Pallone says he’s in U.S. Senate race
Long-time shore Congressman to declare candidacy today in Trenton
Shore-area Congressman Frank Pallone will formally announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate today at a press conference in Trenton.
Pallone, 61, told the Associated Press that he’s in the race to fill the term of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg. A special election will be held on Oct. 16 to fill the seat.
Pallone must first win the Democratic primary on Aug. 13 to appear on the October special election ballot. Seeking the Democratic nomination are declared candidates Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, and Congressman Rush Holt. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver has stated she plans to run.
On the Republican side, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan has declared his candidacy. The Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey in over 40 years.
The deadline to file for the race is today at 4:00 p.m. Candidates must submit a nominating petition with 1,000 registered voters. Pallone does not have to give up his Congressional seat to run.
This is not the first time Pallone has entered a special election to complete the term of someone who died in office.
Pallone won his Congressional seat in a special election in November 1988 to fill the seat of Congressman James J. Howard, who also died in office. Pallone has represented Asbury Park since then in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Before that, Pallone represented Asbury Park and coastal Monmouth County in the state Senate in Trenton starting in January 1984. He first won elected office as a Long Branch Councilman in May of 1982. Pallone is still a Long Branch resident. He has never lost an election.
Since 1988, Pallone’s Congressional District has changed through redistricting and he’s represented large portions of Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties. Today, his district is mostly in Middlesex, but Pallone retains many coastal Monmouth and northern Monmouth municipalities he has long represented.
Some Democrats object to the Oct. 16 special election date. Asbury Park Democratic Chairman Guiseppe “Joe” Grillo is one of three plaintiffs who have filed suit to move the contest to the general election on Nov. 5.
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