U.S. Senate

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Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.), who was arrested this morning, will name Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested today on federal corruption charges -- he allegedly tried to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat -- which means Obama's replacement in the United States Senate could be appointed by a man under indictment.  Illinois state law provides for the Governor to fill vacant seats in the U.S. Senate, and short of resignation, there is no process for Blagojevich to pass that responsibility to anyone else.  He could opt to leave Obama’s Senate seat vacant.

In battleground Monmouth County, where Democrats hoped to dropkick Republicans from the top down, it didn’t happen.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) defeated Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) here by 51.26 percent to 47.39 percent, or 159,461 to 147,424 votes. While losing statewide, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer defeated U.S.  Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) in Monmouth by a 51.95 percent 45.59 percent.

The Associated Press is projecting Democrat Frank Lautenberg as the winner in the race for U.S. Senator.  Lautenberg, 84, becomes the first person in New Jersey history to win five terms in the U.S. Senate.  He defeated Republican Richard Zimmer, 64, a former three-term Congressman.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg with his grandchildren at Epiphany Elementary School in Cliffside Park

CLIFFSIDE PARK -- U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) was in a jubilant mood after voting for himself this morning – so much so that, flanked by his grandchildren, he kicked off his brief press availability with some poetry.

“The sun is shining, the spirits are bright, there’s hope for America after this night,” he said while standing just outside the elementary school that serves as his polling place.

Lautenberg, 84, started off his press availability by praising Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, calling what he expects to be his imminent election a transformational moment.

“It’s really an exciting day, an exciting moment. America is on a journey. Today I think we’ll see the transformation of our country. The substance of Barack Obama as a favorite son of all of America, transcending any concerns of color, religion, culture – that’s gone. And Barack Obama is going to deliver that freedom to the American people,” he said. “As for me, I’ve been here before. Some of you have been too.”

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park)

Both professing to be champions of New Jersey’s middle class, but for different philosophical reasons, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) and his opponent, former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, engaged in their second and final debate tonight in the studios of NJN.

Objecting to Lautenberg’s indulgence in pursuing earmark projects, Zimmer said in times of economic peril, the people need a fiscal conservative like himself.

For his part, Lautenberg made no apologies for being a partisan Democrat who grew up poor and depended in part on the government to get a shot at the American Dream.

U.S. Senate candidates Frank Lautenberg and Dick Zimmer will meet for their second and final debate tonight at NJN studios in Trenton.  NJN News anchor Kent Manahan will moderate the debate, and a panel of reporters from NJN News, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Gannett New Jersey will question the candidates.  The one-hour debate will be broaccast live on NJN tonight, simulcast on NJN Public Radio, and rebroadcast at 11:30AM Sunday morning.  The debate can also been seen on WHYY on Sunday at 5PM, and on WNET on Sunday at 11:30 PM.

Democrats and Republicans seem to agree that 84-year-old U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg did just fine in his debate this week with Republican Dick Zimmer.  The George Allen/James Stockdale kind of moment Republicans were hoping for never happened; pundits from both sides say that Lautenberg won it on his own merits.  Zimmer complained that this was the first Senate campaign in years that didn't include a debate on New York and Philadelphia network affiliate television (this debate was on NJ101.5 radio, and Saturday's on New Jersey Public Television) -- a move that got him in a ton of trouble with NJ101.5's The Jersey Guys.

Frank Lautenberg is positioned to become the first five-term U.S. Senator in New Jersey history

Democrat Frank Lautenberg has a 52%-32% lead in his bid for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, and 72% of voters haven't heard of his Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, according to a poll released this morning by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

“Senator Lautenberg has not had to run hard this year,” said Peter Woolley, a political scientist and director of the poll. “He’s caught in the updraft of enthusiasm for the Democratic presidential candidate and frustration with the Bush administration.”

Contrary to popular belief, there is a New Jersey U.S. Senate race this year.

Aside from their joint editorial board meeting with Gannett, tonight is the first debate between U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and former Rep. Dick Zimmer – a race that, to Zimmer’s chagrin, has been fairly under the media’s radar.

The two are going head to head at New Jersey 101.5’s studios, but the debate will be rebroadcast on News 12 New Jersey tomorrow night. On Saturday, they’ll go one-on-one at NJN. Those are the exact same outlets that Lautenberg agreed to debate primary challenger U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews on. Like those debates, these both occur shortly before the election, making it unlikely that they’ll change the course of the campaigns.

Six years after endorsing Frank Lautenberg for the United States Senate, The Press of Atlantic City has endorsed the Republican challenger, Dick Zimmer.  

"Zimmer pledged not to make Lautenberg's age an issue in the campaign and has kept that pledge. But Lautenberg himself has made his age an issue by employing a campaign strategy clearly designed to limit face-to-face contact with his opponent and the public," the editorial said.  "Whether that's because of age or arrogance, it is an unacceptable way to campaign in the 21st century.'

Zimmer also won the backing of the Gloucester County Times and the Express-Times.