I haven’t heard anything about Steve Forbes being interested in a blitzkrieg Senate run. He’d have to get 1,000 petition signatures in by Monday and have to campaign for an August primary and then an October general.
This October’s election will determine whether the Senate will have 45 Republicans or 46 Republicans until January 2015; the election that could help the GOP retake the Senate is in November 2014, when the NJ seat is up for a new 6-year term. So if Forbes truly wants to be a Senator, he’ll have a second bit at the apple in 18 months. Of course, he’s passed up these races time and time again, so I’m not very hopeful that he’ll run.
Let's see, now. Lautenberg dies on Monday, and on Tuesday, they are already issuing rules (from where?) that candidates for the special election have only six days to get 1,000 signatures on petitions (which, in reality, means much more than 1,000 in order to survive almost inevitable challenges).
Isn't that an unreasonable burden on any potential candidate, except maybe one who has a well-oiled political machine at his or her immediate disposal?