The 1978 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Senator Clifford P. Case ran for re-election to a fifth term in office, narrowly losing the Republican primary by anti-tax conservative Jeff Bell, who lost the general election to Democrat Bill Bradley. Bell was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for this seat again in 2014.
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County results Bradley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Bell: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections were held on June 6, 1978.[1] This was the first time Democrats won this seat since 1936, and the first time since 1938 that Democrats held both seats in the state.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jeff Bell | 118,555 | 50.74 | |
Republican | Clifford P. Case (incumbent) | 115,082 | 49.26 | |
Total votes | 233,637 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Bradley | 217,502 | 58.90 | |
Democratic | Richard Leone | 97,667 | 26.45 | |
Democratic | Alexander J. Menza | 32,386 | 8.77 | |
Democratic | Kenneth C. McCarthy | 9,524 | 2.58 | |
Democratic | Wesley K. Bell | 8,800 | 2.38 | |
Democratic | Ray Rollinson | 3,374 | 0.91 | |
Total votes | 369,253 | 100.00 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Bill Bradley (D) |
Jeffrey Bell (R) |
Other/ Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rutgers-Eagleton | May 7–16, 1978 | 793 RV | 36% | 17% | 47% |
Rutgers-Eagleton | Sept. 19–Oct. 1, 1978 | 883 RV | 49% | 24% | 27% |
Rutgers-Eagleton | October 23–29, 1978 | 946 RV | 50% | 32% | 18% |
510 LV | 51% | 40% | 9% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Clifford Case (R) |
Bill Bradley (D) |
Richard Leone (D) |
Alex Menza (D) |
Other/ Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rutgers-Eagleton | May 7–16, 1978 | 1007 A | ±4.0% | 37% | 27% | – | – | 36% |
44% | – | 24% | – | 32% | ||||
43% | – | – | 18% | 40% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jeffrey Bell (R) |
Richard Leone (D) |
Alex Menza (D) |
Other/ Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rutgers-Eagleton | May 7–16, 1978 | 620 LV | ±?% | 18% | 29% | – | 54% |
19% | – | 22% | 59% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Bradley | 1,082,960 | 55.32% | 20.81 | |
Republican | Jeff Bell | 844,200 | 43.13% | 19.33 | |
Independent | Herbert H. Shaw | 4,736 | 0.24% | N/A | |
Independent | Bill Gahres | 3,817 | 0.20% | N/A | |
Libertarian | Jack Moyers | 3,809 | 0.20% | N/A | |
U.S. Labor | Robert Bowen | 3,656 | 0.19% | N/A | |
Independent | J.M. Carter | 3,618 | 0.19% | N/A | |
Independent | Jasper C. Gould | 2,955 | 0.15% | N/A | |
Independent | William R. Thorn | 2,776 | 0.14% | N/A | |
Socialist Labor | Paul Ferguson | 2,604 | 0.13% | 0.23 | |
Socialist Workers | Alice Conner | 2,384 | 0.12% | N/A | |
Total votes | 1,957,515 | 100.00% | |||
Democratic gain from Republican |