1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey
| country = New Jersey
| flag_year = 1896
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1911 United States Senate election in New Jersey
| previous_year = 1911
| next_election = 1922 United States Senate election in New Jersey
| next_year = 1922
| election_date = November 7, 1916
| image1 = File:Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen, Sr.jpg
| image_size = 150x150px
| nominee1 = Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr.
| party1 = Republican Party (United States)
| popular_vote1 = 244,715
| percentage1 = 55.99%
| image2 = File:James Edgar Martine circa 1915 (cropped).jpg
| nominee2 = James E. Martine
| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
| map_size = 250px
| map_image = 1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey results map by county.svg
| map_caption = County results
Martine: {{legend0|#a5b0ff|40–50%}} {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}}
Frelinghuysen: {{legend0|#e27f7f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60–70%}}
| popular_vote2 = 170,019
| percentage2 = 38.90%
| title = Senator
| before_election = James E. Martine
| before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
| after_election = Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr.
| after_party = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{ElectionsNJ}}
The United States Senate election of 1916 in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1916.
Incumbent Democratic Senator James E. Martine ran for re-election to a second term in office, but was defeated by Republican State Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr.
Primary elections were held on September 26.{{cite book|title=Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey|year=1917|publisher=M.R. Dennis & Co.|url=https://archive.org/details/manualoflegislat1917mull/page/288/mode/2up|url-access=registration|page=288}} Senator Martine defeated a challenge from John W. Wescott, the Attorney General of New Jersey and an ally of President Woodrow Wilson. The Republican nomination narrowly went to State Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. over former Governor Franklin Murphy.
This was the first popular election for United States Senator in New Jersey history, following the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This was also the first of four straight elections to this seat in which the incumbent was defeated.
Democratic primary
=Candidates=
- August M. Bruggeman, Hoboken resident{{cite news|title=Candidates to be Voted For|quote=There are six candidates for United States Senator; four Democrats and two Republicans. The candidate, the party they represent and the designation to be printed on their ballots are: August M. Bruggeman, Hoboken, Democrat; James E. Martine, Democrat; Frank McDermit, Newark, Democrat, "Democrat;" James W. Westcott (sic), Haddonfield, Democrat; Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, Raritan, Republican, "Republican;" Franklin Murphy, Newark, Republican, "Republican Party."|newspaper=Keyport Weekly|date=15 Sep 1916|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/419024232/|url-access=subscription}}
- James E. Martine, incumbent Senator since 1911
- Frank M. McDermit, Newark attorney and candidate for Senate in 1911 and 1913
- John W. Wescott, Attorney General of New Jersey
=Campaign=
Senator Martine drew a primary challenge from Woodrow Wilson ally John W. Wescott, the state Attorney General. Wescott's strong alliance with President Wilson and Martine's opposition to administration policy on World War I and general Anglophobia led some Democrats to think him vulnerable.{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=30 Mar 2022|page=1|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/09/28/100221868.html?pageNumber=1|title=GERMAN-AMERICAN VOTES IN JERSEY WIN FOR MARTINE|url-access=registration|date=28 Sep 1916}} Martine had previously said that he would rather retire to his Union County farm than go to the White House "for orders."{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=30 Mar 2022|page=1|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/09/27/100221570.html?pageNumber=1|title=MARTINE LEADS WESCOTT IN THE JERSEY PRIMARIES|url-access=registration|date=27 Sep 1916}}
A third candidate from Newark, Frank McDermit, may have drawn away Martine supporters in Essex County. Wescott had the support of the Essex County machine.
=Results=
Martine defeated Wescott by a large margin in Hudson County and won the strong support of ethnic Germans, who approved of his critical stance on Wilson's war policy. Despite strong opposition from the Nugent machine in Essex and McDermit's candidacy, Martine carried the county narrowly with a plurality.
{{Election box begin no change|title=1916 Democratic U.S. Senate primary{{cite book|title=Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey|year=1917|publisher=M.R. Dennis & Co.|url=https://archive.org/details/manualoflegislat1917mull/page/163/mode/2up|url-access=registration|page=163}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = James E. Martine (incumbent)
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 50,961
| percentage = 48.76%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = John W. Wescott
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 29,627
| percentage = 28.35%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Frank M. McDermit
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 17,373
| percentage = 16.62%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = August M. Bruggeman
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 6,559
| percentage = 6.28%
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 104,520
| percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box candidate no change
| candidate = Blank votes
| party = None
| votes = 14,993
| percentage = —
}}
{{Election box turnout no change
| votes = 119,513
| percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}
Given his close alliance with Wilson personally and politically, Wescott's loss was seen as a blow to the administration and Wilson's re-election hopes.
Republican primary
=Candidates=
- Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, former State Senator from Somerset County and President of the New Jersey Senate
- Franklin Murphy, former Governor of New Jersey (1902–05)
=Campaign=
In the campaign, the statewide party machine backed Murphy. Opponents also accused Frelinghuysen of non-residency, given that his winter home and business were in New York. Frelinghuysen was also opposed by automobile owners, based on his record as State Senator. On primary day, most observers expected Murphy to win.
=Results=
Frelinghuysen won a surprise victory over Murphy, who managed only a small plurality of under 5,000 in his home base of Essex County.
{{Election box begin no change|title=1916 Republican U.S. Senate primary}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Joseph Frelinghuysen
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 89,361
| percentage = 52.31%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Franklin Murphy
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 81,483
| percentage = 47.69%
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 170,844
| percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box candidate no change
| candidate = Blank votes
| party = None
| votes = 16,570
| percentage = —
}}
{{Election box turnout no change
| votes = 187,414
| percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}
== Results by county ==
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |
| County
!Frelinghuysen !% !Murphy !% !Total |
|---|
| align="center" |Atlantic
|3,808 |43.6% |4,928 |56.4% |8,736 |
| align="center" |Bergen
|5,437 |46.3% |6,307 |53.7% |11,744 |
| align="center" |Burlington
|4,826 |66.3% |2,452 |33.7% |7,278 |
| align="center" |Camden
|6,427 |41.0% |9,231 |59.0% |15,658 |
| align="center" |Cape May
|1,170 |41.7% |1,633 |58.3% |2,803 |
| align="center" |Cumberland
|1,971 |48.7% |2,077 |51.3% |4,048 |
| align="center" |Essex
|14,501 |42.9% |19,267 |57.1% |33,768 |
| align="center" |Gloucester
|2,344 |66.0% |1,207 |34.0% |3,551 |
| align="center" |Hudson
|8,466 |56.7% |6,462 |43.3% |14,928 |
| align="center" |Hunterdon
|1,232 |81.5% |279 |18.5% |1,511 |
| align="center" |Mercer
|5,757 |57.2% |4,306 |42.8% |10,063 |
| align="center" |Middlesex
|3,097 |61.5% |1,942 |38.5% |5,039 |
| align="center" |Monmouth
|3,483 |55.4% |2,805 |44.6% |6,288 |
| align="center" |Morris
|3,817 |53.9% |3,266 |46.1% |7,083 |
| align="center" |Ocean
|1,622 |61.4% |1,020 |38.6% |2,642 |
| align="center" |Passaic
|9,416 |53.7% |8,118 |46.3% |17,534 |
| align="center" |Salem
|1,016 |70.9% |428 |29.1% |1,434 |
| align="center" |Somerset
|3,157 |88.6% |407 |11.4% |3,564 |
| align="center" |Sussex
|534 |41.2% |763 |58.8% |1,297 |
| align="center" |Union
|6,486 |62.5% |3,884 |37.5% |10,370 |
| align="center" |Warren
|794 |53.1% |701 |46.9% |1,495 |
General election
=Candidates=
- Livingston Barbour (Prohibition)
- William C. Doughty (Socialist)
- Joseph S. Frelinghuysen (Republican), former State Senator from Somerset County and President of the New Jersey Senate
- Rudolph Katz (Socialist Labor)
- James E. Martine (Democrat), incumbent Senator
=Results=
{{Election box begin no change|title=1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1916election.pdf|title=Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1916|publisher=Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|access-date=April 22, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=268242|title=Our Campaigns - NJ US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1916|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (US)
| candidate = Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr.
| votes = 244,715
| percentage = 55.99%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party (US)
| candidate = James E. Martine (incumbent)
| votes = 170,019
| percentage = 38.90%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Socialist Party USA
| candidate = William C. Doughty
| votes = 13,358
| percentage = 3.06%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Prohibition Party (US)
| candidate = Livingston Barbour
| votes = 7,178
| percentage = 0.11%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Socialist Labor Party (US)
| candidate = Rudolph Katz
| votes = 1,826
| percentage = 0.42%
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 437,096
| percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}