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Zimmer enters Republican primary for U.S. Senate
Politicker NJ ^ | April 11, 2008 | Matt Friedman

Posted on 04/11/2008 4:05:24 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued

As former Congressman Dick Zimmer formally entered the Republican U.S. Senate race today, he essentially becomes the third candidate to fill a single candidacy.

First there was Anne Estabrook. Andy Unanue took her place after she suffered a minor stroke. Zimmer jumped in to the race after Unanue’s campaign disintegrated in less than three weeks.

Just as Unanue inherited most of the Estabrook campaign infrastructure – who had been paid a severance that lasted until the June primary while they waited for a candidate to take her place– Zimmer is poised to take over much of Unanue’s staff, including Campaign Manager Mark Duffy (though a few shake ups are expected).

But first, Zimmer will have to face a challenge from rival Republican candidate Joe Pennacchio in the primary.

Today, Zimmer issued a simple statement declaring his candidacy, to be followed by a formal campaign kickoff sometime later this month (which Unanue, who announced his candidacy while on vacation in Vail, Colo., never had).

"I am honored to have the opportunity to run for the United States Senate. I have lived in New Jersey all my life. I raised my family here,” said Zimmer, a Washington lawyer/lobbyist who lives on a farm in Hunterdon County. “This is a critical time for the people of my home state and for all Americans. We need to strengthen our economy, keep our families safe and meet our challenges around the world. I am running for the United States Senate to ensure that New Jersey's future is one of opportunity, affordability and hope."

(Excerpt) Read more at politickernj.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: gopprimary; nj2008; polls; zimmer
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1 posted on 04/11/2008 4:05:24 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
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To: fieldmarshaldj; AuH2ORepublican; Kuksool; Norman Bates; LdSentinal; Coleus; Darren McCarty; Impy; ..

Richard Zimmer is nothing great, but he’s far preferable to an undead Socialist.


2 posted on 04/11/2008 4:08:27 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Those in the national Republican leadership do the work of three men- Moe, Larry, and Curly.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Zimmer is an unexciting, but competent candidate, who hasn’t won an election in many years. His scenario to victory will be:

84 year old democrat Frank Lautenberg barely wins his primary against Andrews. In the general election, Zimmer highlights national security issues and Lautenberg’s votes against FISA and John Doe amendment. Then McCain wins in NJ over Obama and Zimmer squeeks thru. Can it happen?????


3 posted on 04/11/2008 4:14:07 PM PDT by sandbox (Name the enemy// Win the war.)
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To: sandbox; Tired of Taxes; metmom

“Can it happen?????”

It could. The other Republicans running would be well-advised to step aside.


4 posted on 04/11/2008 4:16:05 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Those in the national Republican leadership do the work of three men- Moe, Larry, and Curly.)
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To: Clintonfatigued; Clemenza
Zimmer should've won Bill Bradley's open seat back in '96 (in fact, Bradley was so positive he was going to lose to Zimmer, he retired instead), but he unexpectedly lost to the slimebag Torricelli (partly a reaction against the GOP Congress). When he tried a comeback in '98 to his Republican seat against the moonbat Rush Holt, Jr., of which, again, he was expected to retake, he embarrassingly lost. I'm amazed he's making a comeback out of the blue. He was first tier in the '90s but now would be second-tier. Preferable, of course, to the alternatives as said. The question is whether he can raise money.
5 posted on 04/11/2008 4:19:55 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

The state level RINO Zimmer of 1996 is a Federal level left of center Democrat in today’s terms.

Which is to say Zimmer might actually have a chance.

It’s mindboggling he isn’t jumping out of the gate for the primary, there is only 8 weeks until the primary, and more than 33% of NJ voters weren’t NJ voters the last time Zimmer held elective office or was a public figure.


6 posted on 04/11/2008 4:34:28 PM PDT by JerseyHighlander
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To: sandbox
Can it happen?????

In a word, Yes.

7 posted on 04/11/2008 4:36:30 PM PDT by Salvey
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To: Salvey

Re Lautenberg, it will be funny to see Andrews find an old video of Lautenberg intimating (or maybe even saying outright) that the 72 year old Millicent Fenwick was too old to be Senator.


8 posted on 04/11/2008 4:58:36 PM PDT by sandbox (Name the enemy// Win the war.)
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To: JerseyHighlander

Zimmer voted against the partial birth abortion ban. Do as your conscience dictates.


9 posted on 04/11/2008 4:59:45 PM PDT by Castlebar
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To: Castlebar

10 posted on 04/11/2008 5:42:17 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: Clintonfatigued; Coleus; jocon307; Alberta's Child; Pharmboy; Calpernia; Malsua; dead; nj26; ...

Pray for a nasty primary fight between the Laut and Andrews ala Billary and Obama.


11 posted on 04/11/2008 5:53:30 PM PDT by neverdem (I'm praying for a Divine Intervention.)
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To: JerseyHighlander; Clintonfatigued; fieldmarshaldj

What about Pennacchio? And why isn’t the fellow we were just talking about last week (forget his name) not even mentioned as a possible GOP candidate in the article?


12 posted on 04/11/2008 6:09:02 PM PDT by justiceseeker93
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To: justiceseeker93

That manifesto of Jersey Joe’s destroyed his viability. Of course it was written quite some time ago, but you know the drill with Republicans. We have to be purer than the Son of our Lord while little Satans are routinely elected by the rodents.


13 posted on 04/11/2008 6:35:14 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: Clintonfatigued
Oh great another RHINO...but, what else is new, it's New Jersey!

(hopefully he's not corrupt as the rest of the scum here)

14 posted on 04/11/2008 6:54:40 PM PDT by alice_in_bubbaland (Vote Obama! And we'll be picking shrapnel out of our butts for decades!)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Just doing a bit of background reading on this NJ Senate race, particularly about Pennacchio’s “manifesto” and Sabrin’s criticism of it. What was this “Nationalist” Party that Pennachio was writing about? Did they ever run a candidate for any major office? Seems that Sabrin has some valid criticism of it, although it was written back in ‘91 and Pennacchio says it doesn’t reflect his views now.


15 posted on 04/11/2008 7:36:43 PM PDT by justiceseeker93
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To: justiceseeker93

I don’t believe it was anything more than just some policy platform for himself at the time. To my knowledge, there was no such party that ever sprang forth. IIRC, Sabrin’s concern about it was that it had some vaguely Naziiesque overtones to it. Pennachio wasn’t some high school sophomore when he wrote it, and it was rather ill-advised to have penned it in the first place. As long as he isn’t championing some of the nuttier stuff now, I’d give him a pass (such as the call for his outright resignation from the legislature). There’s a lot worse folks than him that haven’t written policy papers that ought to be resigning from office in NJ, and that includes the Governor and both Senators for starters...


16 posted on 04/11/2008 8:09:13 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: neverdem; Clintonfatigued

zimmer, the pro-abortion RINO ran for us senate once before and lost.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22dick+zimmer%22+%22abortion%22


17 posted on 04/11/2008 8:23:59 PM PDT by Coleus (Abortion and Physician-assisted Murder (aka-Euthanasia), Don't Democrats just kill ya?)
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To: Castlebar

My conscience would dictate to never be a one-issue voter.


18 posted on 04/11/2008 9:23:45 PM PDT by Impy (The democrat party, "Ridin' Dirty" since puberty.)
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To: Impy

Well said - to each his own.


19 posted on 04/12/2008 3:21:21 AM PDT by Castlebar
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To: fieldmarshaldj; rmlew
When he tried a comeback in '98 to his Republican seat against the moonbat Rush Holt, Jr., of which, again, he was expected to retake, he embarrassingly lost.

Dick can forget ever getting the district back, as it was redrawn by our "nonpartisan" redistricting community to include all of the city of Trenton, and very little of Hunterdon County (which went to the seventh district, currently held by Frelinghuysen). Any district taking in north and central Mercer County (the eastern/SE portion of my county is in 4th, ie held by Christopher Smith), along with SW Middlesex will be difficult for ANY Republican to win.

20 posted on 04/12/2008 6:32:37 AM PDT by Clemenza (I Live in New Jersey for the Same Reason People Slow Down to Look at Car Crashes)
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