Campaign
Pappas, who lost his seat in embarrassing fashion after singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Star" on the floor of the House in 1998, ran for the Republican nomination. He faced his predecessor Dick Zimmer, who had given up the seat to run for U.S. Senate in 1996. [5]
Pappas was positioned as a strong conservative, while Zimmer was noted for his moderate stances on social issues. Zimmer had the support of most of the Republican Party establishment in the state, including governors Christine Todd Whitman and Tom Kean, party chair Chuck Haytaian, and all five county Republican organizations in the district, and supporters argued that he would be more likely to unseat Holt in the general election. [5] Pappas had impassioned support from social conservatives, including opponents of abortion and gun control. [5]
The race was largely civil until May, when Zimmer began running radio advertisements with recordings of Zimmer singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr" and Pappas sent out mailers accusing Zimmer of inspiring the state income tax during his time as head of Common Cause in the 1970s. [5] Zimmer's campaign was generally better funded and able to advertise, while Pappas relied on grassroots support and direct voter outreach. [5]
