At the state party convention in Trenton on September 20, no opponent emerged to Senator Edward Stokes, and he was nominated enthusiastically without opposition.

[1] Various county parties promoted their favorite sons for the nomination, though the front-runner from the start was Charles C. Black, the candidate of Hudson County.

Black had the support of Senator James Smith Jr., Robert Davis, and Allan McDermott.

[2][4] Ultimately, only two favorite son candidates were nominated against Black: Frank S. Katzenbach of Mercer County and Thomas M. Ferrell of Gloucester.

They were soundly defeated at the party convention on September 15 in Trenton.