early in his career in the state legislature, gormley forged a reputation that he would retain until his retirement, that of a bold risk-taker willing to form calculated alliances with the opposing party. in 1981, gormley was the most vocal member of a small group of republican lawmakers who aligned with democrats to pass legislation that eliminated the practice of awarding favorable ballot positions to candidates endorsed by county political organizations. though the courts would restore the party line years later, the legislation paved the way for tom kean to win the republican gubernatorial primary against the republican establishment candidate, paterson mayor lawrence "pat" kramer. kean would go on to serve two terms as one of the most popular governors in new jersey history.