TRENTON — Four Republicans are in a primary battle today for the right to face Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker. Whomever wins the GOP nod will have an uphill battle as none of the candidates has big name recognition or much cash against the popular Democrat, who's already stashed $2.9 million for the campaign. But they'll also face something else: history. Republicans in New Jersey haven't won a U.S. Senate election since 1972.
Here's how they've lost since the days of disco:
1976
David Norcross vs. Harrison Williams
Norcross, later a state party leader, lost in a landslide even as Jersey favored Republican President Gerald Ford. He was the last of four Republicans beaten by Williams in a Senate race. The first? Robert Kean, former Gov. Tom Kean's dad, in 1958.
Margin of Republican loss: 626,632 votes
1978
Jeff Bell vs. Bill Bradley
Bell, a Reagan conservative, upended longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Cliford Case in the GOP primary. But waiting for him in the general election was Bill Bradley, the former Princeton hoops star just five years removed from helping the Knicks win what remains their most recent NBA championship. Bradley had smarts as well as celebrity, and the former forward known for a smooth jump shot turned the race into a slam dunk.
Margin of Republican loss: 238,760 votes
1982
Millicent Fenwick vs. Frank Lautenberg
After Harrison Williams was forced to resign in the Abscam scandal, Republicans actually held a U.S. Senate seat when Gov. Kean appointed Nicholas Brady. But Brady didn't run for the seat, and Fenwick, a colorful congresswoman who was thought to be the inspiration for Lacy Davenport in the "Doonesbury" cartoon strip, took on a rich newcomer: Lautenberg. Fenwick lost in a race marked by a suggestion by Lautenberg that dogged him for decades: She was too old to be senator.
Margin of Republican loss: 69,923 votes
1984
Mary Mochary vs. Bill Bradley
Bradley had done nothing to douse Jerseyans' positive feelings about him, which meant Mochary, the Montclair mayor, never had a chance. Jerseyans famously split their vote, giving huge totals to Democrat Bradley and Republican President Ronald Reagan.
Margin of Republican loss: 906,544 votes
1988
Pete Dawkins vs. Frank Lautenberg
Republicans thought they had their own Bill Bradley in Pete Dawkins, a former Heisman winner, Rhodes scholar and U.S. Army brigadier general. But Lautenberg, using a rising political consultant named James Carville, pounced first, suggesting Dawkins, not a longtime Jersey resident, was a "carpetbagger." A frustrated Dawkins never ran for political office again.
Margin of Republican loss: 249,968 votes
1990
Christie Whitman vs. Bill Bradley
National Republicans who sent little campaign cash Whitman's way never fully understood just how ticked off Jersey voters were with every Democrat following Gov. Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax hike. Neither did Bradley, whose campaign tried to ignore Whitman's call for him to take a stand on the taxes by calling it a "state issue." Whitman, a former freeholder, came close to taking down "unbeatable" Bradley.
Margin of Republican loss: 58,936 votes
1994
Garabed "Chuck" Hatyaian vs. Frank Lautenberg
Republicans may have been sweeping their way into Congress by promising a "Contract With America," but not in Jersey. Assembly Speaker Haytaian, in his first statewide campaign, made it close but couldn't overcome Lautenberg, the tough campaigner with more to spend.
Margin of Republican loss: 67,243 votes
1996
Richard Zimmer vs. Robert Torricelli
With Bradley retiring, Zimmer and Torricelli threw mud at each other on a daily basis in what became a national model for how nasty political campaigns had become. The polls called it a dead heat, but Torricelli romped as Jersey, no longer a swing state in presidential politics, went big for Democratic President Clinton.
Margin of Republican loss: 291,511 votes
2000
Robert Franks vs. Jon Corzine
With Lautenberg retiring, Democrat Corzine began the campaign so little known it was joked his name sounded like a cold medicine. But he was a former Wall Street titan who spent like an armada of drunken sailors (a record $62 million from his own pocket). The outgunned Franks emerged as the Rocky of Jersey politics, fighting every round but losing by decision.
Margin of Republican loss: 90,970 votes
2002
Doug Forrester vs. Robert Torricelli and Frank Lautenberg
Just a whisper about this race sends blood pressure soaring for Jersey Republicans. With Torricelli on the ropes because of ethics charges, Forrester was ready for the knockout punch on election day. But when the Torch threw in the towel with a month left, the state Supreme Court allowed Democrats to bring in a new fighter. They chose old warrior Lautenberg, who cruised over a flustered Forrester. Jersey Republicans are still smarting over this: The ruling that cost them a Senate seat came from a Supreme Court largely crafted by GOP Gov. Christie Whitman.
Margin of Republican loss: 209,754 votes
2006
Tom Kean Jr. vs. Robert Menendez
Kean had his dad's famous name, but his candidacy was in trouble from the start. When he missed a fundraiser with Vice President Dick Cheney and said he had gotten stuck in Route 1 traffic, skeptics wondered if he actually wanted to avoid a photo op with the unpopular veep. Kean blamed his loss on the unpopularity of the Bush White House in Jersey.
Margin of Republican loss: 203,068 votes
2008
Richard Zimmer vs. Frank Lautenberg
A frustrated Republican Party struggled mightily to get a candidate, seeing hopefuls with deep pockets toy with a run and then back out. In the end, the veteran Zimmer took one for the team. With Barack Obama sweeping Jersey, Lautenberg won his biggest landslide in five elections.
Margin of Republican loss: 490,193 votes
2012
Joe Kyrillos vs. Robert Menendez
State Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) knew he was up against history when he chose to take on Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), whose low profile belies a skilled political operator. And with President Obama at the top of the ticket to gin up the Democratic vote, few gave Kyrillos a chance. But he plugged away, calling himself a "different kind of Republican," emphasizing his pro-choice bona fides and his refusal to sign an anti-tax pledge. The race was called early on election night.
Margin of Republican loss: 656,378
2013
Steve Lonegan vs. Cory Booker
In a special election held following Frank Lautenberg's death, the big-name Republicans stayed away from challenging Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the biggest Jersey political star aside from Gov. Chris Christie. Conservative activist Steve Lonegan got the GOP nod, and ran a feisty race with a barrage of attacks on the Democrat. Booker won easily, but not by as big a margin as had been predicted. The special election — set in October by Republican Christie, a move that cost taxpayer money but made sure he and Booker were not on the same November ballot —made history as having the lowest voter turnout for any Jersey statewide contest.
Margin of Republican loss: 147,058 votes
Star-Ledger staff writer Matt Friedman contributed to this report.
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