Andy Unanue

A Mercer County Superior Court Judge has dismissed Joe Pennacchio’s complaint against former Senate candidate Andy Unanue that could have ended Dick Zimmer's fledgling Senate candidacy.

Pennacchio campaign manager Dan Gallic confirmed that the challenge was tossed out.

“I didn’t read the opinion. All I know is it was dismissed,” he said.

The Pennacchio campaign filed suit on the grounds that Unanue didn’t file to run as a Senate candidates “in good faith,” and said that he signed a form indicating that he was a resident of New Jersey when he actually lived in New York City.

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Former U.S. Senate candidate Andy Unanue is still vacationing in Colorado.

Coming late to the U.S. Senate race, political veteran Dick Zimmer formally kicked off his candidacy at the state house today.

"Welcome to day six of the Zimmer for Congress campaign," he said.  

The announcement came on the tail of a stinging loss for Zimmer in his native Hunterdon County. Local Republicans there held a re-do vote last night to consider switching the party’s preference from rival Joe Pennacchio – who they had awarded the county line to in February – to Zimmer.

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Mercer County Republicans tonight endorsed former Rep. Dick Zimmer for U.S. Senate.  In his first intra-party contest since joining the Senate race on Thursday, Zimmer defeated State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio by a 25-5 vote.  Murray Sabrin received two votes.  Zimmer, who represented part of Mercer as a state legislator and Congressman, will run on the organization line in the June 3 primary.

Last month, the Mercer GOP convention had authorized their Executive Committee to endorse a Senate candidate.  The organization had decided to endorse John Crowley, if he ran, and then Andy Unanue as a second choice.

FLEMINGTON – In less than a week, Dick Zimmer has gone from being a mere bystander in the race for United States Senator to being the front runner for the Republican nomination.

“This is a pivotal point in history. We have incredible economic challenges here at home, national and domestic security challenges,” said the former three-term Congressman, who lost a tough race for U.S. Senate to Bob Torricelli in 1996. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to have a chance to join the U.S. Senate and shape the course of history when there are such major debates any way.”

Zimmer said he received a call for a GOP County Chairman last Monday -- the day after biotech millionaire John Crowley said he would not run – and asked him to consider getting into the race if Goya Foods heir Andy Unanue dropped out of the race.

“I was an observer just like you. I had no expectation of being a candidate and I made no effort to become one,” he told PolitickerNJ.com. “I just wrote an email to everybody in my office in Washington saying that if this is a surprise to you, I assure you it’s a surprise to me.”

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).

PolitickerNJ.com is returning to our traditional weekly Winners & Losers format that our readers enjoyed between 2000 and 2007. Wally Edge will again develop the list, which will appear every Friday morning.