IN DANGER: Senate seats from New Jersey

[brentspeak]

Jon Corzine will be vacating his Senate seat next year for a run at the governor's mansion; Frank Lautenberg's term ends in 2008. Problem is, there are no notable Democrats to take their place, but the Republicans have several (Tom Kean Jr., Bret Schundler). The GOP has been working hard in NJ to promote their future candidates, but the Democrats have not even bothered.

[BattyDem]

1. No notable Democrats?

What about Robert Menendez? He'd be a great Senator! :bounce:

[brentspeak]

3. I think he'd be good, too

but there hasn't been any publicity push on his behalf. Meanwhile, the GOP has commercials, signs all over NJ letting the public know who Schundler, Schroeder are.

[BattyDem]

6. Schundler and Schroeder are running for NJ Governor ...

not the US Senate.

[brentspeak]

8. I know, but

whichever one of them doesn't get their party's nomination will likely then try for the Senate.

[genius]

2. You've got a great choice. Donald Payne. He's has one of best voting recs

He's one of the perfect ten. Check out patrickhenrythingtank.org

[nickshepDEM]

4. Rep. Andrews will be a U.S. Senator eventually...

Your right about Kean Jr, though. He's gonna' be tough to beat.

[genius]

7. Andrews has a score of +20. Payne is at +160.

Andrews clearly votes with us more often than with Bush but by two votes. We need Senators who vote with us all the time.

[SmileMaker]

5. Rush Holt has expressed interest and he turned my tiny Repug dist. blue!

Rush Holt is a dynamo that turned my little conservative town blue. And then, we got redistricted. Now, I have Un-Representative Ferguson :puke:

We in NJ need to start looking for a great Dem to take Rush's place if he becomes Senator!

[genius]

9. Holt's at a +120. That's a pretty good record.

Payne still has the best voting record for New Jersey but he may not want to run for the Senate.

Here's the chart:
http://patrickhenrythinktank.org/house-scores.html

[BattyDem]

10. I like Rush Holt

I'd vote for him if he ran for the Senate :-)

[bklyncowgirl]

17. Holt's my Congressman. I'd be thrilled if he ran.

I hadn't heard he was interested. I know my former Congressman, Frank Pallone is very interested. He's a good guy on the issues too.

Personally I'd very much like to see the Congressman who tried to raise a warning about unverifiable voting machines make it into the Senate.

Who knows, if the rest of the Democrats had listened to Holt we might all be bitching about President Kerry today.

[Rowdyboy]

11. Totally unnecessary paranoia...New Jersey has an EXCELLENT bench...

Menendez, Codey, Pallone, Andrews, Holt, Payne, Pascrell-and thats just to start,not counting the state legislature...Would that every state had such a strong cast.

Brent Schundler has about as much chance of being elected governor of New Jersey as I do, and I've never set foot in the state.

[genius]

13. Payne is great and Pallone is also excellent. Holt would also be good.

Payne has a perfect voting record. Pallone had a perfect voting record until the star wars vote last week. Holt's voting record is also impressive. All are above +120 on the easy score chart at patrickhenrythjinktank.org
Range: +160 to -160
Payne +160
Pallone +140
Holt +120


These two are fair but not great.
Pascrell +42.5
Andrews +20

[Rowdyboy]

18. Still, you gotta admit, New Jersey has a GREAT bench

There's no need to wring our hands in fear of losing senate seats in New Jersey. Worry about North Dakota, not New Jersey.

[genius]

24. You do have a good bunch of possibilites in New Jersey.

I'm really impressed with the prospects.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Bill Pascrell is my mother's cousin

[Rowdyboy]

21. He's got one of the better voting records in the house

She should be proud!

[genius]

22. So do you have any influence on him?

He's had some really good votes. He voted for the Woolsey Amendment,for Stem Cell research, against the bankruptcy bill, against the faith based jobs bill and against the class action bill. But he voted for the Real ID Act (the second time), the War Appropriations (both times) and for star wars. His voting record up until a month ago was really great except for 1/6 and the appropriations bill. Perhaps you could encourage him to stand up to Bush more on the appropriations and weapons programs.

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Mom's gone, but we're going up to see my aunts (her sisters) this summer

FDR Dems, all.

[annabanana]

12. Hey, yeah.. Massive TV advertising for "Conservative"

candidates. Who's funding all this noise, anyway?
(remember when KKKarl lay down under the wheel of AirForce 1 just before it left NJ during the campaigning?)

[bunny planet]

14. I don't worry about Republicans gaining seats honestly in NJ. I worry

about rumors being circulated that will cover up the Republican stealing the election in NJ. If rumors float for months or years that Jersey is in play, then people are not as suspicious when the R party squeaks by with a win. I hear that touch screen voting is coming to all of NJ, time to start writing to the Sec of State here and demanding a paper trail.

[SmileMaker]

25. There are tasks force working on NJ- a legislative asst. to Holt is on one

An umbrella group that is coordinating verfiable voting efforts is Coalition for Peace Action www.peacecoalition.org There is a group heading to DC on 6/9. I believe that Rush Holt will be involved in raising awareness about voting reform on that day.

[genius]

15. Corzine's only at a +2.5

He's better than most Senators but not anywhere near as good as one the the Representatives we have to replace him.

[genius]

16. Only one can make it into the Senate in 06. We can't afford to lose

three of the best representatives. If Payne, Pallone and Holt are interested, they should make a deal so that two of them stay in the House and the other runs for Senate.

[Singular73]

19. I live in Jersey, and whats funny is

watching political ads on TV, the Republicans NEVER list their party affiliations during their Ads.

[carpetbagger]

26. Time for Springsteen to step up.

All New Jersey voters care about in their senators are that they're not crooks, and preferably not republicans. He would win the election with ease, provide a voice that's not being heard in Washington, and reinvigorate the entire national party.

Like Schwartzenegger without that little problem of grabbing other people's butts.