NJ: 2002 Senatorial Republican Primary Election Result

[RBH]

New Election: 2002 New Jersey Senatorial Republican Primary Election Results
   
   

More Machine-related fun from New Jersey

[Keystone Phil]

I remember wanting Allen because I thought she was our only shot at beating Torricelli. I remember being so confused when Forrester was called as the winner. Allen was supposed to win that.

[DownWithTheLeft]

I don't even remember Forrester being challenged

[minionofmidas]

As one of you's from North Jersey Rep machineland and the other's from just outside South Jersey... QED.

[DownWithTheLeft]

Lewis probably right but this still baffles me.  Anyway, here's the candidates I've supported in the recent primaries:

2001: Schunder
2002: Forrester
2005: Lonegan (hoping Scundler would pull through of top candidates)
2006: Ginty

2/4 aint' that bad

[Keystone Phil]

As one of you's from North Jersey Rep machineland and the other's from just outside South Jersey... QED.

Exactly. Allen was the one we always heard about because of geography and since she was once a newscaster.

[MAS117]

There was no way Diane Allen was beating anyone in a statewide election. Forrester did alot better then Allen would have, in my opinion.

[Verily]

As one of you's from North Jersey Rep machineland and the other's from just outside South Jersey... QED.

If Matheussen hadn't been running, Allen would have gotten the nod easily. On the other hand, she wouldn't have even been competitive in all-important Bergen County and would have lost worse than Forrester.

[RBH]

Ballot designations by county

For Forrester
"Middlesex County Republican Organization" - Middlesex
"

• County Winning Republicans" - All other counties

For Allen
"Essex County Republicans" - Essex
"Monmouth Republican Party" - Monmouth
"Passaic County Republican Organization" - Passaic
"

• County Regular Republican" - All other counties

For Matheussen
"South Jersey Republican Candidate" - Atlantic, Burlington
"Conservative Family Values Republican" - Bergen, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Warren
"Regular Republican Organization" - Gloucester, Hudson, Huntingdon, Morris, Salem, Camden, Cumberland
"Ocean County Republican Party" - Ocean
"Cape May County Republican Victory Organization" - Cape May

[Keystone Phil]

There was no way Diane Allen was beating anyone in a statewide election. Forrester did alot better then Allen would have, in my opinion.

Why? Allen is closer to the average New Jersey voter than Forrester.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Whether or not you think Allen would have been a horrible statewide candidate more or less depends on whether or not you believe that the New Jersey populace was just too fatigued from the liberal Republicanism of the Whitman years.

Regardless, the scenario with Allen would have been vastly different.  Unlike Forrester, she was a defined quantity with real name recognition, and was consistently doing better than Forrester in the General Election polling.  My feeling is that Allen would have opened up a much larger lead much earlier, prompting Torricelli to withdraw in the late summer.

Without the time crunch, a "normal" choice would have gotten into the U.S. Senate race -- with some probability, Frank Pallone would have said "yes," and the 2002 race would have been a toss-up.

Forrester, while a nice guy on a personal level, is a just plain terrible candidate who botched two consecutive elections by pissing off both the left and the right.  Allen is a much more polished candidate, and would have avoided his mistakes.

Then again, I'm biased, since I was one of the fools standing there at Diane Allen's victory party in Burlington...........