1968 New York state election

The 1968 New York state election was held on November 5, 1968, to elect a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

Background

Judge Adrian P. Burke was elected in 1954, thus his fourteen-year term would expire at the end of the year.

Nominations

This year primary elections were re-introduced in New York to nominate candidates for state offices. Primaries had been held in New York State from 1914 to 1920, then the State returned to nomination by state convention, but in New York City primaries continued to be held until today.

The primaries were held on June 18.

The Republican State Committee met on March 27 at Albany, New York and designated U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits, and endorsed the Democratic/Liberal Judge Adrian P. Burke, for re-election.[1]

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senator was won by Paul O'Dwyer, the brother of Mayor of New York William O'Dwyer (in office 1946–1950).[2] Paul O'Dwyer gathered 25,000 signatures, and got on the primary ballot by petition on a peace platform and favoring Eugene McCarthy to be nominated for President.[3] In a tight race, he defeated Nassau County Executive Eugene H. Nickerson, the candidate of the party bosses and supporter of Robert F. Kennedy for President, and Congressman Joseph Y. Resnick, the candidate who planned to back Lyndon B. Johnson for re-election.[4] The vote was O'Dwyer 275,877; Nickerson 257,639; and Resnick 229,803.[5]

The Liberal primary for U.S. Senator was won by the incumbent Republican Jacob K. Javits who defeated Murray Baron,[6] a former Liberal New York County Chairman.[7]

The Conservative State Committee met on April 2, and designated by acclamation James L. Buckley for the U.S. Senate, and endorsed the Democratic/Liberal Judge Adrian P. Burke for re-election.[8]

The Peace and Freedom Party nominated Herman B. Ferguson, a former elementary-school assistant principal, for the U.S. Senate. Ferguson had been convicted of conspiring to murder moderate civil rights leaders Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young,[9] and his candidature was contested. On October 2, a New York Supreme Court justice ruled that Ferguson was entitled to run.[10]

Result

The incumbents Burke and Javits were re-elected.

**1968 state election result**
Ticket / Office	Judge of the Court of Appeals	U.S. Senator
Republican	Adrian P. Burke	Jacob K. Javits	2,810,836
Democratic	Adrian P. Burke	Paul O'Dwyer	2,150,695
Liberal	Adrian P. Burke	Jacob K. Javits	458,936
Conservative	Adrian P. Burke	James L. Buckley	1,139,402
Peace and Freedom		Herman B. Ferguson	8,775
Socialist Labor		John Emanuel[11]	7,964
Socialist Workers		Hedda Garza[12]	4,919

Note: Number is total of votes on both tickets for Javits.

Notes

State G. O. P. Starts Move For Drafting Rockefeller in NYT on March 28, 1968 (subscription required)
O'DWYER BEATS NICKERSON; A SENATE UPSET; Organization Is Dealt Setback; RESNICK CONCEDES IN EARLY MORNING in NYT on June 19, 1968 (subscription required)
O'Dwyer's 25,000 Signatures Assure a 3-Way Primary Test in NYT on May 13, 1968 (subscription required)
STATE DEMOCRATS NAME NICKERSON FOR SENATE RACE; Selection Here Is Regarded as a Victory by Kennedy in Bid for Nomination; PRIMARY FIGHT ASSURED Resnick, With 30 Per Cent of Vote, Plans to Run as a Johnson Backer in NYT on March 31, 1968 (subscription required)
O'Dwyer Won by 18,238 in NYT on July 20, 1968 (subscription required)
Murray Baron (1908–2002), lawyer, Columbia University and Brooklyn Law School graduate, President of Accuracy in Media from 1976, Murray Baron, 94, Labor Lawyer And Head of Accuracy in Media in NYT on September 26, 2002
Liberal Party Nominates Javits For Senator in a Light Turnout in NYT on June 19, 1968 (subscription required)
James Buckley Is Named to Run For the Senate by Conservatives in NYT on April 3, 1968 (subscription required)
Ferguson and Harris Sentenced To 3¹⁄₂ to 7 Years in Murder Plot in NYT on October 4, 1968 (subscription required)
FERGUSON WINS PLACE ON BALLOT; State Court Upholds Right to Run for U.S. Senate in NYT on October 3, 1968 (subscription required)
John Emanuel (born c. 1908 in Greece), "fur worker," ran also for Comptroller in 1954 and 1966; for Lieutenant Governor in 1958 and 1962; and for the U.S. Senate in 1964
Hedda Garza (born c. 1930), "editorial worker," of Freeport

Sources

Official result: Humphrey and Javits Won State Without Liberal Party's Votes in NYT on December 10, 1968 (subscription required)

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Elections in New York
General	1844 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1902 1903 1904 1906 1907 1908 1910 1912 1913 1914 1916 1917 1918 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1926 1927 1928 1930 1932 1933 1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1942 1943 1944 1946 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1956 1958 1959 1960 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
NY State Senate	1984 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
NY State Assembly	1984 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
NY Governor and Lieutenant Governor	1777 1778 sp 1780 1783 1786 1789 1792 1795 1798 1801 1804 1807 1810 1811 sp 1813 1816 1817 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1879 1882 1885 1888 1891 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
NY Attorney General	1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
NY Comptroller	1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
NY Judicial	1847 (Special) 1870 (Special) 1959 1960 1969
U.S. President	1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
U.S. Senate	Class 1: 1789 1791 1797 Jan. 1798 (Special) Aug. 1798 (Special) 1800 (Special) 1803 1804 (Special) 1809 1815 1821 1827 1829 (Special) 1833 1839–40 1845 1851 1857 1863 1869 1875 1881 1881 (Special) 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 1928 1934 1938 (Special) 1940 1946 1952 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2010 (Special) 2012 2018 2024 Class 3: 1789 1795 1796 (Special) 1800 (Special) 1801 1802 (Special) 1804 (Special) 1807 1813 1819–20 1825–26 1831 1833 (Special) 1837 1843 1845 (Special) 1849 1855 1861 1867 1873 1879 1881 (Special) 1885 1891 1897 1903 1909 1914 1920 1926 1932 1938 1944 1949 (Special) 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 2022
U.S. House	1789 1790 1793 1794 1796 1798 1800 1802 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1821 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 6th sp 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2009 20th sp 23rd sp 2010 29th 2011 9th sp 26th sp 2012 2014 2016 2018 14th 25th sp 2020 27th sp Special
See also Political party strength in New York