It is *great* news. Lautenberg is vulnerable, and I don’t think NJ Democrats have another corpse they can dig up to replace him on the ballot a la Torricelli.
State rep “Jersey Joe” Pennacchio appears to be the most conservative candidate (on both social and economic issues) and is doing the best in the head-to-head matchups. Pennacchio is a Catholic from North Jersey (Morris County), reputed by some to be the ideal makeup for a NJ Republican running statewide. I read today that liberal GOP Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (also from Morris County) endorsed Pennacchio, so it may be the case that the RINO establishment won’t try to defeat him as they have done with so many conservatives in the past (when a conservative is going to be blackballed, the first RINOs to stab him in the back are those from his home turf).
While McCain was by no means our first choice, one has to admit that he will run strongly in New Jersey, and may even carry the state (President Bush got 46% in 2004), so an upset in the Senate race cannot be counted out even if Lautenberg doesn’t become this cycle’s “Bunning” (deemed to be “too old” at the last minute).
Sadly, the blue collar suburbanites (mostly ex-Philadephians) in South Jersey (Camden/Gloucester/Burlington counties) will cause Joey (and McCain) to lose, especially if Hillary is the nominee.
Good point!
Jersey Joe (as he’s known) seems to have a personality that comes across well.