PolitiFinder

1980 New Jersey U.S. House District 3 Election

New Jersey · 5 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. House race

Who won the 1980 New Jersey U.S. House District 3 Election?

James J. Howard won the 1980 New Jersey U.S. House District 3 Election. James J. Howard received 106,269 popular votes (49.93%). The main challenger was Marie Sheehan Muhler (48.95%).

See the full head-to-head between Howard and Muhler

Howard +1.0 pts · won by 2,085 votes
James J. HowardDemocraticWINNER49.93%
106,269 votes
Marie Sheehan MuhlerRepublican48.95%
104,184 votes
Tom PalvenLibertarian0.68%
1,450 votes
Lawrence D. Ericksonsocialist0.3%
643 votes
L. James Wilsonj.e.b. party inc0.13%
284 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.