# 1990 United States Senate election in New Jersey

Elections in New Jersey :
Federal government
U.S. President
1788-89
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
Dem
2008
Rep
Dem
2012
2016
Dem
2020
Dem
2024
Dem
Rep
U.S. Senate
1788
1790
1790 (sp)
1792
1796
1796 (sp)
1798
1799 (sp)
1801 (sp)
1803 (sp)
1804
1808
1809
1809 (sp)
1810
1815
1816 (sp)
1817
1820
1823
1823 (sp)
1826
1826 (sp)
1829
1829 (sp)
1833
1835
1839
1840
1845
1846
1851
1853 (sp)
1857
1858
1863 (sp)
1864
1866 (sp)
1867 (sp)
1869
1875
1877
1881
1883
1886
1889
1893
1895
1899
1901
1902 (sp)
1905
1907
1911
1913
1916
1918
1918 (sp)
1922
1924
1928
1930
1930 (sp)
1932 (sp)
1934
1936
1938 (sp)
1940
1942
1944 (sp)
1948
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2013 (sp)
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House of Representatives
1789
1791
1792
1794
1795 (sp AL)
1797
1798
1800
1803
1804
1806
1808 (sp AL)
1808
1810 (sp AL)
1810
1814 (sp 3rd)
1813
1814
1816
1818
1820
1821 (sp AL)
1822
1824
1826
1828
1828 (sp AL)
1830
1832
1834
1836
1836
1838
1840
1842
1844
1846
1850
1852
1854
1856
1858
1860
1862
1864
1866
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1913 (sp 6th)
1914
1916
1920
1924
1926
1928
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1948
1950
1951 (sp 9th)
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1968
1972
1980
1984
1988
1988 (sp 3rd)
1990
1990 (sp 1st)
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2006
2006 (5th)
2006 (12th)
2008
2010
2012
2012 (sp 10th)
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
General elections
2009
2010
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
Gubernatorial elections
1843
1844
1847
1850
1853
1856
1859
1862
1865
1868
1871
1874
1877
1880
1883
1886
1889
1892
1895
1898
1901
1904
1907
1910
1913
1916
1919
1922
1925
1928
1931
1934
1937
1940
1943
1946
1949
1953
1957
1961
1965
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
Senate elections
1873
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
1967
1971
1973
1977
1981
1983
1987
1991
1993
1997
2001
2003
2007
2011
2013
2017
2021
2023
General Assembly elections
1985
1987
1989
1991
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023 :
Newark
Mayoral elections
1970
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Jersey City
Mayoral elections
2001
2004
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Hoboken
Mayoral elections
2005
2017
2021 :
Atlantic City
Mayoral elections
2017
2021 :
vte :
The 1990 New Jersey United States Senate election was held on November 6, 1990, to select the Class 2 U.S. Senator from the state of New Jersey. Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Bradley decided to seek re-election and narrowly edged out little-known Republican Christine Todd Whitman.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Bill Bradley, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1979
* Daniel Z. Seyler, Phillipsburg resident

### Results

1990 Democratic U.S. Senate primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bill Bradley (incumbent) | 197,454 | 92.38% |
| | Democratic | Daniel Z. Seyler | 16,287 | 7.62% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 213,741 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Christine Todd Whitman, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and former Somerset County Freeholder (1983–1988)

#### Declined

* Leanna Brown, State Senator from Chatham

### Campaign

The New Jersey Republican Party struggled to recruit a candidate to oppose Bradley, a widely popular incumbent with financial resources in a state that had not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972, although incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush had carried the state by a wide margin in 1988 and remained highly popular. The two most commonly mentioned candidates were Christine Todd Whitman, the president of the state board of public utilities, and State Senator Leanna Brown, who had raised her profile through her involvement in Jim Courter's 1989 gubernatorial campaign. Brown removed herself from consideration on February 24, leaving Whitman as the likely nominee.
Bradley was expected to outspend the Republican nominee four-to-one and even Whitman admitted that the goal of the Republican campaign was not winning, but rather "show[ing] there are good credible candidates... to show there is life after Tom Kean." Whitman, the daughter of former party chair Webster B. Todd, resigned from the public utilities board on March 5 and announced she would face Bradley with the support of the state party on March 13. In doing so, Whitman passed up the opportunity to run for an open U.S. House seat vacated by Jim Courter. Acknowledging the uphill battle Whitman faced, Somerset party chair Jack Penn compared her odds to those of Buster Douglas, a 42:1 underdog who had knocked out Mike Tyson one month earlier.

### Results

1990 Republican U.S. Senate primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Christine Todd Whitman | 112,214 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 112,214 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

* Bill Bradley, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1979 (Democratic)
* John Kucek (Populist)
* Don Mackle (Socialist Workers)
* Louis Stefanelli (Libertarian)
* Christine Todd Whitman, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (Republican)

### Campaign

U.S. Senator Bill Bradley didn't realize he was in danger of losing re-election and the New Jersey voters' anger over taxes and economy until the week prior to the election.
In the early part of the campaign, Bradley already had a major image problem; he was comfortably ahead in the polls, so his staffers told him to play it safe. He aired television advertisements of himself walking on the beach, shooting a perfect shot on the court, and sitting back in his office with his basketball shoes on his desk. The advertisements backfired as voters were turned off and thought that he wasn't taking his job seriously, especially at a time when voters were suffering.
Another major problem with Bradley was how Democratic Governor Jim Florio implemented a $2.8 billion tax increase, hurting the state's economy. In addition, Bradley refused to answer questions pertaining to Florio's tax policies.
After Bradley realized he was in trouble, he released negative advertisements attacking Whitman's own record on taxes, accusing her of favoring tax increases when she was a Somerset County Freeholder. Bradley's image may have been further damaged by his newer advertisements.

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Bill Bradley (D) | Christine Whitman (R) | Other/ Undecided |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | July 2–10, 1990 | 616 LV | ±4.0% | 64% | 17% | 19% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Sep. 24–Oct. 2, 1990 | 613 LV | ±4.0% | 56% | 26% | 18% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 16–22, 1990 | 532 LV | ±4.5% | 62% | 26% | 12% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 27–31, 1990 | 987 LV | ±3.2% | 55% | 27% | 18% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 27–31, 1990 | 466 PV | ±4.5% | 50% | 33% | 17% |
* ↑ Only top two candidates
* ↑ Key: A – all adults RV – registered voters LV – likely voters PV – "probable" voters

### Results

1990 United States Senate election in New Jersey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bill Bradley (incumbent) | 977,810 | 50.44% |
| | Republican | Christine Todd Whitman | 918,874 | 47.40% |
| | Populist | John Kucek | 19,978 | 1.0% |
| | Libertarian | Louis Stefanelli | 13,988 | 0.7% |
| | Socialist Workers | Don Mackle | 7,804 | 0.4% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,938,454 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

#### Results by County

| County | Bradley votes | Bradley % | Whitman votes | Whitman % | Other votes | Other % |
| Atlantic | 27.905 | 58.08% | 19,481 | 40.54% | 662 | 1.38% |
| Bergen | 121,020 | 49.24% | 121,600 | 49.47% | 3,180 | 1.29% |
| Burlington | 46,912 | 49.33% | 46,287 | 48.67% | 1,901 | 2.00% |
| Camden | 72,328 | 56.78% | 52,790 | 41.44% | 2,263 | 1.78% |
| Cape May | 16,627 | 54.11% | 13,528 | 44.02% | 573 | 1.86% |
| Cumberland | 18,186 | 56.82% | 12,765 | 39.89% | 1,053 | 3.29% |
| Essex | 93,052 | 61.09% | 56,722 | 37.24% | 2,539 | 1.67% |
| Gloucester | 35,379 | 57.01% | 25,374 | 40.89% | 1,307 | 2.11% |
| Hudson | 65,242 | 65.62% | 32,311 | 32.50% | 1,877 | 1.89% |
| Hunterdon | 10,849 | 36.11% | 18,309 | 60.94% | 886 | 2.95% |
| Mercer | 45,036 | 52.28% | 39,570 | 45.94% | 1,535 | 1.78% |
| Middlesex | 80,080 | 49.49% | 77,165 | 47.69% | 4,553 | 2.81% |
| Monmouth | 74,934 | 47.62% | 80,126 | 50.92% | 2,298 | 1.46% |
| Morris | 46.928 | 40.71% | 66,369 | 57.57% | 1,983 | 1.72% |
| Ocean | 54,714 | 39.90% | 76,948 | 56.12% | 5,547 | 3.98% |
| Passaic | 46.58% | 40,312 | 43,867 | 50.69% | 2,357 | 2.72% |
| Salem | 10,086 | 53.99% | 7,999 | 42.82% | 596 | 3.19% |
| Somerset | 27,508 | 40.30% | 38,426 | 56.30% | 2,320 | 3.40% |
| Sussex | 12.814 | 38.45% | 19,789 | 59.37% | 726 | 2.18% |
| Union | 66,716 | 52.11% | 57,628 | 45.38% | 3,184 | 2.51% |
| Warren | 11,722 | 48.72% | 11,820 | 49.12% | 520 | 2.16% |