11:00 Election Break 11:30 Wrap-up Show

Good evening this is a primary 82 election update I'm Larry Stewart Magal. It will be Republican congresswoman Millicent Fenwick against Democrat friend Frank Lautenberg in November in the race for the U.S. Senate. Mrs. Fenwick emerged tonight with a clear victory over challenger Jeffrey Bell although her margin of victory at about 6 percent is much less than she once expected. With 76 percent of the vote counted the votes tabulated show that well you can see Mrs. Fenwick's lead right now one hundred thirty one thousand eight hundred eleven to one hundred seventeen thousand four hundred eighty seven. And that is with 76 percent of the vote counted. Her victory is being fashioned in the congressional district a district she has represented since 1974 comprised mainly of counties of Morris and Somerset. Everywhere else in New Jersey Bill ran just about even with Mrs. Fenwick or pulled ahead of her. But in Somerset and Morris the pipe smoking congressman was just too strong for Bell's challenge for the Democrats the story is Lautenberg staying power across the state. His most serious challengers today were former Congressman Andrew McGuire of Bergen County and Joel Fanti of Hudson County. Each of them won in his home territory Lautenberg finished

section second in both and came out ahead in the populist Essex County his home. The millionaire businessman the founder and chairman of automatic automated data processing company of Patterson once a night on his first try in politics and in other important races today former state Senate president Joseph Merlino beat back a strong challenge by a businessman Craig gates of Burlington County to win the Democratic Congressional nomination. He will face Republican incumbent Chris Smith in November and Republican Congressman James Corder briefly considered the Senate race this year he decided to go for a second term in the House of Representatives. Today he handily turned back a challenge by Morris County for Holder Ronnie feeling to win a nomination there. So that's the way the races are shaping up right now. We'll have full election coverage for you tonight in exactly 30 minutes with CAN'T man a hand in John McLaughlin. I'm Larry student. Thank you for joining us. Good evening. OK. All right. We do not have that report yet from Governor Tom

Kaine but we hope to get that those lines cleared up. Let me just take care. OK. I've got that off that noise will not be with us anymore and let's I think we like to take a look at the nine way Democratic Senate contest can we get those numbers up. OK the top three finishers in that race Frank Lautenberg ninety three thousand five hundred nineteen votes former Congressman Andy McGuire of Bergen County eighty four thousand one hundred nineteen votes. Joseph Lafont a former State Community Affairs Commissioner seventy seven thousand six hundred and thirty nine votes. Barbara Sigmon Mercer County freeholder forty three thousand nine hundred nine votes. Attorney Howard Rosen twenty four thousand five sixty four. And I'm told that we think now that we can go back to Governor Tom Kaine who as I said earlier has been watching the Senate race on the Republican side.

And let's see. I'm going to punch up this line. Push this button Governor can you hear me. This is not a hand for governor. We're wondering how you are feeling this evening with the Fenwick when we've heard the Jeff Bell is angry with you tonight he supported you in 1981 he helped you form your tax program help you line up the Reagan camp during your campaign in 1901 Why didn't you support him. Oh I don't know I've been a work crew moment. Long time I felt them mine without mine. But I might think of them how they should vote. And you felt that you did not know I owed a tremendous amount to Jeff Bell he was very very helpful to me. No question about that. And I know that I never acknowledge that but in the declaration that it was the best thing for the body if I did not do it. John McLaughlin. Said over and over and over again during this campaign that if he lost President Reagan will be the loser. How do you feel about that is correct in that

analysis. No I don't think it was in that particular analysis I think I'll say that I think Jeff conducted himself really well in the campaign and did very very well against probably the most popular political figure in the state in any of the body. But no I don't think so because Millicent Fenwick supported President Reagan in a number of ways and certainly on on his economic programs and voted for everyone. So it would seem to me that it was a. If a number of issues as far as support fundamentally of President Reagan's program of President Reagan would have been the one that won the voters along during this campaign. Now he was saying that he was close to having having been advised in Iran Iraq and having been a been a campaign worker of Ronald Reagan and knowing Ronald Reagan a lot better and I think that's probably correct. But Milton certainly was a supporter of Ronald Reagan. I don't think you can say that he wasn't pointed out quite strongly that he had a good record of support for the president.

And so you know there's no way you can say that she she would not have the governor a last question going to be the general election in November. I think handily I think I think that Millicent Fenwick is very close to the center of thinking and I think that she's not only popular I think that a number of bands she's taken the experience she had in the Congress are very much of the feeling. The people of the state and I think that as the campaign goes on that experience in Congress those stands are going to be reiterated again and again Franklin writes man but he's got no experience in government before he put a tremendous amount of money into this race in a crowded field. Governor our time is up I'm sorry to interrupt you and I know the hour is late and you've stayed up to speak to us and we thank you for that and we'll move on now to Sandy King

who has the latest on what's going on in Mileson Fenwick's and Jeff Bell's headquarters right now Sandy can't just a half to 11 o'clock Fenwick had a 16000 vote lead over bell but when she appeared at her headquarters in Berners she was not yet ready to claim victory. Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I was saying there was that she'd keep her fingers crossed and hold off for a while but then 10 minutes later got a phone from Jeff. He was ready to lead. So it wasn't long before Fenwick appeared again and this time she wasn't hedging. I think. I'm having.

My I am. And I will meet with kindness. And friendship. And I know. That. This is where I don't care about the country. It has to be done in the election system. It's an honor to you and I trust to be with you and I thank you very. Much. Was. Brought the news to his supporters in Westfield. He held off as long as he could hoping the numbers would change. When they didn't he made his concession official.

But after the campaign after the campaign the people in this room people of the state of New Jersey. We have everything thank you so much from. The GOP race both candidates agreed Fenwick would be the candidate in November. All right. Thank you very much. We have some results that we want about. I think they're going to be coming up on our screen. Look at those. All right in the Democratic Senate primary we have the top three contenders and some results Ninety three thousand five 9000 for Lautenberg the latest numbers we have former Democratic Congressman Andy McGuire 84000 119 and Joseph Lafont today of Hudson County seventy seven thousand six thirty nine. So and Howard and Barbara Sigmon Mercer County freeholder forty three thousand nine hundred nine Howard Rosen twenty four thousand five sixty four.

And we'll move on to Rita shade. She's been covering the Democratic races. All right I'm told that we're going to go now to our political analyst John McLaughlin and I think John even though we've given the Democratic numbers we're going to talk a little bit about the Republicans the Republican Senate race how did Millicent Fenwick win this race tonight John. Well she won the race the way she's always won she just went crazy in her own congressional district in the Somerset Morris County area. The biggest Republican county is Bergen County and that county cares about 45000 out of the almost 300000 Republican votes that were cast but it can sell itself out in Fenwick and Bell split almost evenly. Marist County on the other hand gave Mrs. Fenwick almost a 2 to 1 margin is around 9 to 5. Bell ran almost as well as he ran against some other case. Except that this time he didn't carry Union County this time beating Terry my mama count he lost them both by 2000 votes. He didn't he ran very well in South Jersey and also in the rural north western part of the state but it just wasn't enough.

Was this Republican primary a referendum on Reaganomics. Well Mr. Bell said that's what it was and also on all the social issues that Republicans are so concerned about abortion the E.R re. School prayer and that sort of thing. I think it seems to me that this is probably a very bitter blow to classic conservatives the kinds of people from all over the country that contributed money that Jeff Bell but I would doubt that is going to be interpreted as a slap in the face to President Reagan or his policies especially since Mrs. family tried so hard in the closing days of the campaign to get closer to Reagan. Of course in our own interest and I suspect she has no choice now but to go out in the general election and and defend the administration. Jeff Bell's attacks on Mrs. Fenwick especially in the closing days of the campaign and his TV ads did they backfire. Well they might have because he pulled them off the air. Those ads where he compared. This is families voting records you know with such infamous Democrats as absolving Eddie McGuire. Those ads came off the air about six days before the election so somebody

probably thought. The gig lived up to usefulness or maybe they were starting to hurt. All right thank you John. And let's move now to the Democrats and reader Schade who's been covering the Democratic race and she's here now with the latest on what's going on at the candidate's headquarters. Thanks Kent. Frank Lautenberg continues to widen his lead over Andy McGuire and Joseph Lafont today. But Lautenberg campaign supporters have been reluctant to claim victory. Lautenberg is the projected winner showing strong support in Middlesex Union and Essex counties the areas he had targeted. The Lautenberg strategy during the last week of the campaign seems to have paid off as the massive mailings and telephone calls to voters gave him significant chunks of Bergen and Hudson counties. Lautenberg used heavy television campaigns in the southern part of the state now seems to have succeeded in collecting urban centers in South Jersey in spite of Merrill endorsements that went to his opponent's Lautenberg campaign workers are waiting for the candidate to claim victory. And we expect that to come shortly. Andrew

McGuire carried his home territory of Bergen County. Plus he got broad support from labor consumer and other special interest groups this gave him a high vote. Count in key northern counties. McGuire has not at this hour though claimed victory nor conceded defeat. Joseph Lafont is closely behind McGuire's heels in this race he carried primarily the Hudson County vote from the Hudson County machinery Lafont is expected to make a speech to his supporters at any minute. Kent thank you very much Rita. Back to John now for some analysis on the Democrats we gave the numbers a few minutes ago. Frank Lautenberg by the selection he spent $2000000 a million dollars on television advertising alone. Harsh words. However I would say that if he spoke only one million dollars rather than two billion dollars it will last. He. McGuire I think was her rather badly by the late entrance into the campaign by Barbara Sigmon who is like McGuire a liberal. And obviously had a special appeal to women

and women were supporting him to McGuire and I think if you factor Barbara segment out of the campaign McGuire may well have pulled it off and want to. But anyway let's get back to the winner. Although it was thought that Barbara Sigmon would be a spoiler for Joseph Lafont I didn't work out that way. You know I want that stuff in those and it never occurred to me but I think when you have a nine people running you can concentrate on a lot of combinations theory and it'll sound plausible. Mr. Lautenberg cavity States and I would say there are twenty six percent of the vote was a big field but the fact of the matter is a three out of four Democrats who went out today and pulled the lever voted for somebody else besides Frank Lautenberg. He carried 13 counties but most of the very small counties in the south. He wanted two of the Big Six Democratic counties Essex and Middlesex. Again. The money that Frank Lautenberg spent on television really paid off especially in the southern part of the state. Let's look at the just back up for a minute the gubernatorial race last

year both Sullivan spent a lot of money too. What's the difference in what he did wrong and what Lautenberg did right this time around to win the race can you compare those two. Well I think both saw it when. I. Was running in a much stronger field than Mr. Lautenberg was as I said earlier the obvious candidate would have been Jim Florio but he chose not to run. Mr Maguire was a tough candidate. He was under financed. Could afford only to buy television in the closing days of the campaign I had an extra $700000 he would want to watch and I think he lost. Will he try again for the Senate or the Congress it's going to be a long wait before there's an opening. All right thank you John. And let's take a look at the contested races in 10 of the states 14 congressional districts. Here's a look at the results that we have in. OK I'm told that we are going to take a look at the runners for next fall in those congressional districts I believe and in District one we'll run them down for you

in District 1 parts of Canton and Gloucester counties. And the contest now that's district to our right. Sorry District 1 and that's James Florio and John will be on the slate in November in the general election and District 2 there was no primary contest there. And incumbent Howard Hughes will face John Mahoney the Republican in the general election in November in district three parts of Monmouth Ocean and Middlesex Counties and their republican Marie Mueller and assembly Assemblywoman will face James Howard the incumbent there in the general election. John can we talk a little bit about these three races or perhaps one or two of them. Any significant. Things that happened that we did there was no contest of course in the second district and Jim Florio was unopposed in the Democratic race what about the GOP contest in the first district there is that threat. John the winner there that pose any threat to him Florio he's pretty well

locked in the general election. I would say the odds and I can't buy the November 91 and no contest primary contest in the in the 2nd District. William Hughes will be facing Republican John Mahoney. He's the one they are screwed for Mr. Hughes. All right in District 3 James Howard will face Marie Mueller. Well now this one's good. She lost by just about two thousand votes last time. Yeah that's right. But she also had the benefit of running in a Reagan landslide which she will not have this time. But nonetheless she's a tough candidate she's well-known she's a good campaigner a good campaigner and like I don't want to sound like a chauvinist but she's also very attractive. That could be a very close race. OK John thank you and we'll take a look at District Four now and that includes parts of Mercer Burlington Camden Middlesex and Monmouth Counties and on the slate in November Democrat Joe Merlino who won handily over Craig Yates in that district will face incumbent Chris Smith who was first elected in 1980

defeated former Congressman Frank Thompson of Trenton. What about the fight how does that shape up for November. While I don't really know that my guess is that even as Mr. Smith what the Washington two years ago he will return to New Jersey in November and this is still a Democratic district. Chris Smith got elected maybe because the incumbent Democratic Congressman Frank Thompson was under indictment in the Abscam case. He's a good campaigner. He's been a very energetic congressman especially in terms of servicing his constituents. But you really don't never even campaign against his Craig in a primary. Most of his advertising most of his thrust was is it's going to be more Leno versus Smith in the fall. So he's off to a good early start and what to win the election and TV ads in that race. You think. What it was like there. They weren't there they were for Germany you know this time I don't see any reason why I would do it again. All right let's look at District Five which includes parts of Bergen hundred in Mercer

Maurice and Sussex counties and we'll take a look at what's going on there. The Republican will face no I'm sorry and it will face camera Zell the Democrat in the general election in November. I'm sorry I'm distracted by some of the things I'm being told here on the floor of my trend of thought there for a moment John found is that you were OK. How does that stack up for November. Well this is a district which I've just been four months from the Hudson that of Delaware but more important an old fashioned Republican district. Mrs. Rock is. A popular incumbent candidate is going to be extremely difficult as seems to be her Democratic opponent Frederick cameras the beater and of course we should point out that Marjorie won this district over former Congressman ending McGuire's right two years and Andy McGuire was a tough candidate when she won. Yet it's an incumbent. OK let's take a look at District Six parts of Middlesex and union counties and the two opposing candidates here Republican

buckler. And when you are Nora Dwyer and we'll run down District 7 for you. OK and there was no primary contest in six I should point out this time around there was no primary contest in seven either. Adam Levin the millionaire former consumer affairs commissioner will be the Democratic contender in the November election. And Matt Rinaldo the Republican whom he will oppose and. All right we're going to take those two districts in the Senate. Let's take a look at the seven for I don't want to be. Should be a hot race a lot of money spent a lot of TV advertising. Adam Levin is in a district which was carved out by the Democrats for him. How do things look but Matalin all those a popular candidate he's been in that district for a long time. Well the mystery woman has a lot of money and some of the person you want to spend it on how we're ready right now the already has $300000 in the bank again. We have a popular incumbent congressman and it was nobody harder in all politics to beat

than incumbent Congressman I don't think many because you get so many opportunities to do people favors in Social Security in the draft or whatever it is they do a lot for people in his district people remember that. They're hard guys to be and the recognition is already there and of course they're being written up in the press. And that's a definite advantage of Mr. Mallory Because like I when it comes to getting press does very well. All right. District 8. Let's take a look at what happened there there was no contest. And that district includes parts of Bergen Marson Passaic county's incumbent Robert Rowe will face Norman Robertson a Clifton lawyer in the general election in November. All right one down one more John before we talk about the races in District 9 which includes part of Bergen County there were contested races in both parties will look at the OK we'll look at the November people Harold Hollaback the incumbent there will face Democrat Torricelli and Torricelli was a former aide to Governor BRENDAN BYRNE And I think we said

we'll go now to District 10 before we have some analysis which includes parts. All right district. All right we'll go to 10 District 10 which includes parts of Essex Union and Hudson counties and here Peter Rodino will face Timothy Lee in the demo general election in November and 11 which includes district 11 which includes parts of Bergen Essex Hudson Morris and Passaic counties. And here we will have Ray Reddington the Republican opposing incumbent Joseph minister who's been in that seat for the past 20 years he defeated a tough opponent tonight. Frank asked in an in District 12 which was probably the key congressional race which drew the most attention between James quarter and Romney feeling highs and a tough fight there on the Republican district that includes parts of a 600 in Mar Somerset Sussex Union and Warren counties. And the contenders in the November race James quarter and Jeff Connor the attorney. And where should we

start there. Should we start let's start let's start with the biggest race with the gym quarter Rodney Frelinghuysen. That was a tough contest that was waged there which Mr. Corker won handily. And this is the wealthiest whitest. Whatever sort of adjective you want to use the most Republican district in the state. Mr. Connor is going to get a great deal of luck. I have a story I heard a little while ago about that someone told me that about an hour after the polls open this morning at about 8:00 o'clock a Democrat went to vote in Morris County and he was and he was the number one person to vote. And now after the polls had opened so when you say Republican district you know what you're talking about where she could have been arrested. And of course we're looking for a quarter win in November. We certainly are. All right let's take a look at the last two districts District 13 parts of Burlington Ocean Monmouth and Camden counties and do we have some numbers there there was no contest on the Democratic side. And I'm not going to

get some numbers. All right John. Do we have any information that you have apparently we're not going to allow yourself in that area and I think your life I think missed fourth place we would be extremely difficult to beat. Congressman the effect it had the was in at the district there's no democratic not Democratic opponent. We certify it stipulate incomparably protect the When's. The night it's like they could not you I'm sorry what did you say the night the straightest or anyone and I was up in Bergen County it could be a tough race to come as Republican here in Hollenbeck but because of redistricting the district is considerably more democratic than it used to be and Mr. Hollaback has had some problems in the past. He is one of the leading Gypsy was in Congress and that will help him I think in the general. But Bob Torricelli is going to get a good run for his money I think. OK and he brings in some support from outside the state doesn't he Torricelli be able to draw a lot of money from outside of New Jersey.

He's no he's well known around the country and I don't know what used to this but he and Jimmy Carter are close friends. OK you never know. Let's let's take a look at District 14 before we wind this up. We do not have a display for that let me just tell you briefly that that includes parts of Bergen and Hudson counties Frank or really there was on a post there was no Democratic contest. And Charles Krieger. Will be the opposition in November as we said to Mr. Connor. Good luck Mr. Craig are you going to need it. OK all right thank you John. And. I'm not sure where we're going to go for him here OK I'm told that we are going to have John McLaughlin our political analysis and analyst whom you've just heard a great deal from about the congressional races. He's going to wrap up the evening for us tell us about the Senate races and the congressional races his thoughts. John what do you see tonight. If you stay with us all the way was an all fashioned seat of the pants television election night show no exit polls no sample precincts just a bunch of people trying to make sense out of mountains of numbers the numbers. It would have been a lot more

fun for us if we didn't have to spend half the night verifying the NetWare predictions that were out almost as soon as the polls closed. Woulda been a lot more fun too for the campaign workers and supporters are they going to work with the figures as they came in. I don't know if it would have been a whole lot of fun for Jeff Bell but at least he would have gotten a better month for the two million dollars he spent to try and win this election as it was he saw the last five years of his life the years he spent chasing his dream to become a United States senator go down the drain in exactly one hundred twenty seconds courtesy of NBC TV. I didn't have any bets on tonight's events but I did have a personal parlay it was Bell Lautenberg and the 76 who's the 76 was lost. But CBS did do me the courtesy of waiting until the game was over to report that fact. Thank you thank you very much. And I'd just like to say our thanks to everyone who worked on this program tonight it was a mad scramble to get it on the air believe me. And our thanks to John McLaughlin to Sandy King to read to Dan Hodson and all of those people who work behind the

scenes to put this program on the air. I hope you enjoyed it and hope it was informative tonight. RR.

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