NEW JERSEY
      Oct. 16, 2013 U.S. Senate (Special)                                      

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10/16
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+Cory Booker (D)
740,742
 		54.92%
Steve Lonegan (R)
 		593,684
 		44.02%
Edward C. Stackhouse Jr. (ETB)
 5,132
 0.38%
Robert DePasquale (I)
 		3,137
 0.23%
Stuart David Meissner (ARN)
 		2,051
 0.15%
Pablo Olivera (UIS)
 		1,530
 		0.11%
Antonio Nico Sabas (FOC)
 		1,336
 		0.10%
Eugene Martin Lavergne (D-R)
 		1,041
 		0.08%

1,348,659
Plurality:  147,058 votes (10.90 percentage points)
 NJ Dep't of State Division of Elections



Notes:  Sen. Frank Launtenberg (D) died on June 3.  On June 4 Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced the dates of the special election as Aug. 13 and Oct. 16.  The timing and costs were controversial—Oct 16 was just 20 days before the regularly scheduled Nov. 5 general election.  On June 6 Christie announced New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa (R) to serve as interim Senator. 

In the Aug. 13 primaries, four candidates competed for the Democratic nomination.  Newark Mayor Cory Booker garnered 59.2% of the vote, besting U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (19.8%, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, Jr. (16.8%) and Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly Sheila Oliver (4.3%). 

In the Republican primary, conservative Tea Party-aligned former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan dominated, winning just over 80% of the vote, to defeat health care reform advocate Alieta Eck.  Lonegan served as mayor of Bogota, a borough in Bergen Co., from 1996 to 2007, then took on the role of state director of Americans for Prosperity.  He also twice sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2005, finishing fourth and in 2009 a placing a more competitive second to Chris Christie.

Lonegan rallied with conservative luminaries including Sen. Rand Paul (Sept. 12), Gov. Rick Perry (Oct. 1), and former Gov. Sarah Palin and radio talk show host Mark Levin (Oct. 11).  Lonegan's field director wrote that the campaign had 33 volunteer county captains and over 2,500 active volunteers and contacted over 895,000 targeted voters.

Booker and Lonegan debated on Oct. 4 at WPVI-TV in Trenton and at Rowan University on Oct. 9 (>); both debates were marked by sharp exchanges. 

The closing weeks of the campaign occurred against the backdrop of the federal government shutdown, which ran from Oct. 1-17.


Campaign Managers:
Cory Booker:  Addisu Demissie
(June 2013)  Field director at Chicago for Rahm Emanuel, Oct. 2010-Feb. 2011.  Policy counsel at Google, May-Oct. 2010.  Political director at Organizing for America/DNC, Feb. 2009-May 2010.  Ohio GOTV director at Obama for America, Aug.-Nov. 2008.  Worked on Hillary Clinton for President during the primaries, 2007-08.  Georgia field director on the Kerry campaign.  Research director for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.  J.D. from Yale Law School, 2008; B.A. in political science from Yale University, 2001.  From Atlanta.

 
Steve Lonegan:  ??
Top Strategist Rick Shaftan was fired Oct. 11 after very ill-advised interview...  Pollster and media consultant at Neighborhood Research/Mountaintop Media from Jan. 1988.  Admin. for Assemblywoman Marion Crecco, Jan.-Dec. 1987.  Press secretary to U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, Oct. 1985-May 1986.  Legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Joe DioGuardi, Jan.-Oct. 1985.  Assistant editor at the Bronx PressReview, Jan.-Dec. 1981.  J.D. from New York Law School, 1985; B.A. in philosophy from Manhattanville College, 1980.  Sparta resident


See also:
Darryl Isherwood.  "Lonegan: The government shutdown cost me the election."  NJ.com, Oct. 21, 2013.

Rus Choma.  "Outside Spending Lopsidedly Pro-Booker in NJ Senate Race."  Open Secrets, Oct. 15, 2013.

David Cruz.  "Lonegan Campaign Manager Infiltrates Booker Event."  NJ Spotlight News, Aug. 22, 2013.

John Celock.  "Objection to Christie's $24 Million Senate Special Election Spreads Across State."  HuffPost, June 20, 2013.




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