1996Final results
1996 election for New Jersey's 3rd District
U.S. House · New Jersey
Jim Saxton (R) won with 64.2% of the vote, defeating John Leonardi (D) by 30.9 points.
Jim SaxtonRepublican · winner
64.2%157,503
John LeonardiDemocrat
33.3%81,590
Janice PresserIndependent
1.2%3,037
Agnes A. JamesIndependent
0.6%1,355
Eugene B. AshworthIndependent
0.5%1,134
Ken FeduniewiczIndependent
0.3%659
245,278 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 1996
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.
John LeonardiJim Saxton
$23.2K
Raised by the campaign
$676.8K
$22K
Spent by the campaign
$533.9K
$99
Cash on hand
$678K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Jim Saxton (R)John Leonardi (D)
Also on the ballot: Janice Presser (Independent), 1.2%; Agnes A. James (Independent), 0.6%; Eugene B. Ashworth (Independent), 0.5%; Ken Feduniewicz (Independent), 0.3%