Rodney Frelinghuysen

The New Jersey delegation's vote on the bailout bill was close, and did not occur along party lines.

But while there were some odd vote combinations, with liberal Congressmen like U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) voting the same way as his conservative neighbor, Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), they tended to cite different reasons.

Ultimately, New Jersey Congressmen voted against the bill by a 7-6 margin. None, however, enthusiastically supported it. Nor did any of its detractors express glee at its downfall, and some expressed more openness to voting for a new compromise package than others.

By far the most vociferous opponent of the bailout was Garrett, who yesterday took to the floor and excoriated his colleagues who supported it.

United States Sen. Frank Lautenberg and U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen are two of the richest legislators in the country, according to a report from the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call. 

The newspaper based its ranking of the 50 richest legislators on their financial disclosure forms, however, which the article’s authors caution are “extraordinarily unreliable sources of information.”   

Lautenberg, who co-founded Automated Data Processing (ADP) in 1949 and ran it until he went to the Senate in 1982, is the richest legislator from New Jersey and the seventh richest one in the country, with assets totaling $55.33 million. 

Frelinghuysen, the scion of a family that has been involved with American politics since the 18th century, is the 12th richest legislator, with assets totaling $22.41 million.  He comes in just ahead of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who’s worth $19.64 million. 

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- At 62, Rodney Frelinghuysen is already three years older than his father, Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen, Jr., was when he retired from Congress in 1975.

Frelinghuysen said his father left office in 1975 – when he was in his late 50s -- to spend more time with his family.

“I think it was in large part that he had five children, and I think he wanted time with family,” he said. “I grew up for 22 years of my life with my father as a member of congress, and I’m not singling out myself, but I don’t remember my father ever coming to a game or any sporting event.”

MINNEAPOLIS - The breakfast gathering welcomes U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) to the podium as a friend of military veterans and longtime supporter of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Frelinghuysen stands between the flags of the Untied States and New Jersey and exhorts the small crowd to support congressional candidates Medford Mayor Chris Myers in the 3rd District and state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) in the 7th.

"We need to keep Republicans in the House from New Jersey," he says. "These are tough races. Democrats in those races have raised a considerable amount of money. ...We need to work toward a Republican majority in both the House and Senate."

Applause.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech last night is still bringing smiles to the faces of those in this room, and the congressman seizes on the mood.

One hint on U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie’s political ideology comes from his 1995 campaign for the State Assembly, when he attacked two other candidates, Anthony Bucco and Michael Patrick Carroll, for supporting a repeal of the ban on assault weapons. A reader sent PolitickerNJ.com a copy of the mailer from that campaign after Matt Friedman’s story on conservatives wanting to know where the federal prosecutor stands on some state issues.

This election season, there are hotly contested races in the 3rd and 7th Congressional Districts. Then, one tier down, there are a couple of races in which challengers have some inkling of hope against a well-entrenched incumbent and may count on a bit of national party support.

And then there are the challengers to whom national parties don’t even bother paying lip service, like Tom Wyka in the 11th District, Vince Micco in the 9th District and Robert McLeod in the 6th District, among others.

Leonard Lance has spent his entire life around the political arena: by the time he was born in 1952, his father, Wesley Lance, had already served as an Assemblyman and State Senator (he returned to the Senate for another two terms in 1953).  Now that Lance is running for Congress, PolitickerNJ.com’s Matt Friedman asked him to name his all-time favorite Congressmen.  Lance listed three: Charles Eaton, Robert Winthrop Kean, and Millicent Fenwick.

The Fraternal Order of Police - New Jersey State Lodge (NJFOP) has endorsed the re-election of every incumbent Congressman except Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen, and is backing Camille Andrews, John Adler and Linda Stender, all Democrats, for open House seats.

Just a suggestion for Henry Hager, the in-out-in Vietnam veteran who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s eleventh district:  if you’re using your own voice on robo calls seeking votes, and you’re going to attack the incumbent, at least learn how to pronounce his name.  It seems that Hager, who said in April that he was dropping out of the race, but after never filing his withdrawal paperwork decided this week to get back in, can’t seem to say Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Democrat: If Frank Lautenberg wins re-election, he will become the first five-term United States Senator in New Jersey history. But to become the Democratic nominee in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the United States Senate since 1972, Lautenberg must first win a bitter primary contest against Rob Andrews, a ten-term Congressman from South Jersey who his 34 years his junior. The race is very much about Lautenberg’s age (84) – the controversy about the debates is a metaphor for the “Lautenberg is too old” campaign – and about Andrews’ record on Iraq (perhaps a little hawkish for some New Jersey Democrats). Lautenberg has more money and organizational support, although Andrews is competitive in the fundraising area and has added a few key endorsements (though not organization lines) in Central and North Jersey, and some important labor backing. Lautenberg has never been passive when it comes to political campaigns, and his TV commercials are hard-hitting. He needs to get through the next couple of weeks without a mistake that might highlight his age – clearly the reason he’d rather suffer news reports that he won’t debate than one about a stumble. Leans Lautenberg

Republican: The good news is that the GOP field has settled down -- it’s been almost a month since a new Republican candidate entered the race for the United States Senate; the bad news is that the three contenders – former Rep. Dick Zimmer, State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, and Ramapo College professor Murray Sabrin – are having trouble raising money and diverting attention from the hot Democratic primary. With just a few weeks to go, Republican voters still don’t know who much about the candidates. The GOP primary is a contest between Zimmer and Pennacchio – and not Sabrin, the leader of Ron Paul’s New Jersey campaign; both have several important organization lines. Zimmer, who had been a prodigious fundraiser when he served in Congress in the 1990’s, needs to raise money quickly to secure the chance to run in the general election. Pennacchio needs to win a huge margin in his home county, Morris, which produces more votes in a Republican primary than any other county in the state. Toss-Up.