longtime residents of Delaware Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. They have two sons: Carl Zimmer, a science writer, and Benjamin Zimmer, a linguist and lexicographer. 2008 U.S. Senate campaign Zimmer entered the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey on April 11, 2008, after being drafted by New Jersey Republican leaders. Party leaders had originally supported businesswoman Anne Evans Estabrook for the Senate nomination until she withdrew in March 2008, following a mini-stroke. Many Estabrook supporters then supported businessman Andy Unanue for the Senate nomination. Unanue received criticism in the race because of his residency in New York City and his spending his entire three-week campaign in Vail, Colorado. Several days after filing his petitions for the Senate race, Unanue dropped out of the race and his committee on vacancies designated Zimmer to enter the race under the Unanue petitions. On June 3, 2008, Zimmer won the Republican U.S. Senate nomination over State Senator Joseph Pennacchio and Ramapo College economics professor Murray Sabrin. In the general election on November 4, 2008 he faced the Democratic primary winner, incumbent U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg. In polls conducted by Rasmussen Reports and Strategic Vision in mid-September 2008, Zimmer trailed Lautenberg by 7 points. He ultimately lost to Lautenberg by a margin of 56 percent to 43 percent. Despite the loss, Zimmer received nearly 1.4 million votes, setting a record for most votes cast in New Jersey history for a Republican candidate for statewide office. See also List of Jewish members of the United States Congress References External links Biographical information for Dick Zimmer from The Political Graveyard Biography on Senate campaign website (archived) |- |- |- |- |- 1944 births Cravath, Swaine & Moore people Glen Ridge High School alumni Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey Living people Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey lawyers Republican Party New Jersey state senators New York (state) lawyers People associated with Gibson Dunn People from Bloomfield, New Jersey People from Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey People from Glen Ridge, New Jersey Politicians from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Yale Law School alumni 21st-century American Jews