1980Final results
1980 election for New Jersey's 12th District
U.S. House · New Jersey
Matthew Rinaldo (R) won with 77.1% of the vote, defeating Rose Zeidwerg Monyek (D) by 56.2 points.
Matthew RinaldoRepublican · winner
77.1%134,973
Rose Zeidwerg MonyekDemocrat
20.9%36,577
David-Leif JensenIndependent
1.3%2,358
William VandersteelLibertarian
0.6%1,118
175,026 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
No DemocratMatthew Rinaldo
—
Raised by the campaign
$291.8K
—
Spent by the campaign
$229.5K
—
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980
The candidates
Matthew Rinaldo (R)Rose Zeidwerg Monyek (D)
Also on the ballot: David-Leif Jensen (Independent), 1.3%; William Vandersteel (Libertarian), 0.6%