Incumbent Governor William T. Cahill ran for reelection, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Charles W. Sandman Jr.

[1] Sandman defeated Governor Cahill, whose reputation had been damaged by a series of corruption scandals, in a rematch of the 1969 Republican primary; his victory "shocked party leaders throughout the state.

"[2] Byrne, a judge who had garnered a reputation for resistance to corruption, defeated Ann Klein and Ralph DeRose to win the Democratic nomination.

The close race between the liberal Cahill and the conservative Sandman created a lasting rift between the two men personally and politically; he easily defeated former governor Robert B. Meyner in the general election.

Cahill was popular through most of his first two years in office, during which he quieted a rebellion at Rahway State Prison without violence and convinced the New York Giants to relocate to the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Nevertheless, he remained popular enough among the party's liberal wing that some suggested Cahill should replace Spiro Agnew as Richard Nixon's running mate in 1972.

He said he was running to give "better leadership to both the state and Republican Party" and called for an open primary without county organization endorsements.

[5] Before Cahill even entered the race, Sandman charged that renominating him would destroy the New Jersey Republican Party and ensure that Democrats won both houses of the Legislature.

[4] Cahill did not shy from the issue of corruption, demanding in March that the entire election should constitute a public referendum on the question of his personal honesty.

He renewed his campaign offer to nominate Brendan Byrne, now his general election opponent, as a special prosecutor against political corruption, saying there was "no better person for that office.

However, with the Gross and McCrane scandals breaking three weeks before the April 26 filing deadline,[2] Byrne decided at the eleventh hour to enter the campaign with the support of the Hudson County.

[7] During the campaign, Byrne hammered hard on the issue of corruption, relying on his reputation as "the man who couldn't be bought" by organized crime.

[7] Byrne's alliance with the Hudson County party organization, typically seen as a political machine and often a hub of corruption, posed an issue for him early in the campaign.

"[7] At his victory celebration in East Orange, Byrne said the voters had showed "the people have held the Governor accountable" for surrounding himself with corrupt aides.