| Election Name: | 2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey |
| Country: | New Jersey |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1994 United States Senate election in New Jersey |
| Previous Year: | 1994 |
| Next Election: | 2006 United States Senate election in New Jersey |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2000 |
| Image1: | SenatorJonCorzine (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Jon Corzine |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,511,237 |
| Percentage1: | 50.11% |
| Nominee2: | Bob Franks |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,420,267 |
| Percentage2: | 47.10% |
| U.S. Senator | |
| Before Election: | Frank Lautenberg |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jon Corzine |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
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.
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.
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 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.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | error | James Florio | Jon Corzine | Undecided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac[1] | July 13–20, 1999 | 1,082 RV | ± 3.0% | align=center | 55% | 19% | 26% | |
| Quinnipiac | February 16–21, 2000 | 374 RV | ± 5.1% | align=center | 57% | 22% | 21% | |
| Quinnipiac[2] | March 21–27, 2000 | 400 RV | ± 4.9% | align=center | 50% | 26% | 24% | |
| Quinnipiac[3] | May 1–8, 2000 | 347 RV | ± 5.3% | 33% | align=center | 48% | 19% | |
| Quinnipiac[4] | May 17–23, 2000 | 371 LV | ± 5.1% | 30% | align=center | 56% | 14% |
Corzine spent $35 million of his fortunes into this primary election alone.[5] [6]
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."[7] 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.[8] [9]
Governor Florio was unpopular during his tenure in office. 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.
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.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | error | Murray Sabrin | Bob Franks | James Treffinger | William Gormley | Brian Kennedy | Undecided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac[11] | March 21–27, 2000 | 348 RV | ± 5.3% | 5% | align=center | 14% | 7% | 9% | 6% | 59% | |
| Quinnipiac[12] | May 1–8, 2000 | 311 RV | ± 5.6% | 5% | align=center | 18% | 8% | 14% | - | 55% |
Franks, a moderate Republican,[14] 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.[15]
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.[16]
Corzine campaigned for state government programs including universal health care, universal gun registration, mandatory public preschool, and more taxpayer funding for college education.[17] [18] He pushed affirmative action and same-sex marriage.[19] David Brooks considered Corzine so liberal that although his predecessor was also a Democrat, his election helped shift the Senate to the left.[20]
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.[21] 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.[22]
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.[23]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | error | Jon Corzine (D) | Bob Franks (R) | Undecided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton[24] | September 15–21, 1999 | 560 LV | ±4.0% | 24% | 30% | align=center | 47% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000 | 626 LV | ±4.0% | 24% | 25% | align=center | 51% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | June 8–13, 2000 | 579 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 43% | 33% | 23% | |
| 442 LV | ±5.0% | align=center | 43% | 36% | 20% | |||
| Quinnipiac[25] | June 20–26, 2000 | 1,004 RV | ± 3.1% | align=center | 46% | 26% | 28% | |
| Quinnipiac[26] | July 19–24, 2000 | 910 RV | ± 3.3% | align=center | 50% | 30% | 20% | |
| Quinnipiac[27] | August 18–22, 2000 | 802 RV | ± 3.5% | align=center | 43% | 35% | 22% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | September 6–13, 2000 | 670 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 47% | 32% | 21% | |
| 542 LV | ±4.5% | align=center | 45% | 36% | 19% | |||
| Quinnipiac | Sept. 26–Oct. 1, 2000 | 820 LV | ± 3.4% | align=center | 48% | 34% | 18% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton[28] | October 12–15, 2000 | 482 RV | ±4.5% | align=center | 45% | 33% | 22% | |
| 367 LV | ±5.5% | align=center | 45% | 37% | 18% | |||
| Quinnipiac[29] | October 18–23, 2000 | 909 LV | ± 3.3% | align=center | 46% | 41% | 13% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | October 23–26, 2000 | 432 LV | ±4.5% | align=center | 46% | 37% | 17% | |
| Quinnipiac[30] | October 24–30, 2000 | 793 LV | ± 3.5% | align=center | 47% | 39% | 14% | |
| Quinnipiac[31] | November 1–5, 2000 | 770 LV | ± 3.4% | 43% | align=center | 45% | 12% |
with Christine Todd Whitman
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | 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, 1999 | 623 RV | ±4.0% | 40% | align=center | 42% | – | – | – | – | 18% |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Apr. 28–May 6, 1999 | 623 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 46% | – | 39% | – | – | – | 15% |
| align=center | 46% | – | – | 35% | – | 18% | |||||
| align=center | 46% | – | – | – | 34% | – | 20% | ||||
| Quinnipiac[32] | July 13–20, 1999 | 1,082 RV | ±3.0% | align=center | 52% | – | 35% | – | – | – | 13% |
| align=center | 46% | – | 32% | – | – | – | 22% | ||||
| align=center | 56% | – | – | – | – | 22% | 22% |
with Jim Florio
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | error | Jim Florio (D) | Bob Franks (R) | Bill Gormley (R) | Jim Treffinger (R) | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | September 15–21, 1999 | 560 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 41% | 34% | – | – | 26% |
| align=center | 41% | – | 33% | – | 18% | ||||
| align=center | 41% | – | – | 33% | 18% | ||||
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000 | 626 RV | ±4.0% | align=center | 36% | 33% | – | – | 31% |
| align=center | 37% | – | 32% | – | 31% | ||||
| align=center | 36% | – | – | 31% | 33% |
Corzine vs. Gormley
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | error | Bill Gormley (R) | Jon Corzine (D) | Undecided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Eagleton | September 15–21, 1999 | 560 RV | ±4.0% | 31% | 24% | align=center | 45% | |
| Rutgers-Eagleton | Feb. 28–Mar. 9, 2000 | 626 RV | ±4.0% | 27% | 23% | align=center | 50% |
Corzine vs. Treffinger
Franks vs. Byrne
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.[33]
Official campaign websites (archived)