Booker’s star fades in NJ Senate race

thehill.com ^ | 10/1/13 | Alexandra Jaffe

[neverdem]

Bump & a Ping!

[dead]

Booker started his own little "sexting with a stripper" scandal to try to deflect attention from his quietly growing little McGreevey problem.

Could be a fun month.

[CPT Clay]

Also, Lonegan is a good guy.

[dead]

I despise Christie, but at the time the election was scheduled, it wasn't clear that Christie would win in a walk.

Yes it was. He's consistently been up my 20-30 points over Buono since April.

If anything the race has tightened up slightly, but he still leads by more than 20 points.

It's a blue state, but Buono was part of Corzine's financial cabal. People remember that.

[PieterCasparzen]

The election commissions are mostly run by Dems.

Anything goes for them, Repubs get called out.

IMHO, take care of your car stuff, stay legit, one state or the other.

If you wind up in traffic court in either state you could get reamed.

[Gefn]

I did a very informal poll of neighbors and friends. Before JUne most of them were Booker supporters

Now, they are leaning towards Lonegan. The reason is simply this. Obamacare.

Most of my neighbors are twenty and thirty something’s who are just starting their families, and seniors.

[Alberta's Child]

I’ve long suspected that Christie and Booker made a deal last year. Booker wouldn’t run against Christie in 2013, and Christie wouldn’t do anything to help the Republican candidate for the Senate election in 2014. Lautenberg’s death simply changed the timing of the Senate election.

[Coleus]

thanks for the ping, i’ve been to a couple of lonegan events and am hopeful that he will win. he knows his base and is sticking to the conservative issues. I just found out that his wife teaches in a catholic elementary school.

[Incorrigible]

Power to the people!

[World'sGoneInsane]

Actually, it was the Democrats who did the scheduling and the are being hoist by their own petard. Some electoral shenanigans from years back, preventing Gubernatorial and Senate elections from occurring the same day.

You know, Christie could have appointed Steve Lonegan for the seat for the duration of Lautenberg's term.

He chose to hold a special election. His appointee (that did not even run in the primary) voted for cloture on Monday.

It was Christie's decision that necessitated any special election. Don't blame the dems from years ago. The buck stops with Christie on this one.

[Jane Long]

You are spot on about Krispy.

[kearnyirish2]

“Has the plague been up to NJ to support Booker? I don’t recall him doing so.”

I heard Lonegan in a radio interview challenge Booker to bring Obama to NJ; everyone here knows Obama has been toxic for our crumbking economy, and Lonegan is tying him around Booker’s neck as often as possible in his ads.

[jocon307]

“...Christie has done little more than endorse Lonegan.”

Yes, which counts for very little when you consider the real help he’s given Booker. Such as not filling the senate seat until the end of Lautenberg’s term (which he could have), but also appointing a person who had no desire to run, and of course not helping Lonegan.

I mean, I know he hates Lonegan because he ran against Christie in the primary, but still.

He’s done all this not because he’s a Booker fan (although they do seem to like each other and maybe that’s even sincere) but to keep Booker from running against him for the governorship.

If I’m wrong on any details I trust someone will correct me.