In the binding delegate primary, uncommitted delegates endorsed by the state and county parties, who supported incumbent Gerald Ford swept the statewide contest and congressional district races against delegate slates pledged to former California governor Ronald Reagan.[1] However, Reagan publicly disclaimed the delegates (who therefore could not legally use his name), and his campaign refused to send any money into the state, effectively conceding the delegation to Ford in advance.[2]
In the non-binding preference primary, Ford was the only candidate on the ballot.
In combination with the Democratic primary held the same day, a higher percentage of eligible voters (28.1%) cast a ballot in the 1976 primaries than in any presidential year since 1952 (39%).[1]
Background
Reagan was supported in New Jersey by a grassroots initiative; the Reagan campaign refused to enter his name into the statewide preference primary and instead focused their efforts on the California and Ohio primaries on the same day, effectively conceding to Ford in the state. Many of the Reagan delegates entered the race at the eleventh hour, filing only minutes before the April 29 deadline.[2]
Procedure
In 1976, seven delegates were elected on a statewide slate and four delegates were elected individually from each of the state's fourteen congressional districts.[1][3]
William F. Dowd, New Jersey Senate parliamentarian and former aide to President Richard Nixon (ran for alternate at-large)
Charles W. Roll Jr., advisor to Nelson Rockefeller (ran for district delegate)
Campaign
The party delegate slate, which was formally uncommitted and publicly for President Ford, was led by U.S. senator Clifford P. Case at Case's own insistence, over the objections of party chair Webster B. Todd. TheNew York Times reported that the statewide delegate slate was secretly in favor of a nominee more liberal than Ford, such as vice president Nelson Rockefeller.[2]
Lacking official sanction from the Reagan campaign, the insurgents claimed his support regardless. “Of course, Governor Reagan is behind us,” said one statewide delegate candidate. “He just can't say so publicly.”[2] Because they could not use his name, they appeared on the ballot as candidates on the "Former Calif. Governor for President" ticket.[2]
According to The New York Times, state leadership characterized the Reagan delegates as a "rightwing guerrilla attack on President Ford, Vice President Rockefeller, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Senator Clifford P. Case, not necessarily in that order."[2] Under the county line system, the Republican organizations developed ballots with the Reagan slates listed in remote columns.[2]
The Reagan organizers were not professional politicians, with even the most conservative elected officials avoiding a campaign against the entire state establishment. Former representative Charles W. Sandman Jr., who had a reputation as a leading conservative in the state, openly expressed his fear that a Reagan nomination would result in a Democratic landslide in the style of the 1964 election.[2]
Results
Preference primary results
1976 New Jersey presidential preference primary[1]
↑ Uncommitted totals in the district elections are the totals of the top four uncommitted delegate candidates; i.e., the establishment slate. Additional delegate candidates are listed under "other".
Aftermath
Ultimately, the New Jersey delegation was split at the 1976 national convention; Ford won 63 delegates while Reagan won four.[citation needed]
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