Y'know what the White 'Rat establishment will be saying 'bout that behind closed doors... "Oh, no ! Another negro is asking for a Senate seat ! Isn't that Obama enough for 'em ?"
"Oooh, boy, I hope this Conyers wannabe manages to get through, so that we can have our first Republican senator in more than 20 years."
Actually, if Payne enters the race, I would interpret that as a ploy by the Democratic establishment to split the urban/minority Democratic vote between Payne and Mendendez, ensure that a suburban Democrat gets the nomination, and hence the Dems have a fairly easy victory in 2006. Mendendez won't sell in central/south Jersey, and they know it.
I have a suspicion that Representative Payne may have a very nice retirement gift (perhaps from the NJ Trash Haulers' Association, or Corzine's union boss ex-girlfriend.)