title: 1961 New Jersey Senate election
text: # 1961 New Jersey Senate election
  
  The 1961 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 5.
  
  The elections took place alongside the election of Governor Richard J. Hughes. Ten of New Jersey's 21 counties elected Senators; no seats changed hands.
  
  ## Incumbents not running for re-election
  
  ### Democratic
  
  All four Democratic Senators up for re-election ran for another term.
  
  ### Republican
  
  * Walter H. Jones (Bergen) (ran for Governor)
  * Wesley Lance (Hunterdon)
  
  ## Summary of results by county
  
  | County | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | Party |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Atlantic | Frank S. Farley | Rep | Frank S. Farley | | Rep |
  | Bergen | Walter H. Jones | Rep | Pierce Deamer | | Rep |
  | Burlington | Henry S. Haines | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
  | Camden | Joseph W. Cowgill | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
  | Cape May | Charles W. Sandman | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
  | Cumberland | Robert H. Weber | Dem | Robert H. Weber | | Dem |
  | Essex | Donal C. Fox | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
  | Gloucester | Thomas F. Connery Jr. | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
  | Hudson | William F. Kelley Jr. | Dem | William F. Kelly Jr. | | Dem |
  | Hunterdon | Wesley Lance | Rep | Raymond Bowkley | | Rep |
  | Mercer | Sido Ridolfi | Dem | Sido Ridolfi | | Dem |
  | Middlesex | John A. Lynch | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
  | Monmouth | Richard R. Stout | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
  | Morris | Thomas J. Hillery | Rep | Thomas J. Hillery | | Rep |
  | Ocean | W. Steelman Mathis | Rep | W. Steelman Mathis | | Rep |
  | Passaic | Anthony J. Grossi | Dem | Anthony J. Grossi | | Dem |
  | Salem | John A. Waddington | Dem | No election | No election | No election |
  | Somerset | William E. Ozzard | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
  | Sussex | George B. Harper | Rep | George B. Harper | | Rep |
  | Union | Robert C. Crane | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
  | Warren | Wayne Dumont | Rep | No election | No election | No election |
  
  ### Close races
  
  Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
  
  * Ocean, 5.74%
  * Hunterdon, 5.76%
  * Cumberland, 9.27%
  
  ## Atlantic
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Republican | Frank S. Farley (incumbent) | 34,949 | 57.93% |
  | | Democratic | John M. Keeley | 25,381 | 42.07% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 60,330 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Bergen
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Republican | Pierce H. Deamer Jr. | 160,125 | 55.81% |
  | | Democratic | Fred C. Galda | 124,492 | 43.39% |
  | | Conservative | Irving F. Kent | 1,626 | 0.57% |
  | | Socialist Labor | Nathan Karp | 668 | 0.23% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 286,911 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Cumberland
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Democratic | Robert H. Weber (incumbent) | 19,123 | 54.61% |
  | | Republican | Carlton E. Mason | 15,875 | 45.34% |
  | | Socialist Labor | Walter C. Wright | 18 | 0.05% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 35,016 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Hudson
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Democratic | William F. Kelley Jr. (incumbent) | 136,987 | 60.71% |
  | | Republican | Norman H. Roth | 86,914 | 38.52% |
  | | Conservative | Clifford R. Ensslin | 1,731 | 0.77% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 225,632 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Hunterdon
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Republican | Raymond E. Bowkley | 10,629 | 52.33% |
  | | Democratic | Frank W. Bohren | 9,458 | 46.57% |
  | | Conservative | Robert W. Harris | 223 | 1.10% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 20,310 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Mercer
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Democratic | Sido L. Ridolfi (incumbent) | 57,895 | 64.45% |
  | | Republican | Daniel A. O'Donnell | 31,929 | 35.55% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 89,824 | 100.0% |
  
  Remarkably, Senator Ridolfi received the exact same number of votes he had received in 1957.
  
  ## Morris
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Republican | Thomas J. Hillery (incumbent) | 57,917 | 68.00% |
  | | Democratic | Edward A. Dunbar | 27,259 | 32.00% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 85,176 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Ocean
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Republican | W. Steelman Mathis (incumbent) | 22,010 | 52.87% |
  | | Democratic | Albert J. Cucci | 19,624 | 47.13% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 41,634 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Passaic
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Democratic | Anthony J. Grossi (incumbent) | 72,676 | 55.13% |
  | | Republican | Paul G. DeMuro | 58,080 | 44.06% |
  | | Conservative | Charles R. Checkley | 804 | 0.61% |
  | | Socialist | Harry Santhouse | 255 | 0.19% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 131,815 | 100.0% |
  
  ## Sussex
  
  1961 general election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Republican | George B. Harper (incumbent) | 10,670 | 54.95% |
  | | Democratic | Frank A. Dolan | 8,749 | 45.05% |
  | Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 19,419 | 100.0% |
  