United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2008

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Elections in New Jersey
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The New Jersey Senate election of 2008 will be held on November 4, 2008. The seat is held by Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat, who was elected to the Senate for a fourth, non-consecutive term in 2002. He is opposed by Republican challenger Dick Zimmer, a former member of the House of Representatives.

In an unexpected move, Rob Andrews, the Representative of New Jersey's 1st congressional district, announced he would oppose Lautenberg in the Democratic primary. Andrews argued that Lautenberg was a flip-flopper, changing his positions whenever it was politically expedient. The primary for both parties was held on June 3, 2008 with Senator Lautenberg and former Congressman Zimmer winning their respective nominations.

Senator Lautenberg's age (84) and his low approval ratings may be issues that will shape the race. In November 2006, the senator had the lowest approval rating of any Democrat running for re-election in 2008 (with 39% approving and 45% disapproving),[1] with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%.[2]

A June 2008 Rasmussen Reports poll found that this race may be one to watch. 45 percent of New Jersey voters say they plan on voting for Lautenberg, with 44 percent saying they plan to vote for Zimmer [3].

Contents

[edit] Candidates

[edit] Democratic

Lautenberg defeated two opponents in the Democratic primary: Representative Rob Andrews[5] and Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello.[6]

[edit] Republican

Zimmer defeated two opponents in the Republican primary: State Senator Joseph Pennacchio[8] and Ramapo College economics professor Murray Sabrin.[9]

[edit] Libertarian

  • Jason Scheurer [10]

[edit] Socialist Workers

[edit] Independent

  • Jeffrey Boss [12]
  • Daryl Mikell Brooks [13]
  • J.M. Carter [14]

[edit] Polling

[edit] General

Source Date Frank Lautenberg (D) Dick Zimmer (R)
Quinnipiac University June 5-8, 2008 47% 38%
Rasmussen Reports June 4, 2008 45% 44%

[edit] Pre-Primary Polling

Source Date Frank Lautenberg (D) Joe Pennacchio (R)
Rasmussen Reports April 2, 2008 54% 36%
Rasmussen Reports February 27, 2008 46% 38%
Newsday January 20, 2008 40% 25%
Source Date Frank Lautenberg (D) Murray Sabrin (R)
Rasmussen Reports April 2, 2008 54% 35%
Rasmussen Reports February 27, 2008 46% 31%

[edit] Democratic Primary

Source Date Frank Lautenberg (D) Rob Andrews (D)
Rasmussen Reports May 15, 2008 49% 19%
Joel Benenson April 1-2, 2008 52% 21%


In November 2006, Senator Lautenberg had the lowest approval rating of any Democrat running for re-election in 2008 (with 39% approving and 45% disapproving),[15] with his approval improving only slightly to 42% as of September 2007. In the same September 2007 poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, voters surveyed decided that Lautenberg does not deserve re-election (46% to 36%) and that he is too old to effectively serve another six years in the Senate (54% to 40%).[16]

Poll results suggest that given the right formula, this could be a surprise upset race in November 2008. "The poll shows that Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who many voters say is too old to run for another term, would be vulnerable to a strong Republican candidate next year," according to Quinnipiac pollster Clay Richards.[16]

The first poll conducted after the primaries (Rasmussen Reports, June 4, 2008) showed a tighter than expected race between Lautenberg and Zimmer, with the two candidates in a virtual tie.[17]

[edit] Not running

  • On January 8, 2007, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie announced that he would be staying on in his current position until at least the beginning of 2008 effectively ruling out a bid for Lautenberg's Senate seat.[18] Many speculate Christie will run for Governor of New Jersey against Jon Corzine in 2009.
  • On March 5, 2008, real estate developer Anne Estabrook withdrew from the Senate race after suffering a minor stroke.[19]
  • John Crowley, a biotechnology executive from Princeton, initially declined to enter the race, but reports on April 4, 2008 indicated that he might enter the race before the April 7 filing deadline.[20] On April 6, Crowley again announced that he would not run.[21]
  • After Estabrook's withdrawal, much of her support went to Andy Unanue, a New York City businessman and an heir to the Goya Foods fortune. Unanue filed petitions to enter the primary, but he dropped out of the race on April 11, 2008. His committee on vacancies designated Dick Zimmer to enter the race under the Unanue petitions.[22][7]

[edit] Election results

[edit] Democratic primary

2008 New Jersey U.S. Senate Democratic primary election
6,271 precincts of 6,290 reporting
See also full 2008 Democratic Party Primary Election results.
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Frank Lautenberg 198,954 59.1
Democratic Rob Andrews 118,430 35.2
Democratic Donald Cresitello 19,322 5.7
Turnout 336,706

[edit] Republican primary

2008 New Jersey U.S. Senate Republican primary election
6,273 precincts of 6,290 reporting
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Dick Zimmer 83,483 45.7
Republican Joseph Pennacchio 74,005 40.5
Republican Murray Sabrin 25,339 13.8
Turnout 182,827

[edit] General Election

2008 New Jersey U.S. Senate general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Frank Lautenberg
Republican Dick Zimmer
Libertarian Jason Scheurer
Socialist Workers Sara Lobman
Independent Jeffrey Boss
Independent Daryl Mikell Brooks
Independent J.M. Carter
Turnout

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Results of SurveyUSA News Poll #11152. SurveyUSA (November 2006). Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  2. ^ Voters still say Lautenberg is too old. NJ.com. (2007-09-25).
  3. ^ http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/06/10/Sen_Lautenberg_in_dead_heat_in_New_Jersey/UPI-27421213140317/
  4. ^ SurveyUSA News Poll #10581
  5. ^ "Lautenberg to Face Primary Challenge". The New York Times, April 2, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  6. ^ "Morristown mayor to run against Lautenberg in primary election". The Star-Ledger, March 31, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Former Congressman Dick Zimmer to run for U.S. Senate". The Star-Ledger, April 11, 2008. Accessed April 11, 2008.
  8. ^ "'Jersey Joe' enters Senate race". PolitickerNJ.com, January 17, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  9. ^ "Murray Sabrin's candidacy begins amidst Ron Paul woes". PolitickerNJ.com, January 11, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ Politics1.com
  12. ^ [2]
  13. ^ [3]
  14. ^ [4]
  15. ^ Results of SurveyUSA News Poll #11152. SurveyUSA (November 2006). Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  16. ^ a b "Voters still say Lautenberg is too old". PolitickerNJ.com, September 25, 2007. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  17. ^ "Election 2008: New Jersey Senate - New Jersey Senate Race a Dead Heat", Rasmussen Reports, June 9, 2008. Accessed June 9, 2008.
  18. ^ *"Christie says no to race against Lautenberg". PolitickerNJ.com, January 9, 2007. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  19. ^ "Anne Estabrook quits GOP U.S. Senate race, citing health problem". The Star-Ledger, March 5, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  20. ^ "Sources say Crowley is in". PolitickerNJ.com, April 4, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  21. ^ "It’s official: Crowley will not run... again". PolitickerNJ.com, April 6, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
  22. ^ "Unanue in the race - and in New Jersey - says spokesman". PolitickerNJ.com, April 7, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008.
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