The 1948 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 2, 1948. All contemporary 48 states were part of the 1948 United States presidential election. Voters chose 16 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

New Jersey was won by the Republican nominees, former Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York and his running mate Governor Earl Warren of California. Dewey and Warren defeated the Democratic nominees, incumbent President Harry S. Truman of Missouri and his running mate Senator Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky. Also in the running was the Progressive Party candidate, former Democratic Vice President Henry A. Wallace, who ran with former Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho.

Dewey carried New Jersey with 50.33% of the vote to Truman's 45.93%, a margin of 4.39%. Wallace came in a distant third, with 2.19%.

Despite the closeness of the statewide result, Dewey won 15 of the state's 21 counties, while Truman won 6. However, Truman won several of the most heavily populated urban counties in the state, taking over 60% of the vote in Hudson County, winning majorities in Mercer, Camden, and Middlesex counties, and in rural Salem County, and winning with a plurality in Passaic County. However, Dewey won majorities in several heavily populated counties, including Bergen, Morris, Union, Monmouth, and Ocean counties, and also narrowly winning Essex County with a plurality, along with winning most of the state's Southern and rural counties. Wallace for his part performed most strongly in North Jersey, particularly in Essex, Union, and Passaic Counties.

New Jersey in this era was usually a swing state with a Republican lean, and its results in 1948 adhered to that pattern. As Truman narrowly defeated Dewey nationally in an upset victory, Dewey's narrow victory in New Jersey made the state almost 9% more Republican than the national average. Republicans won Burlington, Atlantic, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties for the first time since 1932. This is the last time Democrats won the presidency without Essex County.

Primary election

Neither of the major parties held primaries for presidential candidates, but some counties held unofficial nonpartisan primaries. The sums of such elections are shown below. Most votes were Republican candidates, with Thomas E. Dewey and Harold Stassen as the top candidates.

Results 1948 United States presidential election in New JerseyPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican Thomas E. Dewey 981,124 50.33% 16 Democratic Harry S. Truman (incumbent) 895,455 45.93% 0 Progressive Henry A. Wallace 42,683 2.19% 0 National Prohibition Claude A. Watson 10,593 0.54% 0 Socialist Norman Thomas 10,521 0.54% 0 Socialist Workers Farrell Dobbs 5,825 0.30% 0 Socialist Labor Edward A. Teichert 3,354 0.17% 0 Totals 1,949,555 100.0% 16

Results by county County Thomas E. DeweyRepublican Harry S. TrumanDemocratic Henry A. WallaceIndependent Progressive Claude A. WatsonNational Prohibition Norman M. ThomasSocialist Farrell DobbsSocialist Workers Edward A. TeichertSocialist Labor Margin Total votescast # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % Atlantic 31,608 54.43% 25,313 43.59% 995 1.71% 56 0.10% 79 0.14% 8 0.01% 12 0.02% 6,295 10.84% 58,071 Bergen 142,657 65.70% 69,132 31.84% 3,503 1.61% 327 0.15% 1,312 0.60% 82 0.04% 118 0.05% 73,525 33.86% 217,131 Burlington 21,183 49.92% 20,801 49.02% 278 0.66% 41 0.10% 126 0.30% 1 0.00% 2 0.00% 382 0.90% 42,432 Camden 51,977 42.91% 66,388 54.81% 1,886 1.56% 117 0.10% 419 0.35% 313 0.26% 32 0.03% -14,411 -11.90% 121,132 Cape May 11,227 64.46% 6,031 34.63% 118 0.68% 14 0.08% 20 0.11% 5 0.03% 2 0.01% 5,196 29.83% 17,417 Cumberland 16,556 51.24% 15,195 47.02% 449 1.39% 42 0.13% 46 0.14% 7 0.02% 18 0.06% 1,361 4.21% 32,313 Essex 166,963 48.60% 155,468 45.25% 11,741 3.42% 6,560 1.91% 2,004 0.58% 343 0.10% 488 0.14% 11,495 3.35% 343,567 Gloucester 19,477 54.46% 15,785 44.14% 349 0.98% 47 0.13% 97 0.27% 7 0.02% 3 0.01% 3,692 10.32% 35,765 Hudson 111,113 36.47% 182,979 60.06% 6,049 1.99% 2,920 0.96% 1,146 0.38% 148 0.05% 298 0.10% -71,866 -23.59% 304,653 Hunterdon 10,654 60.85% 6,515 37.21% 250 1.43% 18 0.10% 61 0.35% 1 0.01% 10 0.06% 4,139 23.64% 17,509 Mercer 37,794 42.26% 49,690 55.56% 1,451 1.62% 31 0.03% 457 0.51% 6 0.01% 7 0.01% -11,896 -13.30% 89,436 Middlesex 49,810 42.86% 61,634 53.04% 2,649 2.28% 94 0.08% 1,791 1.54% 136 0.12% 96 0.08% -11,824 -10.17% 116,210 Monmouth 52,908 62.22% 30,507 35.88% 1,343 1.58% 48 0.06% 214 0.25% 5 0.01% 8 0.01% 22,401 26.34% 85,033 Morris 42,558 68.01% 18,864 30.15% 746 1.19% 22 0.04% 362 0.58% 4 0.01% 18 0.03% 23,694 37.87% 62,574 Ocean 16,740 70.43% 6,366 26.79% 579 2.44% 6 0.03% 74 0.31% 2 0.01% 0 0.00% 10,374 43.65% 23,767 Passaic 59,675 45.75% 60,147 46.11% 4,870 3.73% 70 0.05% 574 0.44% 4,685 3.59% 409 0.31% -472 -0.36% 130,430 Salem 8,961 48.65% 9,278 50.37% 127 0.69% 25 0.14% 20 0.11% 2 0.01% 5 0.03% -317 -1.72% 18,418 Somerset 22,034 59.77% 14,104 38.26% 543 1.47% 13 0.04% 162 0.44% 3 0.01% 3 0.01% 7,930 21.51% 36,862 Sussex 9,269 66.50% 4,527 32.48% 101 0.72% 5 0.04% 34 0.24% 1 0.01% 2 0.01% 4,742 34.02% 13,939 Union 87,402 53.89% 66,759 41.16% 4,514 2.78% 127 0.08% 1,493 0.92% 66 0.04% 1,819 1.12% 20,643 12.73% 162,180 Warren 10,558 50.97% 9,972 48.14% 142 0.69% 10 0.05% 30 0.14% 2 0.01% 2 0.01% 586 2.83% 20,716Totals981,12450.33%895,45545.93%42,6832.19%10,5930.54%10,5210.54%5,8250.30%3,3540.17%85,6694.39%1,949,555

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Atlantic Burlington Cumberland Gloucester

See also Presidency of Harry S. Truman United States presidential elections in New Jersey

References