Background
Pappas was born in 1960 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
United States representative politician
Pappas was born in 1960 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
He is a graduate of Alma Preparatory School in Zarephath, New Jersey, and attended Seton Hall University.
He was Mayor of Franklin Township, New Jersey for two years. He later would be elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders for Somerset County, and served from 1984 to 1996, alongside fellow Freeholder Christine Todd Whitman during portions of that period. Unlike most New Jersey Republicans, Pappas was a staunch conservative.
His congressional service included pushing for a stronger national defense, the elimination of the capital gains tax, advocacy for small business, securing the release of the battleship United States Ship New Jersey to the state of New Jersey as a museum, and resurrecting the controversial "Star Wars" national missile defense.
He was a strong supporter of the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and his infamous singing of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr" on the House floor contributed to his defeat by Rush Holt in 1998. In 2000, Pappas unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 12th District, losing a highly contentious primary to the more moderate Zimmer by 62 to 38% margin.
Holt narrowly defeated Zimmer in the general election to retain his seat. During the Bush Administration, Pappas worked for the Small Business Administration in Washington, District of Columbia
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, Philip G. Cenicola received 1,211 votes.
In 1998, Beverly Kidder received 749 votes and Mary Jo Christian received 578 votes.
Pappas got into politics in the early 1980s, becoming a member of the Franklin Township township council where he served from 1982 to 1987.
