Rob Andrews

New Jersey’s Democratic Congressional delegation issued a scathing statement on Rob Andrew’s Senate candidacy today, saying that he broke his pledge to fully support incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg for reelection and that his conduct has been “both outrageous and unacceptable."

Six of the state’s seven Democratic Congressmen -- Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Steve Rothman, Rush Holt, Albio Sires and Donald Payne -- co-signed the statement, in which they called on their Democratic colleague to drop his candidacy.

"It is now clear that Congressman Rob Andrews has failed to gain thenecessary support to realistically compete in this race, and therefore, we urge Congressman Andrews to end his campaign,” they said.

The congressmen, four of whom are interested in succeeding Lautenberg some day, also argued that Andrews’s primary challenge will weaken the eventual Democratic nominee against his Republican challenger.

As Camille Andrews embarks upon a congressional campaign that may or not be a placeholder candidacy, she might consider the recent history of wives running for office while their husbands are also running.

When Nevada Congressman Jim Gibbons ran for Governor in 2006, his wife, Dawn Gibbons, ran for his open House seat.  She finished third in the GOP primary with 25% of the vote, and Jim Gibbons narrowly won the GOP primary. And in 2002, Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee ran for Secretary of State and lost 62%-38% in the same election her husband, Mike Huckabee, was re-elected Governor by a 53%-47% margin.

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.

Signatures on petitions for U.S. Senate:

Rob Andrews: 5,970
Frank Lautenberg: 4,950
Murray Sabrin: 1,690
Donald Cresitello: 1,384
Andy Unanue: 1,379
Joseph Pennacchio: 1,370

Labor leader Assemblyman Thomas Giblin (D-Essex) said no Assemblyman Thomas Giblincomment today in response to a question about who he plans to back in the U.S. Senate primary between fellow Democrats Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rob Andrews.

It was Giblin in 1997 who as chairman of the Essex County Democratic Party decided to support Woodbridge Mayor James McGreevey over Andrews after first lining up to support the Camden congressman for governor.

Now Andrews is heading into a primary battle with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and at this point Giblin is staying out of the party's public fray.

But he has only good things to say about the underdog senate canddiate. 

"He is a bright and articulate congressman whom I have a great deal of respect for," Giblin said of Andrews. "I have high regard for him personally and he has made a good contribution to our state."

TRENTON - Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello todaMorristown Mayor Donald Cresitelloy filed petitions to run for U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary.

"We've collected 1,300 signatures and we hope to collect another 200 by noon," Cresitello said this morning.

This afternoon, Cresitello told PolitickerNJ.com that supporters of his delivered over 1,300 peititons to the state Division of Elections office at about 20 minutes to four.

"Not bad for a week's worth of collecting," said the mayor.

Incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg isn’t happy that Camille Andrews has been selected to fill the ballot spot that her husband, Rep. Rob Andrews, is vacating to run a primary against Lautenberg.

“This doesn't pass the smell test -- at all,” said Lautenberg Campaign Manager Brendan Gill in a statement. “New Jersey needs a Senator who will fight on behalf of the people of this state everyday -- not someone who plays games with the voters to protect his local political boss, George Norcross. Like much of the Andrews campaign so far, this latest maneuver demonstrates the old school politics that the voters of New Jersey are sick and tired of."

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.

Atlantic County Democrats will switch their allegiance from Frank Lautenberg to Rob Andrews today and award him the organization line, according to Democratic sources.

The move does not come as a surprise, since Andrews was expected to roll up virtually all south Jersey from virtually the moment he entered the U.S. Senate primary. 

Essex County Democratic Chairman Phil Thigpen faced tremendous pressure this weekend to deny Frank Lautenberg the organization line and declare an open primary in the U.S. Senate race. It was suggested to Thigpen, presumably by party leaders sympathetic to Rob Andrews' candidacy, that he could avoid offending one faction and secure his own re-election with an open primary. But Rep. Donald Payne, a Lautenberg backer, reportedly leaned on Thigpen -- his cousin -- and in the end, Thigpen gave Lautenberg the line.

But since Thigpen has been known to change his mind at the last minute, Lautenberg's supporters -- led by Senate President Richard Codey -- have recruited a slate of Freeholder candidates just in case.