United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States Senate election in NJ was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg
won re-election to a fourth, non-consecutive term.
, 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%).
Poll results suggested that given the right formula, this could have been 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.
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.
However, the current political climate was also a major factor. Voter anger was targeted against the GOP and many Democrats once considered vulnerable managed to hold on.
On November 1, 2008, the two candidates debated for the second time on New Jersey Network
, in the only televised debate agreed to by the Lautenberg campaign.
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
won re-election to a fourth, non-consecutive term.
Background
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), with his approval improving only slightly to 42% as of September 2007. In the same September 2007 poll conducted by Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
, 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%).
Poll results suggested that given the right formula, this could have been 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.
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.
However, the current political climate was also a major factor. Voter anger was targeted against the GOP and many Democrats once considered vulnerable managed to hold on.
Candidates
- Rob AndrewsRob AndrewsRobert Ernest "Rob" Andrews is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County....
, U.S. Congressman - Donald CresitelloDonald Cresitello-Policies:He has been active in reducing the presence of illegal immigrants in Morristown. He has attempted to have his police officers deputized as immigration officers. He has asked federal authorities to assist local police in cracking down on illegal immigration in the town and employers that...
, Mayor of MorristownMorristown, New JerseyMorristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the... - Frank LautenbergFrank LautenbergFrank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
, incumbentIncumbentThe incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
U.S. SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Polling
| Source | Date | Frank Lautenberg (D) | Rob Andrews (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | May 15, 2008 | 49% | 19% |
| Joel Benenson | April 1-2, 2008 | 52% | 21% |
Results
Candidates
- Joseph PennacchioJoseph PennacchioJoseph "Joe" Pennacchio is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey Senate since January 8, 2008, where he represents the 26th Legislative district...
, State Senator - Murray SabrinMurray SabrinMurray Sabrin is a professor of finance in the Anisfield School of Business, Ramapo College of New Jersey,. In 2008 he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in New Jersey, the seat currently held by Democrat Frank Lautenberg...
, Professor and Libertarian perennial candidate - Dick ZimmerDick Zimmer (New Jersey politician)Richard Alan "Dick" Zimmer is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 1996 and 2008...
, former U.S. Congressman
Results
Major
- Frank LautenbergFrank LautenbergFrank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
, incumbent U.S. Senator - Dick ZimmerDick Zimmer (New Jersey politician)Richard Alan "Dick" Zimmer is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 1996 and 2008...
, former U.S. Congressman
Minor
- Jeffrey Boss (I)
- Daryl Mikell Brooks (I)
- J.M. Carter (I)
- Carl Peter Klapper (Write In)
- Sara Lobman (Socialist Workers)
- Jason Scheurer (Libertarian)
Debates
On October 29, 2008, a debate between Lautenberg and Zimmer was held on the radio station NJ 101.5.On November 1, 2008, the two candidates debated for the second time on New Jersey Network
New Jersey Network
The New Jersey Network, or NJN, was a network of public television and radio stations serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. NJN was a member of the Public Broadcasting Service for television and the National Public Radio for radio, broadcasting their programming as well as producing and...
, in the only televised debate agreed to by the Lautenberg campaign.
Polling
| Source | Date | Frank Lautenberg (D) | Dick Zimmer (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | October 29-30, 2008 | 52% | 37% |
| Strategic Vision | October 24-26, 2008 | 49% | 41% |
| Marist College | October 20-21, 2008 | 48% | 41% |
| Quinnipiac University | October 16-19, 2008 | 55% | 33% |
| Monmouth University | October 15-18, 2008 | 52% | 36% |
| Survey USA | October 11-12, 2008 | 51% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 7, 2008 | 51% | 37% |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University | Sep 29-Oct 5, 2008 | 50% | 34% |
| Strategic Vision | September 26-28, 2008 | 48% | 41% |
| Survey USA | September 27-28, 2008 | 51% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 16, 2008 | 49% | 42% |
| Strategic Vision | September 14-16, 2008 | 47% | 40% |
| Monmouth University | September 11-14, 2008 | 46% | 36% |
| Quinnipiac University | September 10-14, 2008 | 48% | 39% |
| The Record / Research 2000 | September 9-11, 2008 | 49% | 41% |
| Marist College | September 5-8, 2008 | 51% | 40% |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University | September 4-7, 2008 | 46% | 35% |
| Quinnipiac University | August 4-10, 2008 | 48% | 41% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 4, 2008 | 51% | 33% |
| Club for Growth | July 30-31, 2008 | 35% | 36% |
| Monmouth University | July 17-21, 2008 | 45% | 37% |
| Strategic Vision | July 11-13, 2008 | 48% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 7, 2008 | 49% | 36% |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University | June 17-22, 2008 | 45% | 28% |
| Quinnipiac University | June 5-8, 2008 | 47% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 4, 2008 | 45% | 44% |
Results
External links
- Division of Elections from the New Jersey Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for New Jersey at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- New Jersey, U.S. Senate from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- New Jersey U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- New Jersey U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
- Zimmer (R) vs Lautenberg (D-i) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites
- Frank Lautenberg, Democratic nominee
- Dick Zimmer, Republican nominee
- Jason Scheurer, Libertarian candidate
- Daryl Mikell Brooks, Independent candidate
- Carl Peter Klapper, Write-In Populist candidate