DICK ZIMMER

Gov. Jon Corzine: Politicker photo

No sitting statewide Democrat enjoys what might be called popularity in public office here in New Jersey, according to a Friday Strategic Vision poll.

But Republicans continue to carry the dead weight numbers registered by President George W. Bush.

Up for re-election next year, the poll shows Gov. Jon Corzine with an upside-down job approval rating of 39/47%, and 14% undecided.

It also shows Bush running out of room before he bottoms out, with just 15% of voters approving of his job performance, 70% disapproving, and 14% undecided.

As today marks the filing deadline for FEC reports, PolitickerNJ.com has reported totals as the numbers have become available. Below are links to our complete coverage, broken down by races.

United States Senate candidate Dick Zimmer raised about $273,000 since May 15th, bringing his total raised since entering the race in April to $751,555.

Zimmer has $411,029 on hand.

“Considering that my fundraising began in mid-April, I am very encouraged by the level of support I have received in such a short amount of time,” said Zimmer. “It is clear that, as the cost of living in New Jersey becomes more and more unaffordable, New Jerseyans want more effective leadership in Washington.”

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg leads Republican challenger Dick Zimmer 49%-36%, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released today.

The poll also shows Gov. Jon Corzine approval rating at only 27%, while 40% disapprove. That’s a slight drop from last month.

The poll comes after two other recent polls from other organizations showed Lautenberg leading Zimmer by large margins, although a Rasmussen poll from early last month – just after both won their respective primaries-- showed the two in a statistical dead heat.

Lautenberg heads back to the phones for money: Politicker photo 

Now the cash rebuilding effort begins for Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

Coming off of a blowout victory over South Jersey challenger U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) in the Democratic Primary, Lautenberg is starting with $1.3 million in the bank in mid-summer as he heads toward his November mano-a-mano with Republican candidate and former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer.

The Lautenberg campaign spent $5 million against the upstart Andrews, according to sources close to the U.S. Senator.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) had feared a Lautenberg dollar drain, and quickly went to the phones to try to take the steam out of Andrews when the congressman pawed the turf in the late days of April.

Samantha Maltzman is Frank Lautenberg's new Finance DirectorThe former finance director for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has joined the re-election team of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

Samantha Maltzman starts work today as finance director for Lautenberg, who's running against challenger, former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer.

After his primary with U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1), Lautenberg is in financial rebuilding mode, and that's where the campaign intends to make use of Maltzman's expertise.

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio lost his bid for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination
While dozens of candidates were making last minute appeals on primary day, Republican Senate candidate Joe Pennacchio spent the afternoon working on dental fillings and root canals. The next day, about 12 hours after congratulating rival Dick Zimmer on his victory, Pennacchio was at his Mount Arlington dental practice again, engaging in his pre and post-election routine: going to work.

“I make a habit of working my regular job on election day and the next morning,” he said. “It grounds me. It tells me who I am, gets me back with the people and in the mix.”

Pennacchio, a conservative, lost to the more moderate Zimmer, 46% to 40%, with Murray Sabrin, a finance professor at Ramapo College, taking 14% of the vote. But despite a respectable showing, Pennacchio was true to the persona he cultivated during the campaign, exemplified by his “Jersey Joe” moniker and the slogan that accompanied it: “He’s one of us!”

The two major candidates in the U.S. Senate race will participate in an online “Virtual Debate” sponsored by the Hall Institute of Public Policy, according to a release. 

“We are honored that these two distinguished candidates are taking part in our virtual debate,” said George E. Hall, the institute’s founder. “By creating a forum for thoughtful and constructive exchange, the virtual debate will encourage and facilitate participation in the electoral process.”

The virtual debate is scheduled to take place on the Hall Institute website: www.hallnj.org/virtualdebate.

Claiming to have nailed down the likely identity of someone who pretended to be him in email correspondence at the height of the Republican Primary, State GOP Chairman Tom Wilson today sent out a message to Republicans fingering a key supporter of Senate candidate Murray Sabrin.

"Efforts to trace the source of the emails were hampered by the inability of the Internet service providers to provide the details necessary," Wilson told Republicans in his email message sent today.

"However, the account was re-opened at some later point and was successfully traced to the former residence of Patrick Donohue, who owns Max Consulting in New York City," Wilson said of the early April transmissions.

Max Consulting is listed on Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports as having received more than $123,000 from the underdog campaign of Sabrin, who confirmed Donohue was the campaign’s fund-raiser.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today in Paterson 

PATERSON - It worked in 2006, and with time running out in which to prop up and target an upside-down President George W. Bush and his allies, senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez took a shot today in front of a Citgo gas station sign that read: Gas: $3.95, cash; $4.05, credit.

While station owner Fadi Sabbagh stood nearby with arms folded and the cars rumbled in and out on Chamberlain and Preakness, Lautenberg and Menendez laid siege to the Bush administration and their Republican helpmates over high gas prices.

"When you have two oil men in the White House, it’s not shocking to wonder where our energy policies are headed," said Menendez, who along with Lautenberg wants to reintroduce legislation that last week failed to reach the required 60 cloture votes (51-43) on the Senate floor.

The Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008 would roll back $17 billion in tax breaks to oil companies and green light the reinvestment of that money into renewable fuels and energy efficiency. It would also create a windfall-profits tax for the top five major oil-and-gas companies (25% on windfall profits), and make price-gouging for gasoline a federal crime.