The Republican establishment had trouble settling on a candidate.
First was Anne Estabrook, a wealthy businesswoman who dropped out of the race after suffering a stroke. Then came Andy Unanue, heir to the Goya Foods fortune, whose candidacy lasted just three weeks.
Desperate for a moderate candidate who could raise the money needed to mount a credible challenge among an independent electorate, party leaders finally turned to Zimmer, a 63-year-old former congressman who's been out of elected politics for a dozen years. He's currently a Washington lawyer and lobbyist.
Pennacchio, meanwhile, has been in the race from the beginning, doing the kind of grass roots campaigning he hopes will be rewarded with a primary nod. A conservative from Morris County, Pennacchio, 52, has been in the state Legislature since 2001. He's a dentist by trade and likes referring to himself as "Jersey Joe."
Sabrin, a college economics professor, has run for statewide office twice before and lost.
A Ron Paul backer, Sabrin hopes to capture many of the 25,000 votes the presidential candidate got in the New Jersey primary.
In a recent debate, the Republican candidates didn't find much to disagree about, with each trying to position themselves as champions of less government spending.
Because New Jersey moved up its presidential primary to Feb. 5, the June primary does not have the draw of a national race to attract voters to the upcoming contest.
Reed predicts a light turnout: Fewer than 500,000 Democrats and 250,000 Republicans are expected to decide the nominees. That's less than 15 percent of the state's electorate.
