Zimmer reflects on a particularly nasty race

By Matt Friedman | November 3rd, 2009 - 8:40pm
| More

The amount of vitriol in the 1996 U.S. senate race between Democrat Robert Torricelli and Republican Dick Zimmer became the stuff of legend, even by Garden State standards.

Tonight, Zimmer showed up to Chris Christie’s party marking the conclusion to another particularly nasty race.  But how did it stack up to his own?

“I am resigned to the 1996 race being the permanent gold standard,” said Zimmer, who ran a much lower profile U.S. Senate race against incumbent Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) last year.  

Zimmer did see some parallels between the Torricelli race and Christie’s battle with Gov. Corzine.

“Robert Torricelli even said that I was opposed to mammography,” he said, noting that Corzine top campaign advisor Jamie Fox was also Torricelli’s chief of staff at the time.    “It worked.”

Tags:

Too much reliance on Jamestown

Submitted by The Centrist on November 3, 2009 - 10:12pm.

Dick would have made a good U.S. Senator. His mistake was relying too much on the advice of Larry Weitzner and Jamestown Associates. Those croaking frog "lib-er-al" ads were disgraceful.

Instead of touting his own credentials (Common Cause; voting against Gov. Kean's bloated budgets; pro-choice; fiscal hawk; Space Station boondoggle; etc.), the best he could do was attack his opponent as a liberal.

Wake-Up Call

Morning News Digest: February 9, 2010

Garden State Equality fires new broadside at Dems Smarting over the state Senate's refusal to pass marriage equality and disillusioned at the moment with the Democratic Party majority, Garden State Equality’s 85-member Board of Directors unanimously decided against giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. ...

Wally Edge

Pallone's brother runs for Councilman
The brother of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone has announced his candidacy for the Long Branch City Council.  John Pallone, who served as a Councilman from 1990 to 1994, said today that he would run with David Brown, the former Roselle Business...
Does anyone know whose handwriting this is?
A handwritten note left behind during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting indicates that Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) would support a plan to require all current public employees to contribute at least 1.5% of...
This is how you get re-elected
As New Jersey braces for another snowstorm, noteworthy is Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo’s website, where residents can use “Snow Plow Sal” to monitor the movements of snow plows to determine when their street will be plowed.  Hamilton also has...
Sweeney may void Codey redistricting pick
Just before leaving the Senate Presidency, Richard Codey (D-Roseland) appointed Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins to the Congressional Redistricting Commission.  Now his successor, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) is considering making his own...
Leading up to the Sarcone vs. Matthews vs. Richardson Senate race of 1963
Mark Anton, the Chairman of the Suburban Propane Gas Corporation, was a half-term Republican from Essex County who was elected in a 1953 special election after Alfred Clapp, who had mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the GOP gubernatorial election...
MORE >

Contributors

Robert
Torricelli
Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get done... more »
Jeff
Michaels
A new Governor and Legislature offer the perfect opportunity to re-think the Trenton status quo and for experienced observers and practitioners to offer their best ideas on improving the... more »
Steve
Adubato, Jr.
 I grew up in a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey where gambling was part of every day life.  Many of my relatives gambled.  The guys gambled on games, and... more »
Alan
Steinberg
Due to a highly inappropriate breach of etiquette by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United... more »
Carla
Katz
When life is bad---natural disasters, families losing homes or jobs, an attack on our country, health crises--people come together and do things that are inspiringly good.  After the... more »
Michael
Patrick Carroll
Our new Governor suffers from no lack of advice.  Much of it, contained in the transition reports, deserves prompt attention.  Obviously, economic prosperity benefits everyone, and – as... more »
Michael
Kempner
The agenda has been ambitious.Jobs.  Homeland security.  Iraq.  Afghanistan.  Healthcare.  Energy.  Banking.   Taken together, the Obama Presidency has all the makings of a compelling story -- action, adventure, emotion,... more »
Richard
J. LaRossa
The new regime pushes the only conservative off the Budget Committee.   This is a direct result of pressure from a certain Republican County Chairperson who was hired by Garden... more »
Dr.
Joseph R. Marbach
Now that  the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this election. First and... more »
Joey
Novick
A  few years ago, my brother Paul gave me a birthday present of Tim Russert’s book, The Wisdom of Our Fathers. Great book. Read it cover to cover. Or skim... more »
Murray
Sabrin
New Jersey's spending and borrowing spree over the past three decades is coming home to roost.  State debt has increased 700% under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and spending... more »
Anthony
M. Bucco
On January 11th New Jersey’s 213th Legislature ended its session, followed the next day by the commencement of the 214th Legislature, with newly elected officials being sworn into office,... more »
Julio
Tavarez
On January 6, 2010, several newspapers published articles with titles like “no more aid for struggling cities”, “Christie will cut state aid” and the like; furthermore, in the body... more »
Rafael
Román Martel
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, you target teachers. That’s not a positive note to start your tenure. You forget that the Teachers’ Union makes decisions on its own, such... more »