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Lautenberg wins unexpected 4th term

TRENTON, N.J., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Frank Lautenberg, who replaced Sen. Robert Torricelli as the Democratic nominee after the incumbent dropped out of the race five weeks ago, handily won an unexpected fourth term, according to the Democratic National Committee.

Lautenberg, 78, had retired in 2000, after serving three terms in the Senate, but was called back into service by the New Jersey Democrats.

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Torricelli dropped out of the race on Sept. 30, in a move that was challenged by the GOP in several courts, including the Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.

The incumbent senator had been expected to win easily six months ago, but ethics allegations caused his poll numbers to sink and he unexpectedly left the race "to avoid losing the seat for the Democratic Party."

Lautenberg, who co-founded Automatic Data Processing, entered the campaign touting his record on gun control, education and the environment.

The Republican candidate, Douglas Forrester, was assistant state treasurer who also managed New Jersey's pension and health-care systems. He held several positions in state politics. He later made millions via BeneCard -- a company that provided prescription drug coverage for companies.

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His main campaign theme was Torricelli's ethics and had Torricelli stayed in the race, it's likely that Forrester might have won.

The Bergen Sunday Record had projected Forrester beating Torricelli -- had he stayed in the race -- 47 percent to 35 percent.

Forrester put almost $7 million of his own money into his campaign, or 80 percent of the $8.7 million raised, while Lautenberg contributed $1 million of the $1.3 million he raised, but he spent only $500,000 as of Oct. 16, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The GOP candidate found himself having to refocus his message from the single issue of Torricelli's ethics. An attempt to link Lautenberg and Torricelli by calling them a "machine" fell on deaf ears, largely because it was known the two couldn't stand the sight of each other.

Despite the animosity between Torricelli and Lautenberg, many expected Torricelli, who had raised $10 million for his re-election bid and had $5 million left as of Sept. 30, to contribute to the Lautenberg effort.

However, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, he did not donate to Lautenberg's campaign.


(Reported by Alex Cukan in New York and Sarah Coffey in Washington.)

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