Political Career
Early in his career in the state Legislature, Gormley forged a reputation that he would retain until his retirement, that of a bold risk-taker willing to form calculated alliances with the opposing party. In 1981, Gormley was the most vocal member of a small group of Republican lawmakers who aligned with Democrats to pass legislation that eliminated the practice of awarding favorable ballot positions to candidates endorsed by county political organizations. Though the courts would restore the party line years later, the legislation paved the way for Tom Kean to win the Republican gubernatorial primary against the Republican establishment candidate, Paterson Mayor Lawrence “Pat” Kramer. Kean would go on to serve two terms as one of the most popular governors in New Jersey history.
“Getting rid of the party line cracked Kramer and made Kean,” recalled Republican campaign strategist Dave Murray. “What was so impressive about that is there were other guys supporting Kean, but Bill Gormley was the one shouting it from the rooftops. Really, there’s only one word to describe him – and that’s ballsy.” (4)
In 1990, Gormley cast the only Republican vote for then Gov. Jim Florio’s ban on assault weapons and became a target of the National Rifle Association. As political payback, the NRA funded the campaigns of a string of Gormley opponents in both local races and runs for higher office. (5)
Over the course of his career, Gormley ran for higher office three times and lost in the primary each time. He ran for Governor in 1989, the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993 and the U.S. Senate in 2000, when he lost to Bob Franks by 3,700 votes.
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