The 1991 New Jersey Senate election was held on November 5. The election took place mid-way through the term of Governor James Florio. The results were a landslide victory for the Republican Party amidst a tax revolt by New Jersey voters. Democrats picked up only one seat, that of Senator Lee B. Laskin in District 6. Republicans picked up eleven Democrat seats, winning control of the Senate for the first time since 1974. Republicans flipped districts 4, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 30, 36, and 38.
This was the first election after the 1990 census. Two years later, Governor Florio narrowly lost re-election to Christine Todd Whitman. As of , this remains the largest total number of seats held by the Republican Party and the largest number of seats gained by the Republican Party in a single election since the current districting scheme was introduced in 1973. This remains the last time the Republicans or any party held a veto-proof majority in the chamber.
Contents Background • Aftermath and legacyIncumbents not running • Summary of resultsBy District: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 __NOTOC__• 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40
Background Redistricting
As required, the New Jersey legislature redistricted its state legislative districts in advance of the 1991 election. Redistricting was considered to have favored Republicans, reflecting relative growth in the suburbs versus the state's Democratic urban cores.
Tax revolt A centerpiece of the Florio administration's legislative agenda was a $2.8 billion tax increase, which one consultant called "the largest single tax increase in the history of the finances of the 50 states" and "a national test case on both political and economic grounds." The increase also came amid a national economic recession. Very little public input was possible due to the package's short turnaround; the Florio administration cited restrictive deadlines. According to administration officials, the tax package was designed to aid blue-collar workers and the middle class, who it later admitted were "also the people most upset by enactment of the taxes." After the 1991 election, Florio aide Doug Berman admitted, "We were very full of ourselves."
Voter anger over the tax increase grew throughout the early months of 1990; many voters felt that Florio's projection during the 1989 campaign that new taxes were unlikely had amounted to a lie. In response to growing protest, the administration adopted a wait-and-see approach, maintaining the protests would peter out as the legislative package delivered benefits in the form of rebate checks, lower auto insurance rates, and increased funding for education.
In June 1990, New Jersey 101.5 talk radio callers Pat Ralston and John Budzash formed Hands Across New Jersey, a protest group which rallied thousands of supporters in Trenton on July 1 and collected over 350,000 petition signatures within the month. The group's stated mission was to obtain binding referendums and a recall mechanism; Democratic Assemblyman Thomas P. Foy declared his support for a recall provision on NJ101.5 soon after.
By fall 1990, Florio's approval rating sank to 18 percent; it would not exceed the low twenties for the duration of the 1991 campaign. The first political impact of the "tax revolt" was made manifest in November 1990, when incumbent Democratic senator Bill Bradley was nearly unseated by Christine Todd Whitman. During her campaign, Whitman repeatedly asked Bradley for his position on the increase, but he demurred, calling it a state issue.
Republicans centered their 1991 campaign on opposition to the increase, as did even some incumbent Democrats, such as Senator Paul Contillo.
Gun control Another major legislative achievement of the Florio administration was a strict gun control measure targeted at "assault-style weapons." The bill's passage led the NRA Political Victory Fund to spend nearly $250,000 in the 1991 elections targeting candidates in both parties who had voted in favor of the bill and supporting those who pledged to repeal it.
Statewide polling generally showed that the bill was popular with New Jerseyans, so supporters were not directly attacked; rather, the N.R.A. spent heavily to advertise for or against candidates on other issues. Statewide, the N.R.A. donated directly to 78 legislative candidates, 75 of whom were Republicans, and 70 of whom won.
Education The Florio administration also received surprise opposition from the New Jersey Education Association, which had backed his election in 1989. After the passage of the Quality Education Act and strict new spending caps on local school boards, the NJEA endorsed a slate of legislative candidates that was almost exclusively Republican. The total slate included 46 Republicans and only three Democrats.
Aftermath and legacy Talk radio Prior to 1990, New Jersey 101.5 was known as an "obscure Trenton oldies station." During the tax revolt and the station's transition to talk radio, listenership quadrupled from 150,000 to 600,000. The John and Ken Show, from which the protest was launched, later moved to KFI in Los Angeles and became nationally syndicated in 1997.
1992 Senate presidency contest With Republican control of the Senate becoming likely during the campaign, Senator Donald DiFrancesco and Senate Minority Leader John H. Dorsey, neither of whom faced serious re-election challenges, engaged in a proxy contest to control the next Republican caucus and win the election for Senate President. Dorsey had already survived one attempt by DiFrancseco to unseat him as leader in December 1990, and DiFrancesco had previously served as minority leader himself from 1982 to 1984.
DiFrancseco had the support of moderates, led by former governor Thomas Kean, and offered a less confrontational approach than Dorsey. Publicly, DiFrancesco said his efforts were focused on electing a Republican majority, but challenged the idea that as Senate Minority Leader, he was entitled to the presidency, saying, "It's not like I'm throwing Mr. Dorsey out of a position, because no one has it."
Each Senator spent at least $50,000 in other Senate races. Among incumbents, the struggle was projected as a dead heat, so special effort was made to influence incoming legislators. For instance, Dorsey spent $9,000 and DiFrancesco spent $7,000 supporting the campaign of Andrew R. Ciesla. Ultimately, DiFrancesco prevailed. Dorsey remained in party leadership as Majority Leader but faced another intra-party challenge from future Governor Chris Christie in his district's primary. He successfully disqualified Christie from the ballot but lost the general election to Democrat Gordon MacInnes and left politics.
DiFrancesco served as Senate President until 2002. After Christine Todd Whitman resigned to become Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, DiFrancesco succeeded her as the 51st Governor of New Jersey and oversaw the state's response to the September 11 attacks. He retired from politics after withdrawing from the 2001 gubernatorial election.
Incumbents not running for re-election Democratic Daniel Dalton (4th district) John F. Russo (10th district) Carmen A. Orechio (30th district) (redistricted to 36th)
Summary of results DistrictIncumbentPartyElected SenatorParty1st Legislative DistrictJames CafieroRepJames CafieroRep2nd Legislative DistrictWilliam GormleyRepWilliam GormleyRep3rd Legislative DistrictRaymond ZaneDemRaymond ZaneDem4th Legislative DistrictDaniel DaltonDemJohn MatheussenRep5th Legislative DistrictWalter RandDemWalter RandDem6th Legislative DistrictLee LaskinRepJohn AdlerDem7th Legislative DistrictThomas P. FoyDemBradford S. SmithRep8th Legislative District C. William HainesRep C. William HainesRep9th Legislative DistrictLeonard T. ConnorsRepLeonard T. ConnorsRep10th Legislative DistrictJohn F. RussoDemAndrew R. CieslaRep11th Legislative DistrictJoseph A. PalaiaRepJoseph A. PalaiaRep12th Legislative DistrictJohn O. BennettRepJohn O. BennettRep13th Legislative DistrictJames T. PhillipsDemJoe KyrillosRep14th Legislative DistrictFrancis J. McManimonDemPeter InversoRep15th Legislative DistrictGerald R. StockmanDemDick LaRossaRep16th Legislative DistrictJohn H. EwingRepJohn H. EwingRep17th Legislative DistrictJohn A. Lynch Jr.DemJohn A. Lynch Jr.Dem18th Legislative DistrictThomas H. PaternitiDemJack SinagraRep19th Legislative DistrictLaurence WeissDemRandy CormanRep20th Legislative DistrictRaymond LesniakDemRaymond LesniakDem21st Legislative DistrictC. Louis BassanoRepC. Louis BassanoRep22nd Legislative DistrictDonald DiFrancescoRepDonald DiFrancescoRep23rd Legislative DistrictWilliam E. SchluterRepWilliam E. SchluterRep24th Legislative DistrictRobert LittellRepRobert LittellRep25th Legislative DistrictJohn H. DorseyRepJohn H. DorseyRep26th Legislative DistrictLeanna BrownRepLeanna BrownRep27th Legislative DistrictRichard CodeyDemRichard CodeyDem28th Legislative DistrictRonald RiceDemRonald RiceDem29th Legislative DistrictWynona LipmanDemWynona LipmanDem30th Legislative DistrictCarmen OrechioDemJohn E. DimonRep31st Legislative DistrictEdward T. O'Connor Jr.DemEdward T. O'Connor Jr.Dem32nd Legislative DistrictThomas F. CowanDemThomas F. CowanDem33rd Legislative DistrictBob MenendezDemBob MenendezDem34th Legislative DistrictJoseph BubbaRepJoseph BubbaRep35th Legislative DistrictJohn GirgentiDemJohn GirgentiDem36th Legislative DistrictGabriel M. AmbrosioDemJohn P. ScottRep37th Legislative DistrictMatthew FeldmanDemMatthew FeldmanDem38th Legislative DistrictPaul ContilloDemLouis F. KoscoRep39th Legislative DistrictGerald CardinaleRepGerald CardinaleRep40th Legislative DistrictHenry McNamaraRepHenry McNamaraRep
Close races Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%: gain gain
gain
gain gain
District 1 Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
District 2 Democratic primary
Republican primary
Domenic Cappella, Ventnor City Administrator William Gormley, incumbent senator since 1982 and candidate for governor in 1989
During the primary, the National Rifle Association of America spent over $58,000, through various political action committees and alongside the Coalition of New Jersey Sportsmen, to defeat Gormley as retaliation for his support of the 1990 firearms restrictions. Gormley was the only Republican in the Senate to support the bill, but his vote was decisive in its passage. Another group, the Committee for Sensible Government, which received more than $40,000 from the NRA, financed at least six mailings denouncing Gormley for his past opposition to tax rebates. The PAC's chairman, Buena Vista Township committeeman William Fennen, expressed broader opposition to Gormley on the grounds that he was moderate.
Gormley said he initially planned not to campaign, having won his last primary with 73.5 percent of the vote and not having any opponent in the early stages of the campaign against him.
General election
Dolores Cooper, Assemblywoman from Linwood (independent) William Gormley, incumbent senator since 1982 and candidate for governor in 1989 (Republican) Meg Worthington, Galloway Township council member since 1986 (Democratic)
Gormley faced another difficult challenge in the general election, where the N.R.A. gave $20,000 directly to the independent campaign of Republican Assemblywoman Dolores G. Cooper. Cooper ultimately dropped out of the race, but Gormley spent $350,000 to preserve his chances at re-election.
He prevailed by a much narrower margin than in 1987.
District 3 Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
District 4 Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
John Matheussen, attorney (Republican) Anthony S. Marsella, Assemblyman (Democratic)
District 5 Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
District 6