Free Republic

TRENTON -- Phil Murphy, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor, will announce he has chosen former state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver to join his ticket as candidate for lieutenant governor, a source with knowledge of the selection process told NJ Advance Media. Murphy, a retired Wall Street executive and former U.S. ambassador to Germany under President Barack Obama, is expected to formally announce the pick as early as Wednesday, according to the source, who is not authorized to publicly discuss the choice and requested anonymity.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker officially launches his campaign for the U.S. Senate this morning, but before he was even out of the gate, the attacks against him had begun. Hours after Booker’s aides leaked the news yesterday that he will run in the special Senate primary in August to replace U.S. Frank Lautenberg who died this week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out a blast email attacking the mayor’s celebrity status. "It remains to be seen whether Cory Booker the candidate can match Cory Booker’s celebrity persona in this kind of race, since campaigning is so much different from...