1973 New Jersey Senate election
November 6, 1973
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All 40 seats in the New Jersey State Senate 21 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by district Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold Republican gain Independent gain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1973 New Jersey Senate elections were held on November 6. The result of the elections were large gains for the Democratic Party, which won control of the Senate. The party picked up twelve seats. This election marked the first time since 1967 that Democrats controlled the State Senate. Republicans would not regain control of the State Senate until 1991.
The election coincided with Brendan Byrne's landslide re-election over Republican Charles W. Sandman Jr. The election also took place amidst the height of the Watergate scandal, just weeks after the Saturday Night Massacre.
This was also the first New Jersey Senate election held using single-member districts, as the state completed its long transition following the 1964 Reynolds v. Sims decision. As of 2022, it remains the largest single change in seats for Democrats or any party since single-member districts were adopted. This remains the greatest number of seats held by the Democrats or any party since the adoption of single-member districts.
Democrats chose Frank J. Dodd as the Senate President and Matthew Feldman as Majority Leader; Republicans named the outgoing Senate President, Alfred Beadleston as Minority Leader.
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