2000 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey|
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Majority party
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Minority party
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| Party
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Democratic
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Republican
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| Last election
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7
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6
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| Seats won
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7
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6
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| Seat change
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| Popular vote
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1,526,586
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1,379,174
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| Percentage
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51.3%
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46.3%
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| Swing
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 1.57pp
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 0.96pp
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District results
County results
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Democratic
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
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Republican
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
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The 2000 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on November 7, 2000, to determine who would represent the people of New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives. This election coincided with national elections for President of the United States, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. New Jersey had thirteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
Overview
| 2000 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey
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| Party
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Votes
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Percentage
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Candidates
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Seats
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+/–
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Democratic
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1,526,586
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51.27%
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13
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7
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Republican
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1,379,174
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46.32%
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13
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6
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Green
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47,850
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1.61%
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12
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0
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Conservative
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5,946
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0.20%
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7
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0
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Reform
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3,426
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0.12%
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3
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0
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Libertarian
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2,159
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0.07%
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2
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0
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Legalize Marijuana
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1,959
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0.07%
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1
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0
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Socialist
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788
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0.03%
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1
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0
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Natural Law
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725
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0.02%
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2
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0
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Socialist Workers
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704
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0.02%
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2
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0
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Constitution
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562
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0.02%
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1
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0
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Independents
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7,452
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0.25%
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6
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0
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| Totals
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2,977,331
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100.00%
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63
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13
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—
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District 1
Incumbent Democrat Rob Andrews won.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
- Charlene Cathcart, tax attorney
Results
General election
Candidates
- Rob Andrews, incumbent Representative from Haddon Heights since 1990 (Democratic)
- Charlene Cathcart, tax attorney (Republican)
- Ed Forchion, marijuana legalization activist (Legalize Marijuana)
- Catherine L. Parrish (Green)
- Joseph Patalivo (NJ Conservative)
Results
District 2
Incumbent Republican Frank A. LoBiondo won.
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Steven A. Farkas
- Edward G. Janosik, retired political science professor
Results
General election
Candidates
- Robert Gabrielsky (Green)[a]
- Edward G. Janosik, retired political science professor (Democratic)
- Frank LoBiondo, incumbent Representative since 1995 (Republican)
- Constantino Rozzo (Socialist)[b]
Results
District 3
Incumbent Republican Jim Saxton won.
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
General election
Candidates
Results
District 4
Incumbent Republican Chris Smith won.
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Withdrew
Results
General election
Candidates
Results
District 5
Incumbent Marge Roukema won after facing a strong primary challenge from assemblyman Scott Garrett for the second consecutive election.
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
General election
Candidates
- Ira Goodman (Reform)
- Helen Hamilton (Natural Law)
- Michael King (Green)
- Robert J. McCafferty (New Jersey Independents)
- Linda A. Mercurio, independent Assembly candidate for New Jersey's 39th legislative district in 1999 (Democratic)
- Marge Roukema, incumbent Representative from Ridgewood since 1981 (Republican)
Results
District 6
Incumbent Democrat Frank Pallone won.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Withdrew
Results
General election
Candidates
Results
District 7
Incumbent representative Bob Franks announced in December 1999 that he would not seek re-election to his seat in the House, in order to run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Frank Lautenberg. His announcement left the 7th district seat open and hotly contested, with eight candidates declaring their campaigns for the major parties' nominations.
In the June primary, Mike Ferguson and Maryanne Connelly won the Republican and Democratic nominations, respectively. The general election was also sharply contested between the two parties; the Democratic Party cited this seat as one of their top opportunities in the country. In June, prior to the primaries, a national Democratic spokesman said, "It's one of our best opportunities in the country to pick up a Republican-held seat. It's a competitive open seat with a suburban electorate that has been trending Democratic."
In the end, Ferguson narrowly won the open seat over Connelly.
Republican primary
Candidates
Withdrew
Declined
Campaign
Bob Franks's decision in December 1999 to run for U.S. Senate set off a scramble to establish residency; three of the four eventual candidates did not live in the district at the time of Franks's announcement. Mike Ferguson, a Monmouth County teacher who was running as a candidate in the adjacent 6th district, moved into the 7th; Tom Kean Jr., the son of the former governor, was studying international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston; and Patrick Morrissey, a U.S. House staffer, relocated from Washington to run. Only assemblyman Joel Weingarten, a resident of Millburn, actually lived in the district at the time Franks announced his campaign for U.S. Senate.[3]
Weingarten made an issue of his opponents' residencies. was also the oldest of the four candidates, at only 40 years.[3]
Kean, the son of a popular former governor and one of the state's most prominent political families, was the early favorite for the nomination in polling and the only candidate with significant name recognition. However, he lost the support of the county parties to Ferguson and Weingarten.[3] Kean was also the most liberal of the four candidates on gun control and abortion.[3]
In the final weeks of the campaign, observers considered Ferguson and Weingarten the favorites.[3]
Endorsements
Democratic primary
Candidates
Withdrew
Campaign
Maryanne Connelly, the party's nominee in 1998, had performed surprisingly well against Franks, a popular incumbent.[3] Party leadership appeared prepared to nominate her against Franks again in 2000, but upon Franks's decision to run for U.S. Senate, they endorsed Mike Lapolla. Lapolla received further support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a rare pre-primary endorsement from the national body.[3]
A candidate debate on May 2 revealed few differences between the four contenders, who each favored Medicaid expansion, stricter gun control, and a right to abortion.[3]
Although Lapolla was considered a strong front-runner, he surprised observers with a sharp radio attack ad against Connelly, in which an actress plays Ms. Connelly as a contestant on a quiz show titled, ''Who Wants to Be a Member of Congress?'' In the ad, the Connelly character is questioned on her positions and requests a weather report so she can see ''which way the political winds are blowing.''[3] Connelly criticized the ad as sexist, and she received the endorsements of the National Organization for Women and EMILY's List.[3]
Endorsements
Mike Lapolla
- State legislators
- Political parties
- Organizations
General election
Candidates
Campaign
During the campaign, Rutgers University sophomore Frank Perrone Jr. was arrested for stealing Ferguson campaign signs.[4]
Results
District 8
Incumbent Democrat Bill Pascrell won.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
General election
Candidates
- Joseph Fortunato (Green)
- Anthony Fusco Jr., former East Hanover Township attorney (Republican)
- Bill Pascrell, incumbent Representative from Paterson since 1997 (Democratic)
- Viji Sargis (New Jersey Independents)
Results
District 9
Incumbent Democrat Steve Rothman won.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
General election
Candidates
- Robert Corriston (NJ Conservative)
- Lewis Pell (Green)
- Michael Perrone Jr. (Independent/Progressive)
- Steve Rothman, incumbent Representative from Fair Lawn since 1997 (Democratic)
- Joseph Tedeschi (Republican)
Results
District 10
Incumbent Democrat Donald M. Payne won.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Withdrew
Results
General election
Candidates
- Donald M. Payne, incumbent Representative from Newark since 1989 (Democratic)
- Dirk B. Weber (Republican)
- Maurice Williams (Socialist Workers)
Results
District 11
Incumbent Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen won.
Republican primary
Candidates
Campaign
Filmmaker Michael Moore attempted to enter a ficus tree in the Republican primary against Frelinghuysen, but state election officials refused to certify its nominating petitions, forcing Moore to run a write-in campaign for the tree instead.[4]
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
General election
Candidates
- Rodney Frelinghuysen, incumbent Representative from Harding since 1995 (Republican)
- John Pickarski (Green)
- John P. Scollo (Democratic)
- James E. Spinosa (NJ Conservative)
Results
District 12
2000 New Jersey's 12th congressional district election|
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Incumbent Democrat Rush Holt Jr. won re-election to a second term in office, defeating former Representative Dick Zimmer by under 700 votes.
In the Republican primary, Zimmer easily defeated his successor, one-term Representative Mike Pappas, who was seeking a return to Congress after losing the 1998 election to Holt.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
- Mike Pappas, former Representative for this district (1997–99)
- Dick Zimmer, former Representative for this district (1991–97) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1996
Declined
Campaign
Pappas, who lost his seat in embarrassing fashion after singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Star" on the floor of the House in 1998, ran for the Republican nomination. He faced his predecessor Dick Zimmer, who had given up the seat to run for U.S. Senate in 1996.[5]
Pappas was positioned as a strong conservative, while Zimmer was noted for his moderate stances on social issues. Zimmer had the support of most of the Republican Party establishment in the state, including governors Christine Todd Whitman and Tom Kean, party chair Chuck Haytaian, and all five county Republican organizations in the district, and supporters argued that he would be more likely to unseat Holt in the general election.[5] Pappas had impassioned support from social conservatives, including opponents of abortion and gun control.[5]
The race was largely civil until May, when Zimmer began running radio advertisements with recordings of Zimmer singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr" and Pappas sent out mailers accusing Zimmer of inspiring the state income tax during his time as head of Common Cause in the 1970s.[5] Zimmer's campaign was generally better funded and able to advertise, while Pappas relied on grassroots support and direct voter outreach.[5]
Endorsements
Mike Pappas
- U.S. representatives
- Organizations
- New Jersey Right to Life
- New Jersey Sportsman Association
- Individuals
Dick Zimmer
- Governors
- U.S. representatives
- State legislators
- Political parties
Results
General election
Candidates
- John P. Desmond (NJ Conservative)
- Rush Holt Jr., incumbent Representative from Pennington since 1999 (Democratic)
- Carl Mayer, runner-up for the Democratic nomination in this district in 1996 and 1998 (Green)
- Worth Winslow (Libertarian)
- Dick Zimmer, former Representative for this district (1991–97) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1996 (Republican)
Results
District 13
Incumbent Democrat Bob Menendez won. This is a heavily urbanized district covering Hudson County.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bob Menendez, incumbent Representative from Union City since 1993
Withdrew
- Esther Gatria, college student
Campaign
Esther Gatria, a college student with ties to Union City mayor and assemblyman Rudy Garcia, submitted petitions to challenge Menendez but withdrew after Menendez urged U.S. Attorney Robert J. Cleary to investigate her petition signatures for fraud. She later took a job in Garcia's office, but he resigned under scrutiny a few weeks later.[4]
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
- Theresa de Leon
- Carlos E. Munoz
- Harold Turner
Results
General election
Candidates
- Theresa de Leon (Republican)
- Alina Lydia Fonteboa (In Common Effort)
- Dick Hester (Constitution)
- Bob Menendez, incumbent Representative from Union City since 1993 (Democratic)
- Claudette C. Meliere (Green)
- Kari Sachs (Socialist Workers)
- Herbert Shaw, perennial candidate (Politicians are Crooks)
Results
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Official List: Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for June 2000 Primary Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. April 17, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Official List: Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for November 2000 General Election" (PDF). May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Peterson, Iver (June 2, 2000). "Candidates in House Race Look for Way to Emerge From Field of 8". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "What ever happened to Frank Perrone, Jr., aka The Lawn Sign Kid, and other forgettable figures of Campaign 2000". Observer. May 28, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Jacobs, Andrew (May 27, 2000). "Congressional Primary in New Jersey Mirrors G.O.P.'s Divisions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ In Camden County, Gabrielsky was listed on the ballot as an Independent.
- ^ In Camden County, Rozzo was listed on the ballot as an Independent.
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