Poll: Lautenberg has 20 point lead over Zimmer
By Editor
Democrat Frank Lautenberg has a 52%-32% lead in his bid for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, and 72% of voters haven't heard of his Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, according to a poll released this morning by Fairleigh Dickinson University.
“Senator Lautenberg has not had to run hard this year,” said Peter Woolley, a political scientist and director of the poll. “He’s caught in the updraft of enthusiasm for the Democratic presidential candidate and frustration with the Bush administration.”
Lautenberg has a 35%-27% favorable rating, and Zimmer is at 16%-12%.
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Quote of the Day
"He told me he had a long political memory and his door would be closed to me. I told him I had a long political memory and I don't ever remember his door being open." -- Assemblyman Willie Brown (D-Newark), on telling U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg that he was endorsing the Republican candidate, Assembly Speaker Chuck Haytaian.
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- Jan 7 2009
In the News
Read the expanded Wake Up Call, our summary of today’s news media coverage.
Today’s Must Reads:
The City Boss Becomes the Country Boss ― DICK BENFIELD...MUST READ
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Murder charge for Prisco― ANGELO PRISCO
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Time for BCDO to clean up its act ― CHARLES STILE
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OBAMA'S ELECTOR ― ELECTORAL COLLEGE
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Thanks State GOP
Thank you to Tom Wilson and the County Chairmen who gave us Dick Zimmer and then have done nothing to help get his name out there. Its great when 72% don't know who he is. Let's not run Jersey Joe or Maverick Sabrin - they might upset voters, well bad press is better than no press. Hope the State leaders clean house after this election starting with TW.
Couldn't agree
with you more on this one. Tom Wilson is the biggest reason our party is on life support here in NJ...
It also says a lot about
It also says a lot about Zimmer given that this is his second Senate run in a general election. Why do the Pubs keep pushing the Forrester/Zimmer/Kean clones in the primaries.
Agree, somewhat
I do agree somewhat with your point Vin, but I also don't in other respects. TW has shown to be ineffective in the role as head of the state Republicans. Though not old, he seems to be among those that play the game like the old timers. He seems to be one of the elite country club Republicans that like his candidates to be those that he can relate to, instead of the type of candidate that the people will respond to. I would compare this to the flack Sarah Palin has received from within and outside the party. She is a Reagan type republican in that she is a breath of fresh air that speaks of small government, lower taxes, lower spending, pride in country, reforming the system from within, really shaking it up. I think these country club Republicans fear a shake-up because they may be shaken out. They feel that the money they invest in candidates should give them the right to choose the candidates. They forget that this is not a puppet party, but a party of people that have definite ideas about what they want the country to look and act like. Status quo is what many of these old style party leaders are comfortable with, win or lose. They want to have their big doner dinners at 5 star restaurants instead of getting the grass roots efforts into full swing, inspiring independents, getting the message out to young people, and supporting candidates that have a unique voice. We are a big party with many ideas. We need candidates that can connect with a non-traditional voter. Instead we get a boring guy like zimmer, a rough-around the edges dentist, or a guy that really doesn't respect the party. There needs to be more of an effort to develop and recruit a younger and more energetic type of candidate. To quote Obama, we need "Change" in our own party.
so wait...
A candidate who would be at the same or lower amount of money, whose only appeal to the middle was that he was "one of them" but had postitions that only appealed to the base, and a career back-bencher who couldn't even win a low turnout republican primary with about equal number of county lines and months advantage on campaigning would have been a better candidate?
Right....
Typical response blame the state party chairman, rather than the candidate who obviously didn't do a good enough job convincing enough Republicans to support him.
Thank God For the Senator
Mr. L has done so much for this state!! We need him to keep bringing home all that money for NJ. Why according his office he brings home more money than any other state!! And with him and the Governors plan to build new roads all across NJ I cannot wait to get me one of thos orange vests and waive at passing cars!
Proud to be a Democrat! Remember to Vote for Obama...reparations and the pay back is on the way!!!
GOP Reality check
May this be a lesson to you guys.
Just think about it for a minute. If you ran Jersey Joe he may have lost but he would have been everywhere and this being the year of Joe the Plumber, the Jersey Joe brand would have been exciting. The Bergen GOP is another story wow. They are putting on a show this year against the other Joe , Joe Ferriero. Maybe your State party needs to copy their playbook.