2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey

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2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey
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←  1994 November 7, 2000 2006  →
  SenatorJonCorzine (cropped).jpg Congressman Bob Franks.jpg
Nominee Jon Corzine Bob Franks
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote1,511,2371,420,267
Percentage50.11%47.10%
2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey results map by county.svg
2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey by Congressional District.svg
Corzine:     40-50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Franks:     40-50%     50–60%     60–70%
U.S. senator before election

Frank Lautenberg
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Jon Corzine
Democratic

The 2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg retired rather than seeking a fourth term. Democratic nominee Jon Corzine, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, defeated the Republican U.S. Representative Bob Franks in a close election.

Contents

Primary elections were held on June 7. Corzine defeated former Governor Jim Florio in the Democratic primary by a wide margin after a hard-fought campaign in which Corzine spent over $35 million of his own money. Franks narrowly defeated State Senator William Gormley to capture the Republican nomination.

Background

Incumbent Senator Frank R. Lautenberg was first elected in 1982 in an upset victory over Representative Millicent Fenwick. In his two re-election bids, Lautenberg beat Pete Dawkins in 1988 by a 54%-46% margin and held back a challenge from Assembly Speaker Chuck Haytaian by a smaller margin of 50%-47% in 1994.

In 2000, popular Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman was expected to challenge Lautenberg, and opinion polls showed Lautenberg losing by a large margin to Whitman or popular former Governor Thomas Kean. Lautenberg announced his retirement, but both Whitman and Kean declined to run for the Senate. Lautenberg later regretted his decision[ citation needed ] and was elected to New Jersey's other Senate seat in 2002 after his colleague, Senator Robert Torricelli, was involved in a campaign finance scandal and prematurely ended his re-election campaign in disgrace.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Withdrew

Declined

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		James
Florio		Jon
Corzine		Undecided
Quinnipiac July 13–20, 19991,082 RV± 3.0%55%19%26%
Quinnipiac February 16–21, 2000374 RV± 5.1%57%22%21%
Quinnipiac March 21–27, 2000400 RV± 4.9%50%26%24%
Quinnipiac May 1–8, 2000347 RV± 5.3%33%48%19%
Quinnipiac May 17–23, 2000371 LV± 5.1%30%56%14%

Campaign

Corzine spent $35 million of his fortunes into this primary election alone. [1] [2]

During the campaign, Corzine made some controversial off-color statements. Emanuel Alfano, chairman of the Italian-American One Voice Committee, claimed that when introduced to a man with an Italian name who said he was in the construction business, Corzine quipped: "Oh, you make cement shoes!" Alfano also reported that when introduced to a lawyer named David Stein, Corzine said: "He's not Italian, is he? Oh, I guess he's your Jewish lawyer who is here to get the rest of you out of jail." [3] Corzine denied mentioning religion, but did not deny the quip about Italians, claiming that some of his own ancestors were probably Italian or maybe French. [4] [5]

Governor Florio was unpopular during his tenure in office.[ citation needed ] He signed a $2.8 Billion tax increase in 1990, which resulted in Republicans winning control of the legislature in 1991, and his reelection loss in the 1993 gubernatorial election to Christine Todd Whitman.

Endorsements

Corzine was endorsed by State Senators Raymond Zane, Wayne Bryant, and John Adler. He was also endorsed by U.S. Representative Bob Menendez and U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli.

Florio was endorsed by the New Jersey Democratic Party, Assemblyman Joseph Doria and State Senator John A. Lynch Jr.

Results

2000 Democratic Senate primary [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jon Corzine 251,216 57.96%
Democratic James Florio 182,21242.04%
Total votes433,428 100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Declined

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Murray
Sabrin		Bob
Franks		James
Treffinger		William
Gormley		Brian
Kennedy		Undecided
Quinnipiac Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine March 21–27, 2000348 RV± 5.3%5%14%7%9%6%59%
Quinnipiac Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine May 1–8, 2000311 RV± 5.6%5%18%8%14%-55%
Hypothetical polling
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Steve
Forbes		Murray
Sabrin		Bob
Franks		James
Treffinger		William
Gormley		Undecided
Quinnipiac Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine February 16–21, 2000307 RV± 5.6%33%4%8%5%10%40%

Results

2000 New Jersey U.S. Senate Republican primary election [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Bob Franks 98,370 35.7%
Republican William Gormley 94,01034.1%
Republican James W. Treffinger 48,67417.7%
Republican Murray Sabrin 34,62912.6%
Total votes275,683 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Campaign

Franks, a moderate Republican, [8] attacked Corzine for "trying to buy the election and of advocating big-government spending programs that the nation can ill afford." Corzine accused Franks of wanting to "dismantle" the Social Security system because he supported Governor George W. Bush's partial privatization plan. [9]

During the campaign, Corzine refused to release his income tax return records. He claimed an interest in doing so, but he cited a confidentiality agreement with Goldman Sachs. Skeptics argued that he should have followed the example of his predecessor Robert Rubin, who converted his equity stake into debt upon leaving Goldman. [10]

Corzine campaigned for state government programs including universal health care, universal gun registration, mandatory public preschool, and more taxpayer funding for college education. [11] [12] He pushed affirmative action and same-sex marriage. [13] David Brooks considered Corzine so liberal that although his predecessor was also a Democrat, his election helped shift the Senate to the left. [14]

Corzine was accused of exchanging donations to black ministers for their endorsements after a foundation controlled by him and his wife donated $25,000 to an influential black church. [15] Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, the director of the Black Ministers Council, and a notable advocate against racial profiling against minority drivers in traffic stops, was criticized for endorsing Corzine after receiving a large donation from the then candidate. [16]

Franks generally trailed Corzine in the polls until the final week, when he pulled even in a few polls. Corzine spent $63 million, while Franks spent only $6 million. [17]

Debates

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jon
Corzine (D)		Bob
Franks (R)		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton September 15–21, 1999560 LV±4.0%24%30%47%
Rutgers-Eagleton Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000626 LV±4.0%24%25%51%
Rutgers-Eagleton June 8–13, 2000579 RV±4.0%43%33%23%
442 LV±5.0%43%36%20%
Quinnipiac Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine June 20–26, 20001,004 RV± 3.1%46%26%28%
Quinnipiac Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine July 19–24, 2000910 RV± 3.3%50%30%20%
Quinnipiac Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine August 18–22, 2000802 RV± 3.5%43%35%22%
Rutgers-Eagleton September 6–13, 2000670 RV±4.0%47%32%21%
542 LV±4.5%45%36%19%
Quinnipiac Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine Sept. 26–Oct. 1, 2000820 LV± 3.4%48%34%18%
Rutgers-Eagleton [18] October 12–15, 2000482 RV±4.5%45%33%22%
367 LV±5.5%45%37%18%
Quinnipiac Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine October 18–23, 2000909 LV± 3.3%46%41%13%
Rutgers-Eagleton October 23–26, 2000432 LV±4.5%46%37%17%
Quinnipiac Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine October 24–30, 2000793 LV± 3.5%47%39%14%
Quinnipiac Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine November 1–5, 2000770 LV± 3.4%43%45%12%
Hypothetical polling
with Christine Todd Whitman
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Christine
Whitman (R)		Frank
Lautenberg (D)		Jim
Florio (D)		Frank
Pallone (D)		Thomas
Byrne (D)		Jon
Corzine (D)		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton January 7–13, 1999623 RV±4.0%40%42%––––18%
Rutgers-Eagleton Apr. 28–May 6, 1999623 RV±4.0%46%–39%–––15%
46%––35%–18%
46%–––34%–20%
Quinnipiac July 13–20, 19991,082 RV±3.0%52%–35%–––13%
46%–32%–––22% [lower-alpha 1]
56%––––22%22%
with Jim Florio
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jim
Florio (D)		Bob
Franks (R)		Bill
Gormley (R)		Jim
Treffinger (R)		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton September 15–21, 1999560 RV±4.0%41%34%––26%
41%–33%–18%
41%––33%18%
Rutgers-Eagleton Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000626 RV±4.0%36%33%––31%
37%–32%–31%
36%––31%33%
Corzine vs. Gormley
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Bill
Gormley (R)		Jon
Corzine (D)		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton September 15–21, 1999560 RV±4.0%31%24%45%
Rutgers-Eagleton Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000626 RV±4.0%27%23%50%
Corzine vs. Treffinger
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jim
Treffinger (R)		Jon
Corzine (D)		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000626 RV±4.0%21%24%55%
Franks vs. Byrne
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Bob
Franks (R)		Tom
Byrne (D)		Undecided
Rutgers-Eagleton September 15–21, 1999560 RV±4.0%31%29%41%

Results

Despite being heavily outspent, Franks lost by only three percentage points, doing better that year than Republican Governor George W. Bush in the presidential election, who obtained just 40.29% of the vote in the state. [19]

General election results [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Jon Corzine 1,511,237 50.11% Decrease2.svg 0.18
Republican Bob Franks 1,420,26747.10%Increase2.svg 0.08
Green Bruce Afran32,8411.09%N/A
Reform Pat DiNizio 19,3120.64%N/A
Libertarian Emerson Ellett7,2410.24%+.44%
Independent Dennis A. Breen6,0610.20%N/A
Trust in GodJ.M. Carter5,6570.19%N/A
Conservative Lorraine LaNeve3,8360.13%N/A
Socialist Gregory Pason3,3650.11%Decrease2.svg 0.35
Socialist Workers Nancy Rosenstock3,3090.11%Decrease2.svg 0.07
God Bless JerseyGeorge Gostigian2,5360.08%N/A
Majority90,9703.01%-.26%
Total votes3,015,662 100.0% N/A
Democratic hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 11% for radio host Bob Grant.

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References

  1. ↑ Halbfinger, David M. (October 13, 2000). "Franks Accuses Corzine of Trying To Buy His Way Into Senate Seat". The New York Times .
  2. ↑ "Franks and Corzine Debate Race, Education and Disclosure". The New York Times . October 13, 2000.
  3. ↑ Halbfinger, David M. (March 30, 2000). "Corzine Assailed for Joke About Italian-Americans". New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  4. ↑ Adubato, Steve. "Good Faith Politics". The Star-Ledger . Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  5. ↑ Peterson, Iver (April 9, 2000). "Around Jon Corzine's Roots, a Casual Indifference to Ethnicity". The New York Times . Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Our Campaigns - NJ US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 07, 2000".
  7. ↑ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - James W. Treffinger".
  8. ↑ "Former Rep. Bob Franks Dies at 58: Lost U.S. Senate Race but Ideas Triumphed by Gregory Hilton". April 11, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Franks Accuses Corzine of Trying To Buy His Way Into Senate Seat". The New York Times . October 13, 2000.
  10. ↑ "The High Price Of Chutzpah: Cheney And Corzine May Be Pushing The Ethical Envelope On Conflict-Of-Interest Rules. That's More Than Daring—It's -Just Plain Galling". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc. August 28, 2000. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  11. ↑ Derer, Mike (June 7, 2000). "Who Wants to Vote for a Multimillionaire?". Time. Time Inc. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  12. ↑ Morse, Jodie; Nadya Labi; Michel Orecklin (November 20, 2000). "New Faces In The Senate". Time. Time Inc. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  13. ↑ Hosenball, Mark (June 12, 2000). "The New Jersey Purchase: Jon Corzine's $36 Million Campaign For The Senate". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  14. ↑ Brooks, David (December 25, 2000). "Surviving The Coming Clash: With The Left Feeling Frisky, Conservatives Need To Watch Their Step If They Want To Have Their Way. It's Time To Be Patient". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  15. ↑ Ingle pp. 62–63.
  16. ↑ Jacob, Andrew (September 20, 2000). "Black Minister Criticized for Taking Corzine's Money". New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  17. ↑ Cardwell, Diane (April 10, 2010). "Robert Franks, Former New Jersey Congressman, Dies". The New York Times .
  18. ↑ "Poll Finds Corzine Spending is Not a Problem for Voters". The New York Times. October 18, 2000.
  19. ↑ Newman, Maria (November 10, 2000). "After His Defeat, Franks Looks to the Future". The New York Times .
  20. ↑ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
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