2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey

Incumbent U.S. senator Frank R. Lautenberg was elected in 1982 in an upset victory over U.S. representative Millicent Fenwick. In his two re-election bids, Lautenberg beat Pete Dawkins in 1988 with 54 percent of the vote and held back a challenge from New Jersey General Assembly speaker Chuck Haytaian by a smaller margin in 1994. New Jersey had not elected a Republican to the United States Senate since 1972. For most of 1998 and 1999, speculation centered on popular Republican governor Christine Todd Whitman, who had run a surprisingly strong campaign for the state's other Senate seat in 1990. After a February 1999 poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute indicated that Whitman would defeat Lautenberg by a wide margin, as would former Republican governor Thomas Kean, Lautenberg unexpectedly announced that he would retire rather than seek a fourth term in office, leaving the seat open. In her initial response to Lautenberg's announcement, Whitman told reporters that she was "seriously considering all of [her] options." Her campaign committee was chaired by prominent fundraisers Lewis Eisenberg and Candace Straight, and Whitman was also expected to rely on her large family fortune to fund her campaign. She also cited concerns regarding "the amount of money that needs to be raised and just the time that it takes to do it." Privately, Whitman had reportedly factored in the burden of outspending Jon Corzine, who had promised to spend any amount necessary to win the race and had a personal fortune estimated at over $300 million and had already given his campaign $500,000 in direct funding. Whitman advisers were reportedly surprised by the decision, since the campaign had raised approximately $2.3 million since her committee was announced. She explicitly denied rumors that she had withdrawn due to health concerns or to be nominated for vice president as a running mate to George W. Bush. Bush publicly expressed his surprise and regret at her withdrawal. Paul von Zielbauer of The New York Times noted that despite her wide lead, Whitman had won her two campaigns for governor by narrow margins and had never been on the ballot in a presidential election year, when Democratic voters typically turned out in larger numbers. Growing scrutiny of the use of racial profiling by the New Jersey State Police may also have contributed to her decision not to run. The Whitman announcement immediately reversed the outlook for the two major political parties. Republicans admitted that Whitman's decision left them without a clear front-runner for their nomination, while the two Democratic candidates, Corzine and Jim Florio, both predicted that the Democratic primary would determine the election. == Democratic primary ==

Candidates • Jon Corzine, former CFO and senior partner of Goldman Sachs • James Florio, former Governor of New Jersey and U.S. representative During the campaign, Corzine made a number of 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." 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. Polling 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 == Republican primary ==

Candidates • William Gormley, state senator from Mays Landing • Bob Franks, U.S. representative from Summit • Christine Todd Whitman, governor of New Jersey since 1994 (formed campaign committee April 8, 1999; withdrew September 7, 1999) Declined • Jack Collins, speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly • Lewis Eisenberg, chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and chair of the Whitman campaign • Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes and candidate for president in 1996 (ran for president) • Thomas Kean, former governor of New Jersey • Frank LoBiondo, U.S. representative from Vineland (ran for re-election) • Marge Roukema, U.S. representative from Ridgewood (ran for re-election) • Dick Zimmer, former U.S. representative from Delaware Township and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1996 Polling Results == General election ==

Candidates • Bruce Afran (Green) • Dennis A. Breen (Independent) • J.M. Carter (Trust In God) • Jon Corzine, former CFO of Goldman Sachs (Democratic) • Pat DiNizio, lead singer of The Smithereens (Reform) • Emerson Ellett (Libertarian) • Bob Franks, U.S. Representative from Summit (Republican) • George Gostigian (God Bless NJ) • Lorraine LaNeve (Conservative) • Gregory Pason (Socialist) • Nancy Rosenstock (Socialist Workers) Declined • Bob Grant, conservative talk radio host Campaign Franks, a moderate Republican, 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. 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. Corzine campaigned for state government programs including universal health care, universal gun registration, mandatory public preschool, and more taxpayer funding for college education. He pushed affirmative action and same-sex marriage. David Brooks considered Corzine so liberal that although his predecessor was also a Democrat, his election helped shift the Senate to the left. 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. 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. 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. Debates • Complete video of debate, October 7, 2000 • Complete video of debate, October 8, 2000 • Complete video of debate, October 13, 2000 • Complete video of debate, October 20, 2000 Polling 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. {{align|right| By county Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican • Bergen (largest municipality: Hackensack) • Burlington (largest municipality: Evesham Township) == See also ==