April 30, 2007 - 7:01am
Estabrook poised to enter '08 Senate race; GOP leader wants Pennacchio to join race
By Max Pizarro
by MAX PIZARRO
PoliticsNJ.com
Republican Anne Evans Estabrook will take the next step in her fledgling bid for the 2008 Republican nomination for United States Senate over the next few weeks with the formation of an exploratory committee, according to her campaign consultant, Larry Weitzner.
The 60-year-old millionaire real estate developer and former New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President wants to take on 83-year-old Democrat Frank R. Lautenberg, who wants to run for a fifth term next year.
But although she's contributed heavily to Republican candidates in the past -- and to some Democrats, like Bob Menendez and Linda Stender -- at a time when her party is still shaking off the hurt of recent statewide losses and standing up on shaky legs, Estabrook will face tough questions in a GOP primary.
Her biggest trouble is lack of support.
"I don't even know her," said Morris County GOP Chairman John Sette. "I don't think anybody knows her."
Somerset County GOP Chairman Dale Florio says he met Estabrook for the first time just a few weeks ago.
"She did come to our Somerset County fund-raising event at Fiddler's Elbow last week, where she was working the crowd," Florio said. "Over the years I've seen her at different events and heard talk that she was considering running."
While Estabrook is largely unknown, the lack of other interested candidates -- so far, only Assemblyman Michael Doherty is seeking support for the nomination -- creates an opening for the newcomer. She figures her best chance is to get into the race early if they want to build a political coalition.
"We're not ready to name the names of people serving on her exploratory committee," Weitzner said. "But there will be some elected officials on there. Our formal announcement will probably be in a couple of weeks."
But some Republicans -- frustrated by the GOP's 0-11 record in U.S. Senate races since their last win in 1972 -- don't want yet another self-funded candidate from the party's Mount Olympus of financiers and high-society mixers.
Unexcited about the prospect of Estabrook, Sette said he wants to talk to Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio, and prod him to run for U.S. Senate. Pennacchio, a Brooklyn-born dentist, is expected to move up to the State Senate this fall.
"Joe is a real Ronald Reagan type of guy," said Sette. "I think he could appeal to a lot of Democratic voters. And if Rudy Giuliani's the presidential nominee, a conservative ticket of Rudy and Joe could really work. It's been in the back of my mind for a while."
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Who is She?
Is Weitzner looking for the best candidate or a payday??? (rhetorical question). She will have a real problem with the base contributing to democrats.
Pennacchio, maybe. Estabrook, never!!
Pennacchio wouldn't be a bad choice if and when Rudy gets the Presidential nomination. Two Italian-American candidates at the top of the ticket would do wonders for the GOP in New Jersey. Personally, I'm still pulling for my boy Al Leiter.
I would become absolutely and thoroughly sick if Anne Estabrook is even so much as considered a viable GOP Senate candidate. The fact that she has donated money to Bob Menendez and Linda Stender should be an indicator that she would get eaten alive in a primary. Looking like Madeline Albright on Jenny Craig doesn't exactly help her either.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
A winner
Do you want to win or be ideologically pure? Anne can win and what sweet revenge for Millicent Fenwick.
WIN????
Are you serious? Win with another liberal??? Win, with the same cookie-cutter, liberal campaign run by the state GOP elite? Until the NJ GOP wakes up and offers the voters a choice with a candidate who actually stands for something, they will not win!! You do not win in NJ by saying, "look I'm almost as much as a Democrat as the actual Democrat candidate." It's a losing strategy and it's 0-11. Let's get a true conservative that can offer a clear choice and who actually believes what they are saying. Only then will we the GOP have a chance! And maybe after wiping away all the tears about "it's my party too" the Whitman wing will wake up and remember she won her first campaign for governor on two issues: taxes and guns!!! When she left conservative issues, she almost lost re-election. Wake up NJ GOP, wake up.
What is her voting record?
Oh, I forgot, she never held office.
Anne Can't Be Trusted
The NJGOP would be out of their minds to back a candidate that gave money to a crook like Bob Menendez.
That alone should disqualify her immediately. And no GOPfeminist, I do not think it's worth it to defeat one liberal with another liberal. That's not a victory, that's a stalemate.
I would be content with somebody like a Tom Kean Jr., but Estabrook is even to the left of him. Al Leiter is the man for the job.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
Definitely Pennachio or Doherty!
Anna Estacrook seems like everything wrong with the NJGOP in one package. She will have no cred against Lautenberg, and she won't win the Reagan Dem towns. I almost rather keep Laudie than vote 4 her, at least he's experienced!
its so nice...
it so comforting when the GOP's best choices are between Doherty and Estabrook...while their strongest candidates (Bob Franks, Frank LoBiondo, Chris Christie, John Murphy) can't even find the guts to challenge an 83-year old who's best days are behind him.
Mr. Democrat
Al Leiter will win the nomination if he runs so I wouldn't get too excited if I were you.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
"Experience"
Both Corzine and Lautenberg came from the business world. They had no "experience" when they started. It think its good we have someone outside of Politics in NJ running for the Republicans
Jumping to Conclusions
Everyone is jumping to conclusions without knowing Anne. I know Anne and she will be an outstanding candidate for Senate. She is successful in business, active in Catholic charities and has served on the board of trustees of Delbarton and Cornell University. She is not a liberal by any means. She is a doer, an accomplished person. And by the way, the last woman Republican who ran statewide won twice. When people get to meet her, they will like Anne Estabrook a lot.
Anne is Damaged
Giving money to Bob Menendez and Linda Stender is her kiss of death. If she's not a liberal, how and why would she do something so stupid?
We may not know much about her, but you don't have to touch water to know that it's wet. She's a loser. Plain and simple.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
The only way I could see her getting the nod is
if there is a feeling that no one is going to beat Lautenberg and we are looking for a sacrificial lamb. An earlier contributor suggested that the NJ Moderates are 0-11 that's not completely true-unless you consider Jeff Bell as a moderate...The problem is far deeper than that. The reason that Republicans lose is that so few resources are spent on building up the grass roots of our party. There is no effort spent on organizing and just getting to know who people are.Any candidate Conservative or Moderate will have the same trouble!
AGAIN, I SAY...
The GOP has not nominated anyone from South Jersey for statewide office in 31 years - how long will the party ignore us? and how long will our own county chairmen keep swallowing North Jersey candidates before someone has the backbone to say, "It's our turn"?
Stop acting like losers
New Jersey Republicans will win again when they run candidates who are not afraid of what people like Tom Moran and David Rebovich say about them. Anyone as far-left liberal as Lautenberg is easily beatable if Republicans run a candidate with the guts to challenge his nutty views on illegal immigration, abortion, political correctness and high taxes.
What's Sette thinking?
Pennacchio would make a great US Senator as well (I am leaning towards Doherty). However a Doherty-Pennacchio-Estabrook primary would ensure a liberal Estabrook victory in the primary.
We can't have a primary with two conseravtives from the same part of the State to split the idelogical and geographic votes.
In addition, Rudy a conservative? Stop it Sette. How many "conservatives" are on TV leading off the Gay Activist Parade in Manhattan? How many "conservatives" dress in drag? Or bash the NRA for wanting to add economic development and jobs to the Times Square area? Be real John!
NO WAY ANNE
Let's see, $3,000 dollars to It's My Party, Too PAC .. Former President of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, donated money to the NJ State Democrat Committee, donated money to Bob Menendez and Linda Stender and called a Christine Todd Whitman clone. What more do we need to know ? She is a pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, Pro-Amnesty RINO. The question is, what camp would she fit in with more, the Collins, Snowe, Smith or the Cornyn, Ensign, Coburn camp. I would say that Ms. Eastabrook would be another Lincoln Chafee and an even worse candidate than Tom Kean, Jr.
GOP Self Destructors
I'll most likely vote for Frank Lautenberg.
However the only hope for the GOP is to nominate this kind of candidate; she's got her own money and she seems to be a fairly decent person who isn't a total ideologue.
Then again, to some of you, such a candidate is a just "another liberal". What a laugh!
I'm sure she became a millionaire RE developer by being a "liberal".
Go ahead, nominate a knuckle dragging Neanderthal like Steve Lonegan, or better yet; a Dominionistic Fundamentalist Right Wing Extremist/Radical like Scott Garrett!!!
Please. :-)
From Frederick Douglass
Menendez and Stender?
She will definitely have to answer for donating to those two, especially if it was recent. Any idea when she donated to them?
Leiter is the man
Nick, such namecalling should be beneath a lib who's supposed to believe in tolerance and freedom of speech....or is that just for people who think like you?
I would be more than happy with a Steve Lonegan or Scott Garrett being my party's nominee because they both have positive records as Mayor and Congressman respectively. I believe however that Mayor Lonegan has different goals and Scott Garrett is content with being a Congressman for the time being. Personally, I would like to see Scott Garrett run against Menendez in '12.
Anne Estabrook will never see the light of day in a GOP Primary no matter who the other candidate is, nor should she be. No Republican that gave money to Bob Menendez and Linda Stender should be taken seriously as a Republican candidate.
As I have already said, if there is any self-funded outsider to go after to be the GOP candidate, it's Al Leiter.
Leiter would be the only self-funded candidate with enough name recognition to give Frank Lousyberg a run for his money.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
At first glance, she has all
At first glance, she has all the appearance of being a Whitman clone which would be disasterous. Al Leiter would have the advantage of instant name recognition in a general election just as Bill Bradley did. That is a huge advantage in a state like New Jersey in which political advertising is so expensive.
She gave money to BOB!
All I know is I'm never supporting a lady who gave money to bob..that's more then questionable. She's done before she ever started.
HEY NICK
Nick: Go ahead, nominate a knuckle dragging Neanderthal like Steve Lonegan, or better yet; a Dominionistic Fundamentalist Right Wing Extremist/Radical like Scott Garrett!!! Wow, sounds like the exact language of hate and intolerance your party of socialist white-flag waving liberals are trying to pass in the latest version of the "Hate Crime" Legislation I'm having you arrested!!!!!
Leiter for US Senate
Letier for Senate.
 I decided to really get the ball rolling here!
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
If you look at what Anne has
If you look at what Anne has given 98% have gone to Republican Candidates in NJ and around the country. Maybe what we need to win here is someone who can appeal to those democratic voters.
hahah
Dear Republican Friends,
You people are ridiculous. You keep talking about these fabled "Reagan Democrat" towns, or "Reagan Democrat" voters. The fact of the matter is the paradigm has shifted. Those people don't exist anymore.
You will never win an election in the state of NJ by running the equivalent of Tom Coburn with a construction helmet on. You guys are delusional. I will stop right there. I don't want to give you guys any constructive critiscm that you might actually pay attention to. I am much more content to continue to watch you lose.
Leiter for Senate
Even as a Phillies fan, I would support Al Leiter.
RE: HAHAH
Hey notengoplata, We are losing BECAUSE we are not running Tom Coburn like candidates. We have a Senate minority leader who hires democrats on his communication staff to craft OUR message as Republicans. You need not look any further to why the NJ GOP is a losing team than that.
LOSER
So, what has she to offer? Nothing. She is a Limosene Liberal trying to pass herself off as a Republican! What does she bring to the Table? She was President of the Chamber? Who cares! Under her watch our business taxes went up, and up! She inherited her money from her deceased husband - and now she wants to go to the Senate! I don't think so! If someone can tell me what she brings to the table and why I should vote for her, I'm listening! Otherwise, it's ABE (Anyone but Estabrook)!
Please, please, Doherty!
Please people let's get Ass. Mike Doherty down to Washington, licketee split! I've had enough of those durned libruls down in DC trying to do nutty stuff like fight for equal rights for those subhuman gays and murdering embryos and abiding by the sixteenth amendment! Let's get a good ol' conservative like Doherty down there right away--finally New Jersey will be able to show how much we really do hate those durned gays and those durned single mothers and those durned taxes gosh durn it! We are a conservative state through and through--the whole Lautenberg, Bradley, Corzine, Torricelli, Florio, Byrne thing was just a fluke. Cliff Case was for real people! And it's up to Mike Doherty to reclaim the Glory that was was Cliff Case. Let's do it!
Sorry, Lonegan is Hard Right and Garrett is...
...a Dominionistic Fundamentalist...he won't deny it as that's where his solid base of support is.
If you think that my descriptions were inaccurate or unfair, feel free to take issue.Â
Though I'll concede comparing them to a "Neanderthal" is an insult to an older Hominid species and I'll grant that that attempt to use metaphorical shorthand may have been literally innacurate so I'll apologise to the great spirity of our evolutionary predecessors (which Garrett doesn't believe in by the way ;-)Â Thank you for an opportunity to take that particular word to task.
Keep in mind tough, this is a thread on the topic of early speculation on which Republican will/should run against Lautenberg...in that context, these fellows would be extreme.
If you don't think Garett and Lonegan are out of step with New Jersey; then, as I said. please prove me wrong and nominate them to run for Senate.
When either one of them is elected to the US Senate; you can feel free to gloat.
From Frederick Douglass
Reagan Democrat towns...
do exist and thats why Bob Menendez and Jon Corzine's populistic campaigns won them over. Ethnic Catholics decide the winners in NJ.
...
No, the paradigm has completely shifted - there is hardly a thing called a Reagan Democrat anymore. It will be nearly 24 years since Reagan's last election when we hit 2008. That is an entire generation. Give me a break man.
You ran Bret Schundler - and he lost. He is about as close to Tom Coburn as you can get in the state of NJ. Face it, you do not live in a state that shares your values. Go move to Alabama or Oklahoma and vote. Your ideas are completely dead.
Oh, and Ronald Reagan is dead too (god rest his soul). It's really disturbing to see the way you all deify him. It's even more discomforting to watch all the dueling perceptions you republicans share of him as your candidates face off to be his standard bearer.
Please, give us Doherty
Doherty's labor policies will really appeal to these so-called "Reagan Democrats" that some of the brilliant budding political scientists love to babble on about at this blog.
Seriously, Doherty will need to win all of the Reagan Democrats, because his right-of-Attila-the-Hun policies on guns, gays, and abortion will not appeal to suburban voters. He will get throttled in Bergen County and could even lose Somerset (where Menendez came within 5 points).