Tough senate race for Dems counterbalanced by cakewalk congressional primaries

TRENTON - As Democrats gear up for a bruising senate primary season, unofficial congressional filing results with the state Division of Elections show no same-party challengers to incumbent Democratic congressmen.      

Only in the 1st District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews is vacating his seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in the primary, are there several hopefuls battling for what Andrews leaves behind.

Andrew’s wife, Camille, has filed to run in his stead. Other Democrats filing today were David G. Evans of Sicklerville, Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad of Camden, and John Caramanna of Blackwood,.

Republicans running in the 1st are Fernando Powers of Blackwood and Dale M. Glading of Barrington.

In the 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, a Republican, faces a primary challenge from Donna Ward of Mantua. Democrat David Kurkowski filed to face LoBiondo or longshot Ward in the general.

In the 3rd Congressional District, the retirement of U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton has created a battlezone.

Republicans Jack Kelly of Ocean County, and Chris Myer and Justin Murphy both of Burlington County, are waging a fight against one another for the right to face Democratic state Sen. John Adler.

Not appearing among the Republicans today was the name of Suzanne Penna of Bayville, who was said to be gathering signatures to run in the Republican primary and might have cut into fellow Ocean County resident Kelly’s base.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican, faces no primary challengers on his way to a general election showdown with Josh Zeitz of Bordentown in the 4th Congressional District.

In the 5th, Roger Bacon of Phillipsburg, Camille Abate of Glen Rock and Dennis Shulman of Demerset will fight it out in a Democratic Primary for the right to face Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett.

Three Republicans in the 6th Congressional District - Peter Cerrato of Edison, James Hogan of Long Branch, and Robert McLeod of Keyport - all hope to face Democrat U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone in the general election.

As expected, Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union) filed to run for the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson is retiring.

The biggest field of the primary season will contend for the right to face Stender and succeed Ferguson.

The Republican race in the 7th features state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon), businesswoman Kate Whitman of Peapack-Gladstone, Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks, Iraq War veteran Thomas Roughneen of Watchung, finance professor A.D. Amar of Warren, and Darren Young of Summit.

Not filing to run were Warren Mayor Victor Sordillo, Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing, and former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis - all of whom participated in the GOP convention process.

In the 9th Congressional District, Vincent Micco of Rutherford filed for the Republican Party. Notable on the Democratic side was the absence of a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman. After Rothman committed to running with Lautenberg and then threatened Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero if he didn’t support the county committee’s pick of Lautenberg, Englewood Mayor (and Ferriero ally) Michael Wildes didn’t rule out a run.

Wildes didn’t file today.

In the 10th Congressional District, no one from either party filed to challenge Democrat U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, who is committed to running on the organizational line with Lautenberg.

In the 11th District, U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen faces a primary challenge from Kate Erber of Morristown. On the Democratic side, Tom Wyka of Parsippany, Ellen Greenberg and Mendham and Gary Hager of Chester all filed to run.

In the strongly Democratic 8th, 12th and 13th, no primary challengers filed to run against U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt or U.S. Rep. Albio Sires respectively. As was the case with Payne, Rothman and Pallone, each of those congressman committed last week to running on the line with Lautenberg against their fellow congressional colleague Andrews.

Pascrell and Holt both face general election challenges.
 
In the senate race, Andrews and Lautenberg will be joined in the Democratic primary by Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello. On the Republican side, the contenders for the senate seat currently held by Lautenberg are economics professor Murray Sabrin of Fort Lee, state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio of Montville, and millionaire businessman Andy Unanue, whose family is from Bergen.