was given a deadline of February 3, 1984 to draw a new U.S. Supreme Court-approved map for the 1984 House elections.
Efforts to redraw the map pitted Governor Thomas Kean, a Republican, against the Democratic legislative majority. The initial replacement map, which passed the Assembly on January 6 and had a population variance of 0.06 percent, was advocated by Newark assemblyman Willie B. Brown as protecting the black-majority tenth district, while Republican counterproposals reduced the population variance further at the expense of the state's lone majority-minority district. Brown cited the Court's position that preserving minority voting strength "was a legitimate justification for including population deviations in redistricting plans."
However, Kean vetoed the legislature's map, arguing that it was designed to preserve Democratic chances in the upcoming election, and no compromise was reached ahead of the February 3 deadline. As a result, a three-judge federal court panel (John Joseph Gibbons, Clarkson Sherman Fisher and Stanley Brotman) considered five proposals, including the vetoed legislative map. The panel selected a map proposed by four of the five incumbent Republican U.S. representatives, citing its low population differences and compact districts. Only twenty-five people separated the most and least populous districts, and the majority-black tenth district was preserved. Kean said the result was not "an ideal solution" and called for a bipartisan or nonpartisan commission for future redistricting, which was eventually established by constitutional amendment in November 1995.
The most significant political change on the map in 1984 was in the eleventh district, represented by Democratic incumbent Joseph Minish since 1963. The new map removed several strongly Democratic urban areas in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties and added suburban and rural areas in Morris, Sussex, and Warren, favoring Republicans. As a result, Minish was expected to draw a significant challenge in the 1984 elections.
District 1
Incumbent Democrat James Florio won. The district included parts of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties.
Democratic primary
Candidates
James Florio, incumbent Representative since 1975 Patrick A. Miller, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Fred A. Busch, chemical sales representative and former member of the Camden County Republican Committee
Results
General election
Candidates
Fred A. Busch, chemical sales representative and former member of the Camden County Republican Committee (Republican) James Florio, incumbent Representative since 1975 (Republican) Jerry Zeldin (Libertarian)
Results
District 2
Incumbent William J. Hughes won. This district, the largest in South Jersey, included all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties and parts of Gloucester County.
Democratic primary
Candidates
William J. Hughes, incumbent Representative since 1975
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Raymond G. Massie, Stockton State College professor of business law
Results
General election
Candidates
Raymond G. Massie, Stockton State College professor of business law (Republican) William J. Hughes, incumbent Representative since 1975 (Democratic)
Results
District 3
Incumbent Democrat James J. Howard won.
This district included parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Dorothy J. Eaton, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche James J. Howard, incumbent Representative since 1965
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Brian T. Kennedy, former state senator from Sea Girt
Results
General election
Candidates
Lawrence D. Erickson (Citizens-Socialist) James J. Howard, incumbent Representative since 1965 (Democratic) Brian T. Kennedy, former state senator from Sea Girt (Republican) Frank Krushinski Jr. (Christian American)
Results
District 4
Incumbent Republican Chris Smith won. This district, in Central Jersey, consisted of parts of Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Republican primary
Candidates
Chris Smith, incumbent Representative since 1981
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
James C. Hedden, political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and former Mercer County freeholder Jeffrey Laurenti, former executive director of the New Jersey Senate Democratic majority Janet C. Sare, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche
Results
General election
Candidates
James C. Hedden, political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (Democratic) Chris Smith, incumbent Representative since 1981 (Republican)
Results
District 5
Incumbent Marge Roukema won. This district included parts of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties.
Republican primary
Candidates
Marge Roukema, incumbent Representative from Ridgewood since 1981
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Rose Brunetto, former aide to U.S. senator Bill Bradley John P. Kilroy Jr., supporter of Lyndon LaRouche Mark Rohrlich, former newspaper reporter
Results
General election
Candidates
Rose Brunetto, former aide to U.S. senator Bill Bradley (Democratic) Marge Roukema, incumbent Representative from Ridgewood since 1981 (Republican)
Results
District 6
Incumbent Democrat Bernard J. Dwyer won. This district included parts of Middlesex, Monmouth and Union counties.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Bernard J. Dwyer, incumbent Representative from Edison since 1981 Alex Plechocki, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Dennis Adams, retired car dealer
Results
General election
Candidates
Dennis Adams, retired car dealer (Republican) Bernard J. Dwyer, incumbent Representative from Edison since 1981 (Democratic) Stephen Friedlander (Libertarian)
Results
District 7
Incumbent Matt Rinaldo won. This district included parts of Essex, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties.
Republican primary
Candidates
Matt Rinaldo, incumbent Representative from Union since 1973
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
James J. Cleary, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche John F. Feeley, data processing consultant Dwight Gatling
Results
General election
Candidates
John F. Feeley, data processing consultant (Democratic) Paul Nelson (Libertarian) Matt Rinaldo, incumbent Representative from Union since 1973 (Republican)
Results
District 8
Incumbent Robert Roe won. This district included parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Robert A. Roe, incumbent Representative from Wayne since 1969 and candidate for governor in 1977 and 1981 Ronald H. Taylor, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
William R. Cleveland, Clifton advertising executive Marguerite A. Page, Newark schoolteacher
Withdrew
James Irvin Glover
Endorsements
Results
General election
Candidates
Daniel A. Maiullo Jr. (Libertarian) Marguerite A. Page, Newark schoolteacher (Republican) Robert A. Roe, incumbent Representative from Wayne since 1969 (Democratic)
Results
District 9
Incumbent Democrat Bob Torricelli won. This district consisted of parts of Bergen and Hudson counties.
Democratic primary
Candidates
John Graverholz, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche Bob Torricelli, incumbent Representative from Englewood since 1983
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Neil Romano, former executive director of the Monmouth County Republican Party
Results
General election
Candidates
Neil Romano, former executive director of the Monmouth County Republican Party (Republican) Bob Torricelli, incumbent Representative from Englewood since 1983 (Democratic)
Results
District 10
Incumbent Democrat Peter W. Rodino won. The district included parts of Essex and Union counties.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Arthur S. Jones, minister of St. Mark's African Methodist Episcopal Church in East Orange Peter W. Rodino, incumbent Representative since 1949 Thelma I. Tyree, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Howard E. Berkeley
Results
General election
Candidates
Howard E. Berkeley (Republican) Peter W. Rodino, incumbent Representative since 1949 (Democratic)
Results
District 11
Republican Dean Gallo defeated Democratic incumbent Joseph Minish. This district, which had been significantly revised as the result of Karcher v. Daggett, consisted of parts of Essex, Morris, Sussex and Warren counties.
The Republican Party would continue to hold this seat until 2018.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Mary Frueholz, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche Joseph Minish, incumbent Representative from West Orange since 1963
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Dean Gallo, assemblyman from Parsippany–Troy Hills and assembly minority leader
Declined
John H. Dorsey, state senator from Boonton Rodney Frelinghuysen, assemblyman from Morristown, candidate for the 12th district in 1982, and son of former Representative Peter Frelinghuysen Rey Redington, former president of the Montclair Chamber of Commerce and nominee for this seat in 1982
Results
General election
Candidates
Dean Gallo, assemblyman from Parsippany–Troy Hills and assembly minority leader (Republican) Joseph Minish, incumbent Representative from West Orange since 1963 (Democratic)
Results
District 12
Incumbent Republican Jim Courter won. This sprawling district included all of Hunterdon County and parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties.
Republican primary
Candidates
Jim Courter, incumbent Representative since 1979
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Peter Bearse, economist and member of the Princeton Township Council Richard Forbes, supporter of Lyndon LaRouche Ray Rollinson, salesman and perennial candidate Norman J. Weinstein, former president of the Somerville Borough Council
Results
General election
Candidates
Peter Bearse, economist and member of the Princeton Township Council (Democratic)