Rob Andrews will not return to House

United States Rep. Rob Andrews wants to put the speculation to rest: if he doesn’t win the Senate primary against incumbent Frank Lautenberg, he will not return to his House seat.

“I’m running to win the Senate primary. I’m thoroughly committed to it,” he said. “Win or lose, I’m not running for the House.”

Many political insiders had wondered whether the selection of Camille Andrews to fill the primary ballot spot meant that Andrews was hedging his bets – that if he lost the Republican primary, his wife could step aside and let him run again for a ninth term in his safe Democratic district.

Andrew’s commitment came just after the Democratic Chairmen of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties – which comprise Andrews’s congressional district – released a statement officially announcing that Andrews’s wife, Camille, would fill in for her husband on the House primary ballot. She will hold onto the spot while the party deliberates on who to nominate for the seat.

"We support a full and deliberative process to fill this nomination given the short time frame for nominating our candidate,” read the letter.

But even if Camille Andrews, who is Associate Dean of Enrollment and Projects at Rutgers Law School in Camden, will merely be a placeholder, the statement emphasized that she’s qualified to serve in Congress.

“We are grateful that someone of such high repute has agreed to show her willingness today to support the party and the people of the First Congressional District and stands ready to serve,” it read.