The 1985 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1985. Incumbent Republican Governor Thomas Kean won a landslide reelection against the Democratic candidate, Essex County Executive Peter Shapiro. As of 2022, Kean's is the largest margin in terms of percentage and raw votes in all modern New Jersey gubernatorial elections. Kean was the first Republican to be re-elected governor since 1949, and the first Republican to ever win two four-year terms.