1996 United States Senate election in New Jersey

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. The seat was won by Democratic congressman Robert Torricelli.

1996 United States Senate election in New Jersey

November 5, 1996

Nominee Robert Torricelli Dick Zimmer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,519,328 1,227,817 Percentage 52.7% 42.6%

County results Torricelli:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Zimmer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Bill Bradley Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli Democratic

Republican primary

Candidates

• Richard DuHaime, Passaic County Freeholder
• Dick LaRossa, State Senator
• Dick Zimmer, U.S. Representative

Campaign

Zimmer was the 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 Zimmer as too liberal, but Zimmer largely ignored his opponents and won the primary easily.[1]

Results

Republican primary results[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dick Zimmer	144,121	68.0%
	Republican	Richard DuHaime	42,155	19.9%
	Republican	Dick La Rossa	25,608	12.1%
Total votes			211,884	100.0%

General election

Candidates

• Robert Torricelli (D), U.S. Representative
• Dick Zimmer (R), U.S. Representative

Campaign

Democratic U.S. Representative Robert Torricelli won his party's primary unopposed, and Republican U.S. Representative Dick Zimmer won his party's nomination easily. Torricelli defeated Zimmer in the general election by 10 points, while President Bill Clinton simultaneously carried New Jersey by almost 18% in his reelection bid. Third-party and independent candidates carried 4.8% of the vote.

Like other Democratic candidates around the country, Torricelli tried to tie "Zig-Zag Zimmer" to House Speaker Newt Gingrich and attacked him for 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

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert 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%
Total votes			2,860,157	100.0%
	Democratic hold

See also

• 1996 United States Senate elections

References

1. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/05/nyregion/us-senate-race-in-new-jersey-narrows-to-zimmer-and-torricelli.html?st=cse&sq=DuHaime+larossa+zimmer&scp=1
2. http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe1996/senate.htm#NEWJERSEY