Sabrin comes out swinging against Estabrook

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Murray Sabrin unleashed an attack today against businesswoman Anne Evans Estabrook, one of his two primary opponents.

Sabrin, a Ramapo College finance professor and supporter for Texas Republican Ron Paul for president, criticized Estabrook for donating money to some Democratic campaigns and accused her of “speaking out of both sides of her checkbook.”

It has already been reported that Estabrook has made some donations to Democrats, including $1,000 to Bob Menendez’s 2000 congressional campaign, $500 to the Democratic State Committee in 2005, and a $1,000 primary campaign donation to presidential candidate John Kerry in 2003. She also donated $500 to the legislative race of Democratic Assemblywoman (and now Congressional candidate) Linda Stender in 2005.

The vast majority of Estabrook’s donations have been to Republican candidates and committees. But to Sabrin, Estabrook is “a Democratic wolf wrapping herself in Republican sheep clothing.”

Sabrin drafted a letter to Republican voters and activists outlining Estabrook’s Democratic donations. At the bottom of the letter, he solicited donations for his own campaign.

“Unless you are a liberal Democrat who has received her cash, you’ve probably never heard of [Estabrook],” wrote Sabrin. “Over the past thirty years of conservative activism, I’ve never once seen her at a single event prior to this year.”

Sabrin has run for statewide office twice: as a Republican for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination in 2000, and as a Libertarian for Governor in 1997.

Estabrook Campaign Manager Mark Duffy noted that, of the three Republican Senate candidates, only Estabrook has never challenged an incumbent Republican in a primary.

“Anne is a lifelong Republican who has contributed and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Republicans because she believes in personal and economic freedom and the need to keep our families secure,” said Duffy. “In fact, she is the only Republican running who hasn't run against an elected Republican.”

Republican State Sen. Joe Pennacchio is also running for the Republican Senate nomination.