1977Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1977 election for New Jersey Legislative District 35
New Jersey State Senate · New Jersey
Frank X. Graves Jr. (D) won with 56.2% of the vote, defeating Alfred E. Fontanella (R) by 15.9 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Frank X. Graves Jr.Democrat · winner
56.2%17,005
Alfred E. FontanellaRepublican
40.3%12,193
Joseph LongIndependent
1.8%547
Roy L. WardConstitution
1.7%500
30,245 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1977
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Frank X. Graves Jr. (D)Alfred E. Fontanella (R)
Also on the ballot: Joseph Long (Independent), 1.8%; Roy L. Ward (Constitution), 1.7%