Businessman Andrew Unanue, who hinted at a possible Senate candidacy last week, will run against incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg, he announced in an open letter to state GOP chairman Tom Wilson. Top Republicans in the state are ecstatic that Unanue, a more moderate candidate than State Senator Joseph Pennacchio, will make a bid, though with their excitement comes worry that the party will once again fall short in a state that hasn't elected a Republican Senator since it sent Clifford Chase to Washington in 1972.

Unanue, a former executive at Goya Foods, is seen as the favored candidate of Bergen County GOP chairman Rob Ortiz, a rising star in the state party whose party activists nonetheless backed Pennacchio by a wide margin at their recent convention. Unanue is wealthy enough to help fund his own race in a state the National Republican Senatorial Committee is unlikely to play in, thanks to their own money woes.

Unanue, though a late entry, is also a favorite of NRSC chair John Ensign and Florida Senator Mel Martinez, who each encouraged him to make a bid. The same state and national party leaders had recruited wealthy developer Anne Evans Estabrook to run and, they hoped, spend her own money, but a health concern forced her out of the race.

Early missteps and tight deadlines have some concerned about Unanue's nascent campaign. Without a campaign team, Unanue has to gather the thousands of signatures needed to make it onto the June primary ballot by April 7, less than two weeks away. Fortunately for the new candidate, he's largely inherited Estabrook's organization (callers to campaign headquarters are still told they've reached Estabrook's shop). Still, says one top GOP strategist, there's a challenge ahead. "He's got two weeks to gather his signatures. It's not an insurmountable task, but it's a difficult task," the strategist said, asking for anonymity because of close ties to New Jersey Republicans.

Unanue will be aided by the state's county chairs, who are desperate to avoid Pennacchio at the top of the ticket. The state senator has made controversial comments in the past, and having him head the state's ticket could be harmful to Republican efforts to keep the open Congressional seats of retiring Reps. Jim Saxton and Mike Ferguson.

That relationship with county chairmen could be troubling, though, as they are known for handing business to consultants with losing records of late. "The county chairs funnel business to the same five consulting firms, and the same five consulting firms make sure the county chairs keep getting elected" so the cycle repeats, the strategist said.

Unanue's decision to announce his campaign on Easter Sunday raised concerns as well, and as Pennacchio continues to roll up victories in county conventions around the state, Unanue has yet to make his first campaign appearance. In fact, he made his candidacy public while on vacation with his family in Vail, Colorado, PolitickerNJ reports. That fumble isn't the best way to start an already uphill run for office.

Insiders say it is unlikely the NRSC will fund any advertisements on Unanue's behalf, given the expensive nature of the state and the committee's limited resources. But Unanue remains the best hope Republicans have in the Garden State, even if his is a long-shot bid to begin with.