The deadline for candidates to file for the special election to fill the Senate seat formerly occupied by the late Frank Lautenberg passed at 4 p.m. Monday. As the deadline approached, Steve Lonegan remained the only well-known Republican who has declared his intention to enter the race. Lonegan is a former mayor with a colorful history who, most recently, has been leading a local activist group funded by the Koch Brothers.Gov. Chris Christie appointed his longtime friend Jeffrey Chiesa to serve as an interim replacement for Lautenberg last Thursday. Chiesa described himself as a Republican, but said he is not interested in running for the seat on a permanent basis. Several Democrats are vying for the seat including; Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Rep. Rush Holt, and Rep. Frank Pallone. A new Quinnipiac poll of the race released Monday showed Booker beating Lonegan by a margin of 54 percent to 27 percent among likely voters. Lonegan fared better against his other potential opponents. The poll showed him ten points behind Pallone and just five points behind Holt. It also showed 62 percent of New Jersey voters don’t know enough about him to have formed an impression.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=88407