Donald Cresitello

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today announced that he has accepted terms for a second debate with his two Democratic primary challengers, this time on New Jersey 101.5.

The debate will take place in the station's Mercer County studios from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, and is the first of two debates reaching a statewide audience that Sen. Lautenberg will attend.

According to the senator's campaign, the debate will allow the candidates to take questions from callers from around the state.

Incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg has accepted his first debate for the Democratic nomination, but Rob Andrews’s campaign said that he needs to participate in more.

Lautenberg will participate in a televised debate on NJN, to be held Friday, May 30th at 8:00 p.m. at the network’s studios – just a few days before the June 3rd primary.

A Lautenberg press release said that he was the first candidate to accept the debate. But Andrews Campaign Chairman Michael Murphy said that one debate, held so close to the primary and on a night when so few people watch television is not good enough. Moreover, he said, the Andrews campaign reached out to NJN weeks ago and told them that they would accept any debate.

If Frank Lautenberg wins re-election, he'll be 90 when his next term is over: Getty Images Photo
Sen. Frank Lautenberg leads Rep. Ron Andrews by a 35%-20% margin in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, with Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello at 8%, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released today.  Lautenberg has 59%-19% approval rating among New Jersey Democrats, and a 48%-31% statewide approval.  Andrews has a 13%-15% approval rating among Democratic voters and just 44% of Democrats recognize his name.  But 61% of voters – and 56% of Democrats -- say its time for a new person in the Senate, and just 26% say the 84-year-old Lautenberg should be re-elected. 

Voters are split on whether Lautenberg is getting too old to be an effective Senator: 41% say he is, but 46% say he’s not.

In a blow to the U.S. Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1),U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews the appellate division of the state Superior Court today ruled against his appeal for an open primary.

Andrews had hoped that clerks in all of New Jersey's 21 counties would be compelled to situate the three U.S. Senate candidates on ballots that do not give an advantage to the organization choice by allowing him to be bracketed with other organization candidates.

Andrews wanted to be bracketed alone on the primary ballot with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello.

Failing last week in the chancery division of Superior Court, Andrews’s lawyers yesterday took their case before appellate division judges Ariel Rodriguez, Clarkson Fisher and presiding Judge Edwin Stern.

The judges' ruling enables Lautenberg to mantain his place at the top of the primary ballot in critical northern counties, with key allies, including all of the Democrats in the U.S. Congressional delegation and party picks in Democratic Party strongholds, including Hudson, Bergen, Essex, Union and Middlesex.

"Obviously on the issue of bracketing, he's 0-3," said Lautenberg spokesperson Julie Roginsky, referring to Andrews's previous courtroom efforts.

"We urge them to stop fighting this election in the courts and to start focusing on the real issues that matter to the people of New Jersey," she added.

Some political insiders say that U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, a likely candidate for the 2009 Republican gubernatorial nomination, might have crossed the line last weekend when he criticized Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello, a candidate for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, in a speech before a non-political group last weekend.  "I don't think it's helpful when a mayor of a town in New Jersey stands up at a rally and calls people he believes to be undocumented 'pinkos' and communists,” the Daily Record reported him as saying. 

A Zogby International /William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Richard Stockton College poll showing Rob Andrews with a 37%-28% lead over Frank Lautenberg is wonderful news for the 84-year-old incumbent: the poll included only Democratic primary voters for Andrews’ South Jersey base.   Pundits suggest that Andrews would need to come out of South Jersey with closer to 60% of the vote if he has any hope of ousting Lautenberg in the June 3 primary. 

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), right, campaigns in Princeton on Saturday with U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12). 

PRINCETON - The crowds flowed onto Nassau Street for Communiversity Day and in their midst at one time or another moved two politicians, intent on making contact with voters.

Cruising through the swarm of people at the blocked-off intersection of Nassau and Witherspoon, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) projected the image of a relentless white-haired pavement-pounder and man of the people. Hailing him as their 84-year old wonder, the senator’s handlers say by contrast his underdog rival’s frequent public appearances belie desperate backroom and courtroom campaign machinations.

As U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) faces a decision tomorrow in his challenge of statewide balloting procedure, Lautenberg shakes his head at his younger rival’s strategy.

“If he persists in staying in court, it tells you what he thinks about campaigning,” said the senator in between embraces and hand shakes on Nassau Street. “He’d rather campaign in the courtroom than on the streets.”

Sen. Ray Lesniak signs his book for Sen. Ronald Rice and Caren Friyer at Kean on Tuesday evening.

UNION - A line of politicians and friends spilled out of Kean Hall tonight, patiently awaiting their time with Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who at a table in the front of the room signed copies of his new book, "The Road to Abolition: How New Jersey Abolished the Death Penalty."

"I learned how to do book-signings from McGreevey," cracked the veteran legislator, whose slim, soft-cover volume recounts the Legislature’s 2007 demolition of the New Jersey law that once sent Bruno Hauptmann to the electric chair.

Rob Andrews’s Senate campaign today denied that they had anything to do with a court challenge to long-shot primary opponent Donald Cresitello’s petitions.

Update: Morristown Mayor/illegal immigration foe Donald Cresitello sent a campaign staffer to Trenton yesterday to file his nominating petitions for the Democratic U.S. Senate primary.  The petitions did not include the ballot slogan.  The staffer called Cresitello for the slogan and was told “Democrat for Jobs, Health Care, Secure Borders.”  When the staffer filled out the petition, he misspelled borders as “boarders.”  The Division of Elections will change the slogan as soon as Cresitello files the appropriate paperwork.