John Sette

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani tomorrow will debut a television ad on Fox News that refocuses the campaign narrative on Sept. 11, 2001.

The former New York mayor remains New Jersey's Republican frontrunner in the race for president, with 38% support among GOP voters, or 26% more than the number two man in the Republican field here, Sen. John McCain, according to a Dec. 13th Quinnipiac University poll.

Republicans not endorsing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani fretted yesterday that the GOP’s balloting procedure would unfairly impact their own presidential candidates, and fought an email war with the state party chairmen to try to get him to intervene.

What made the matter worse for some proud party members was having to watch the Democratic State Committee relinquish its prior commitment to giving establishment candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton the line A position virtually statewide.

They argued that while Republicans were essentially handing the ballot pole position to Giuliani, the Clinton-centric Democratic leadership was mercifully loosening its stranglehold on the process to allow rival campaigns to get an equal shot at the line.

"Why is it that the New Jersey GOP isn't following the Democratic State Committee’s lead in holding an open draw for presidential candidates?" Republican counsel Brian Nelson asked State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson. "Why are the Republicans still following the process the Democrats are abandoning?"

Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio today announced that he has formed an exploratory committee for a possible bid for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination next year. 

Pennacchio says that Morris County GOP Chairman John Sette will head the exploratory effort.  He did not release the names of any other supporters, although another potential candidate, Assemblyman Michael Doherty, dropped out of the race last month and endorsed Pennacchio. 

Republican Anne Evans Estabrook will take the next step in her fledgling bid for the 2008 Republican nomination for United States Senate over the next few weeks with the formation of an exploratory committee, according to her campaign consultant, Larry Weitzner.

The 60-year-old millionaire real estate developer and former New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President wants to take on 83-year-old Democrat Frank R. Lautenberg, who wants to run for a fifth term next year.

But although she's contributed heavily to Republican candidates in the past -- and to some Democrats, like Bob Menendez and Linda Stender -- at a time when her party is still shaking off the hurt of recent statewide losses and standing up on shaky legs, Estabrook will face tough questions in a GOP primary.

Her biggest trouble is lack of support.

"I don't even know her," said Morris County GOP Chairman John Sette. "I don't think anybody knows her."