1980Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1980 election for New Jersey's 4th District
U.S. House · New Jersey
Chris Smith (R) won with 56.6% of the vote, defeating Frank Thompson Jr. (D) by 16.0 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Chris SmithRepublican · winner
56.6%95,447
Frank Thompson Jr.Democrat
40.6%68,480
Jack MoyersLibertarian
1.7%2,801
Paul B. RizzoOther party
1.1%1,776
168,504 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.
Frank Thompson Jr.Chris Smith
$181K
Raised by the campaign
$79K
$169.1K
Spent by the campaign
$79.1K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980
The candidates
Chris Smith (R)Frank Thompson Jr. (D)
Also on the ballot: Jack Moyers (Libertarian), 1.7%; Paul B. Rizzo (Other party), 1.1%