RepublicanNot in office · last served 1997Last on a ballot: Nov 2008

Richard Zimmer

Last held office: U.S. House, NJ-12 (1991–1997). Ran in 12 elections between 1979 and 2008, winning 8.

Last office: U.S. House, NJ-12Born 1944

Last margin: −14.1; Lost 2008
Elections: 12; 1979–2008

Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 3:00 PM ET

Career

Offices held, and every time Zimmer was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.

1980198419881992199620002004200820122016202020242028New Jersey General Assembly, District 23 New Jersey State Senate, District 23 U.S. House, NJ-12Out of office

Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)

Every race Zimmer has run

Baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year. Running ahead of it means Zimmer won voters the party’s presidential nominee did not; primaries have no baseline.

Year	Office	Stage	Result	Opponents	Share	Margin	Raised	Baseline
2008	U.S. Senate, New Jersey	General	Lost	Frank R. Lautenberg (D), Jason Scheurer (L), J. M. Carter (I)	42%	D+14.1	$1.5M	D+15.7
2000	U.S. House, NJ-12	General	Lost	Rush Holt (D), Carl J. Mayer (I), John P. Desmond (I)	48.5%	D+0.2	$2.2M	—
1996	U.S. Senate, New Jersey	General	Lost	Robert Torricelli (D), Richard J. Pezzullo (I), Mary Jo Christian (I)	42.6%	D+10.1	$8.3M	D+19.9
1994	U.S. House, NJ-12	General	Won	Joseph D. Youssouf (D), Anthony M. Provenzano (C)	68.3%	R+38.0	$1.1M	—
1992	U.S. House, NJ-12	General	Won	Frank G. Abate (D), Carl J. Mayer (I), Carl Peters (L)	63.9%	R+33.4	$929.6K	—
1990	U.S. House, NJ-12	General	Won	Marguerite Chandler (D), Joan I. Bottchor (I), C. Max Kortepeter (REF)	64%	R+33.0	$1.3M	—
1987	New Jersey State Senate, District 23	General	Won	Unopposed	100%	—	—	—
1987	New Jersey State Senate, District 23	Special	Won	Marianne Nelson (D)	80.9%	R+61.8	—	—
1985	New Jersey General Assembly, District 23	General	Won	Karl Weidel (R), Richard C. Allen (D)	44%	R+1.9	—	—
1983	New Jersey General Assembly, District 23	General	Won	Karl Weidel (R), Barbara J. Macdonald (D), Claiborne L. Northrop (D)	34.6%	R+0.3	—	—
1981	New Jersey General Assembly, District 23	General	Won	Karl Weidel (R), James H. Knox (D), Frederick J. Katz Jr. (D)	34.5%	D+1.2	—	—
1979	New Jersey General Assembly, District 14	General	Lost	Barbara W. McConnell (D), Karl Weidel (R), Stanley J. Oleniacz (D)	26%	D+1.7	—	—