1937 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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1937 New Jersey gubernatorial election
Flag of New Jersey (1896-1965).png
←  1934 November 2, 1937 1940  →
Turnout70.20% [1] (Decrease2.svg 0.87%)
  Senator A. Harry Moore (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee A. Harry Moore Lester H. Clee
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote746,033700,767
Percentage50.8%47.8%
1937 New Jersey gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Moore:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Clee:      40–50%     50-60%     60–70%
Governor before election

Harold G. Hoffman
Republican

Elected Governor

A. Harry Moore
Democratic

The 1937 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1937. Democratic nominee A. Harry Moore defeated Republican nominee Lester H. Clee with 50.84% of the vote.

Contents

Primary elections were held on September 21, 1937. [2] Clee defeated Clifford Ross Powell of Burlington County, who had the support of incumbent governor Harold G. Hoffman, for the Republican nomination. Moore was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Republican primary

Candidates

Campaign

Powell ran with the support of incumbent Harold G. Hoffman, while Clee ran as the representative of the "clean government" movement in Essex County.

Results

Republican Party primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Lester H. Clee 249,102 57.20
Republican Clifford Ross Powell 186,38642.80
Total votes435,488 100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Withdrew

Campaign

On July 11, freshman South Jersey representative Elmer H. Wene joined the race as a challenger to Moore. Wene was an avid supporter of the New Deal and proposed to campaign "strictly on Roosevelt policies". Wene was supported by Moore's Senate colleague William H. Smathers, a fellow South Jerseyan and Roosevelt supporter, and Atlantic City boss Charles Lafferty. [6] The primary was positioned as a referendum on the Roosevelt administration; although Moore and party boss Frank Hague, Moore's political patron and ally, were publicly silent on the New Deal, Hague was widely understood to oppose Roosevelt. [6] However, Wene withdrew his candidacy within days of the announcement, after Smathers withdrew his support in favor of Moore and Lafferty announced his neutrality. [4] [5]

Results

Democratic primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic A. Harry Moore 295,546 100.00
Total votes295,546 100.00

Aftermath

In 1949, Wene gained support from Hague and Moore for governor, but lost the election to Republican incumbent Alfred E. Driscoll.

General election

Candidates

Results

New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1937 [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic A. Harry Moore 746,033 50.84%
Republican Lester H. Clee 700,76747.75%
Independent James F. Murray, Sr. 9,5320.65%
Prohibition Eugene A. Smith2,7880.19%
Socialist Henry Jager 2,5750.18%
Communist Frank Chandler2,3790.16%
Independent John T. Kurzowski1,4170.10%
Independent Dinshah P. Ghadiali1,2640.09%
Socialist Labor John C. Butterworth7590.05%
Majority
Turnout
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

References

  1. ↑ "General Election Data - 1924 to 2022" (PDF). NJ.gov.
  2. 1 2 3 "Results of the Primary Election Held September 21, 1937" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1937. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  3. ↑ "NEW JERSEY STATESMEN". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "POWELL TO OPPOSE DR. GLEE IN JERSEY; Hoffman Endorses Burlington Man for Primary Fight With Essex Senator WENE BOOM IS COLLAPSING Moore Says Representative Will Quit Governorship Race for Democratic Nomination". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "SMATHERS PICKS BARKLEY TO WIN; Jersey Senator Also Thinks Court Bill Will Finally Be Put Through; TELLS 'FRESHMEN' AIMS; New Members to Stand United and 'Fighting' Against Sidetracking of Judiciary Plan". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "ROOSEVELT TEST LOOMS IN JERSEY; Wene, New Dealer, Announces He Will Oppose Moore for Gubernatorial Nomination". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Murray Was Consistent Foe of Hague." Jersey Journal. 30 September 1952.
  8. ↑ "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1937. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
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