Anne Estabrook

Cumberland County Republican Chairman Larry Pepper has endorsed Anne Evans Estabrook for U.S. Senate – the tenth GOP County Chair endorsement for the millionaire real estate developer. 

Win a steak dinner from Jersey Joe PennacchioHow would you like to have Jersey Joe Pennacchio buy you a steak dinner?

When the Morris County State Senator entered the race for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination last week, PolitickerNJ.com reporter Matt Friedman asked him what he thought about Anne Evans Estabrook receiving campaign contributions from Senate Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

“I’m a Jersey Joe. I’m an average Joe. Ask the average person who Ensign and McConnell are. If you get one person out of a thousand who knows who they are who’s not an insider, I’ll buy you a steak dinner,” said Pennacchio.

That’s a fair challenge. Sometime over the next week, ask people you know -- non-insiders – to tell you who Ensign and McConnell are. If you can get one out of the first 1,000 people you ask to get it right, e-mail us your name. We’ll pass your name on to Sen. Pennacchio, with the hope that he’ll keep his word and buy you a steak dinner. And since this is basically an honest state, we’ll take your word for it.

New Jerseyans like the job Democrat Frank Lautenberg is doing in the United States Senate, but most voters seem ready for a change – and not because Lautenberg would be 90-years-old at the end of his text term, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released today. Just 19% of New Jersey voters say that Lautenberg should be re-elected to a fifth term, while 58% want someone else. And still, 51% of voters disagree that Lautenberg is getting to old to be effective.

In head-to-head contests, Lautenberg leads two Republican candidates by about the same margins: 38%-24% against millionaire developer Anne Evans Estabrook, and 40%-25% against State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio. The poll did not include Ramapo College Professor Murray Sabrin, a Ron Paul supporter who entered the race after the survey went into the field.

The screening committee for the Burlington County Republican Organization interviewed 3rd district Congressional candidates Chris Myers and Jack Kelly today at party headquarters in Mount Holly.

The committee also heard from U.S. Senate candidates Anne Estabrook, state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, and Murray Sabrin; six county clerk candidates; and eight freeholder candidates.

Washington Twp (Gloucester County)- On Wednesday January 16th the Washington Township GOP held their first meeting of 2008. Among the many discussions of the night, a motion was made to endorse Anne Estabrook for United States Senate. The Washington Twp Republican Club voted unanimously to endorse Anne Estabrook for U.S. Senate. 

Fourteen years after he mounted a self-financed primary challenge against Congressman Dean Gallo, who was dying of cancer, “Jersey Joe” Pennacchio will announce today that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senator.  Since his ’94 race, which featured a harsh attack on Gallo – Pennacchio says he didn’t know the incumbent was sick – Pennacchio courted establishment Republicans in Morris County and became popular enough to win special election conventions for Freeholder and State Assembly with the support of some of Gallo’s closest friends.  When the State Senate seat in District 26 opened up, Pennacchio won the GOP nomination by acclamation.

Just a few end-of-the day observations:

What would Frank Hague have thought of a Mayor of Jersey City (who is also the Hudson County Democratic Chairman) who could not deliver most of the key Hudson party leadership and elected officials to his candidate for President?  And could the gullible Brad Abelow be the only one who believes Bob Menendez is no longer involved in Hudson County politics?

An impressive list of finance committee members, led by Lewis Eisenberg, has raised just $100,000 for Anne Evans Estabrook’s bid for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination; that’s about half what Dennis Shulman, the blind Rabbi/Psychologist, has raised for his fledgling congressional campaign against Scott Garrett.  Luckily for Estabrook, she put $1.6 million of her own money into the race.  Estabrook still won’t say how much she’ll invest to unseat Frank Lautenberg.

"Jersey Joe" Pennacchio wants the GOP nod to run against Frank LautenbergState Sen. Joseph Pennacchio is expected to formally announce his bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator on Thursday at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Pennacchio, a Morris County dentist who won a State Senate seat last November after nearly seven years in the Assembly, will join former New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Chair Anne Evans Estabrook and Ramapo College Professor Murray Sabrin for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Frank Lautenberg.

Dr. Murray Sabrin, a longtime friend of presidential candidate Ron Paul, has entered the race for U.S. Senate

Yesterday may not have been the most ideal time for Ramapo College finance professor Murray Sabrin to announce his Republican candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

Sabrin, who ran for the Senate as a Republican in 2000 and for governor as a Libertarian in 1997, is a friend of presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and has been one of his most visible New Jersey supporters. Sabrin even kicked off his campaign yesterday with a personal endorsement from Paul.

For a candidate who garnered low votes during his last two runs for statewide office -- 5% in his gubernatorial campaign and 13% in the 2000 Senate primary -- the Paul connection could prove beneficial. If Sabrin can attract even a small fraction of Paul supporters, who raised $6 million for their candidate in a single day last month, then he may be able to raise enough money to have a significant impact on the Senate race.