United States Senate election in New Jersey, 1996
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The 1996 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Bradley decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term.
Contents
Republican primary
Candidates
- Dick Zimmer, U.S. congressman of New Jersey's 12th congressional district
- Richard DuHaime, Passaic County Freeholder
- Dick LaRossa, State Senator
Campaign
(Zimmer) was front-runner from the start, getting endorsements from Republican leaders across the state, including Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. Both DuHaime, a pro-life candidate, and La Rossa, a pro-gun candidate, attempted to portray Mr. Zimmer as too liberal for the party. But Zimmer treated the two challengers as if they did not exist.[1]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dicky Zimmer | 144,121 | 68.0 | ||
| Republican | Richard DuHaime | 42,155 | 19.9 | ||
| Republican | Dick La Rossa | 25,608 | 12.1 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Robert G. Torricelli (D) U.S. congressman of New Jersey's 9th congressional district
- Dick Zimmer (R), U.S. congressman of New Jersey's 12th congressional district
Campaign
After narrowly winning re-election in 1990, Bradley would retire in 1996 and go on to run for president in 2000. Democrat U.S. congressman Robert Torricelli easily won his party primary as he went unopposed. Republican U.S. congressman Dick Zimmer won his party's nomination easily. Torricelli defeated Zimmer in the general election by 10 points, a margin less than President Bill Clinton, who carried NJ by almost 18%. Independents made up 4.8% of the vote.
Like other Democratic candidates around the country, Torricelli tried to portray "Zig-Zag Zimmer" as a clone of House Speaker Newt Gingrich and flip flopping on his positions on issues like Medicare, gun control and an increase in the minimum wage during the campaign. Zimmer tried to cast his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal with ethical flaws. Military morale was also a part of the campaign.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert G. Torricelli | 1,519,328 | 52.7 | ||
| Republican | Dick Zimmer | 1,227,817 | 42.6 | ||
| Independent | Richard J. Pezzullo | 50,971 | 1.8 | ||
| Independent | Paul A. Woomer | 15,183 | 0.5 | ||
| Independent | Olga L. Rodriguez | 14,319 | 0.5 | ||
| Independent | Mark Wise | 13,683 | 0.5 | ||
| Independent | Wilburt Kornegay | 11,107 | 0.4 | ||
| Independent | Steven J. Baeli | 7,749 | 0.3 | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
References
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