Nicholas F. Brady Republican Frank Lautenberg Democratic The 1982 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 2, 1982.

The seat was effectively vacated by the resignation of Harrison Williams amid scandal in March; his appointed successor, Nicholas F. Brady, did not run.

Lautenberg's campaign was largely self-funded and overcame early polling leads for Fenwick by outspending her 2-to-1 and emphasizing the persistently poor economic conditions under Republican President Ronald Reagan and the conservative Congress.

Fenwick, an extremely popular Congresswoman, centered much of her primary campaign on her electability, name recognition, and ability to win down-ballot races for local Republican candidates.

[1] Fenwick instead blamed the large federal budget deficit and called for cuts to public works spending, while preserving social services.

"[4] Bell's campaign may have been undercut when President Reagan blamed the federal budget deficit for high inflation, thereby endorsing Fenwick's economic platform, though not the candidate herself.

Morris also supported a sharp increase in military spending to deter Soviet expansion into the Middle East and Western Hemisphere and proposed American intervention in the Falklands War to force both Argentina and the United Kingdom to withdraw, citing the Monroe Doctrine.

[1] He also challenged New York City mayor Ed Koch, then running for Governor, to swim from Manhattan to the Jersey shore to bring attention to pollution.

He maintained his interpretation that his defeat was a referendum on Reaganomics and that Fenwick's victory was a sign that voters rejected Reagan's policies.

[1] Frank Lautenberg, the CEO of ADP, had no natural political base and had never run for office, but had a well-financed media campaign and courted key endorsements.

Sigmund campaigned for the newly drawn 7th congressional district for much of the spring, but joined the Senate race after being recruited by Democratic Congressmen Robert A. Roe, James J. Howard, and William J.

[1] The Democratic primary was previewed in The New York Times as a "free-for-all," with ten candidates entering before the April 30 filing deadline and no clear favorite.

[1] Lautenberg's campaign was largely self-funded, giving him an advantage in a year when Democratic fundraising was hard to come by following Williams's scandal and James Florio's narrow, expensive loss in the 1981 election for governor.

[4] In the final weeks, Maguire focused his campaign on North and Central Jersey, making 32 stops at train stations, shopping malls, and factories.

[4] On election night, the results swung back and forth, with Lautenberg, Maguire, and LeFante each holding the lead several times.

Richard McAleer spent no money on his campaign, but won more than half his votes in Mercer, Union, and Warren, where he led the ballot.

[12] After the primary, Lautenberg's campaign got off to a rocky start, as polls put Fenwick ahead by as much as 18 points and most figured that she was assured victory in November.

He emphasized partisan differences by tying Fenwick to President Ronald Reagan and Senator Strom Thurmond and attacking her personally, calling her "erratic" and "eccentric.

[17] Lautenberg compared his campaign to Mario Cuomo's in the summer New York Democratic primary, in which he trailed Ed Koch by a wide margin in all polls but won a major upset.

"[15] On October 27, Lautenberg held a rally with Ted Kennedy at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark with 1,200 in attendance.

[19] The second debate, sponsored by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and hosted by the Birchwood Manor on October 3, centered on economic issues.

Lautenberg defending his campaign spending as "highlight[ing] her record" and attacked the national Republican slogan of "stay the course."