Attorney General of New Jersey Named as Interim Senator
Jessica Kourkounis for The New York Times
A New Senator for New Jersey: Gov. Chris Christie announced the appointment of Jeffrey S. Chiesa, the state's attorney general, to the vacant Senate seat.
By MARC SANTORA and KATE ZERNIKE
Published: June 6, 2013 87 Comments
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey on Thursday appointed Jeffrey S. Chiesa, the state’s attorney general, to temporarily fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Frank R. Lautenberg.
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A special election to fill the seat for the remainder of Mr. Lautenberg’s term will be held in October, and Mr. Christie’s announcement came as Democrats and Republicans across the state scrambled to line up support, raise money and secure enough signatures ahead of the deadline on Monday to compete in the August primary.
Mr. Chiesa, a Republican, does not plan to seek the seat himself, Mr. Christie said, opening up the field for others in the party. The governor revealed his decision at an afternoon news conference in Trenton.
“It was unexpected for sure,” Mr. Chiesa said. He declined to detail his views on specific policy issues, including immigration, saying only that he wanted to be sure the nation’s borders were secure. He described himself as a “conservative Republican.”
“I need to learn about the issues before I can make any meaningful judgments,” he said.
He offered a flash of his laconic humor when, after being read a long litany of issues he may have to confront during his short tenure, he replied, “Oh, is that it?”
Mr. Chiesa served as chief counsel to Mr. Christie from January 2010 through December 2011, when he was nominated to be attorney general. Before that, he headed Mr. Christie’s transition team after his election, and the two also worked together at the United States attorney’s office.
Senator Lautenberg, who was in his fifth term, died on Monday at age 89. Mr. Christie first reached out to Mr. Chiesa about filling the seat that night, and he noted that the two had been confidants going back more than two decades.
“There are very few people in my life I know better than Jeff,” the governor said. “You won’t find anybody, I think, who will have something bad to say about Jeff.”
Mr. Chiesa, 47, lives in Branchburg, N.J., with his wife and two children. As attorney general, he aggressively went after those suspected of trying to exploit consumers following Hurricane Sandy, filing fraud charges against 27 businesses in the state. He began an ambitious gun-buyback program that took 10,000 weapons off the streets, formed a division to help combat human trafficking and, in 2012, prosecuted current and former public officials in 40 corruption cases.
Matthew Hale, an associate professor at Seton Hall University who closely follows New Jersey politics, said that aside from an assumption that Mr. Chiesa would hold a tough line on law and order issues, it was hard to know how he might vote on many matters in Washington.
“There is just not a huge amount of information we have on his positions,” Dr. Hale said.
Still, he said, Mr. Chiesa is a safe choice for the governor. “This is someone that Chris Christie knows really, really well, trusts a great deal, and will not be surprised by,” he said.
Mr. Christie said he would appoint a new attorney general on Monday.
The decision on the interim senator promised to shift the dynamics of the race, especially for Republicans.
On the Democratic side, Representative Rush Holt, who has represented central New Jersey for eight terms in Congress, on Thursday announced his intention to compete for the seat. In an e-mail to supporters, Mr. Holt said he was “the best candidate to continue the passionate advocacy for progressive values” shown by Mr. Lautenberg.
Mr. Holt is likely to face Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, a prodigious fund-raiser who has become one of the state’s most visible politicians. He had been planning to run for the Senate even before Mr. Lautenberg died. Another Democrat, Representative Frank Pallone Jr., who has served 13 terms, is also expected to run. He has millions of dollars in campaign money available for the race.
The Republican primary picture remains more uncertain. Democrats in the state outnumber Republicans by 700,000 among registered voters.
Steven M. Lonegan, who competed with Mr. Christie in the 2009 primary for governor, has announced he will run for the seat. Other names that have been mentioned as possible candidates include Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and former State Senator Bill Baroni, who is the deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The day after Mr. Lautenberg died, Mr. Christie announced plans to hold a special Senate election on Oct. 16, a Wednesday, with primary contests on Aug. 13. His move to have the vote separate from the Nov. 5 general election, when he is on the ballot for a second term, drew fierce criticism from Democrats, as well as some Republicans, who said it was an unnecessary expenditure. (The arrangement is expected to cost an additional $24 million.)
Mr. Christie, at the news conference on Thursday, once again defended his move on scheduling the Senate vote.
“There was no perfect decision,” he said, adding that the state’s statutes on the subject of special elections are vague and open to interpretation, which could lead to court challenges.
“As far as the ramifications politically, that is for everyone else to decide,” he said.
The practical impact has been to force potential candidates to decide quickly whether they want to compete for the seat and then adjust their tactics to navigate a compressed campaign schedule.
Republicans and Democrats hoping to run must file petitions by Monday afternoon and must include 1,000 signatures from supporters.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: June 6, 2013
An earlier version of this article misspelled the surname of the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He is David Samson, not Sampson.
87 Comments
That said, Republicans are doing a great job of completely alienating about 70% of Americans, simply to delay the inevitable.
First, by setting a $24 million special election; New Jersey cannot afford that kind of expense, given the budgetary issues our state has.
Second, by appointing a so-called "conservative Republican" to replace a Liberal Democrat, Mr. Christie has given Democrats a good reason to stop approving of him, in a big way.
He had an opportunity to do the right thing, but chose the GOP way of doing things ... in effect, ignoring the voters' preferences.
There is no right way to do the wrong thing, and Gov. Christie has done the wrong thing.
Shame on Christie.
Oh COME ON!
Any elected official who proudly professes blatant lack of knowledge about ALL the issues for an office for which he's appointed is simply NOT qualified! Would YOU hire somebody and then say, "Sure, buddy, learn all you need to know in the next week... NO problem!" ?
Anyone professing such a lack of knowledge should be ashamed to be a VOTING citizen, much less a public official! And how much can he / anyone learn in a few days? (Unless it's how to follow orders from his puppeteers, Chris and Mitch?)
OR, more likely, he's being UTTERLY DISINGENUOUS and trying the tried-and-true "John-Roberts" confirmation approach, falsely professing impartiality and fairness, so he can slip into office!
Or BOTH of the above!
Put your state (and country) ahead of any personal ambitions that you might have. What can you possible do in the Senate as a junior member, anyway?
Why was he unwilling to run against Governor Christie even though he probably enjoys the greatrest name recognition of any Democrat in NJ?
Why did he side up to the Governor instead of confront him on major issues?
I, too, would have a difficult time supporting Mayor Booker in a senate race. Both Rush Holt and rank Pallone are far worthier of continuing Senator Lautenberg's progressive legacy and have been fighters on the issues that matter to Democrats. Mayor Booker and other so-called state Democratic leaders have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the current governor. They should not take suburban Democratic voters for granted in the upcoming electoral circuses.
Of course, Clueless Mitt is not much of a yardstick to measure the much 'shrewder' Christie.
We are very prepared to vote for a progressive Democrat in 2016 and against Governor Christie and his partisan antics for President.
Sure, he's got plenty of negatives, but his current NJ polling numbers indicate him winning the governorship by a wide margin. So, with those negatives why the high poll numbers? Why can't NJ replace him with a Dem in 2014 election cycle? (Full disclosure: I'm not up on all the potential candidates). If NJ is prepared to vote against him in 2016, why not now?
I'm just making a pragmatic statement here. I think he selected the guy he did to work national Republicans behind closed doors for the next few months. I also don't necessarily agree if he was on the Presidential ballot he's a sure loser in NJ. He might not win NJ, granted, but it's not like he has absolutely no shot at winning NJ in a Presidential campaign.
Just saying.
"Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday proposed cutting $540 million from the massive health insurance program for the poor".
"the governor’s budget proposal also includes about $31 million in savings in other health and human services areas by reducing the monthly stipend most of the state’s 50,000 childless "general assistance" welfare recipients receive by $15, from $140 to $125."
"cut $19.2 million in higher education loan payments". That does not even take into account the spending for Sandy.
But he still can have New Jersey pay and EXTRA 24 million dollars for a special election, three weeks before his election, because he is afraid of Cory Booker and the Democrats.
But Mr. Christie should have put the senatorial general election on the November ballot, not waited til 2014. For $12 million and all the other problems of a special senatorial general (extra trip to the polls, risk of a recount tying up the machines, etc.), New Jerseyans could have waited a couple extra weeks to elect their senator, but not an extra year and two weeks.
A-Rod is not paid with taxpayer money. The people of NYC paid for a brand new stadium that no longer has cheap enough seats for most fans and the Yankees have the biggest payroll of any other MLB team: $197,962,289. And $6,186,321per player.
Considering that NJ can use all the money it can muster to help with cleanup and reconstruction due to Sandy, it is reckless and fiscally irresponsible of him to spend up to $24 million dollars on a special election. Just waiting a month and placing the Senate race on the same ticket with the Governor's race makes the most sense.
If he is that reckless spending $24 million at the state level, just wait until he gets into the White House (FAT chance of that happening).
If Republicans are supposed to be fiscally responsible, why is Christie doing this? Politics, I shamefully say.
How is it possible that a solid Blue state can be bamboozled by this right wing egomaniac?
From the polls, it seems that a majority of New Jersey Democrats are happy with the job Christie is doing.
$3 extra DOES mean a lot to many people...and that is an average. A single parent with four children--$15 means having food for a week. Rice and beans--usually for ANY ethnic group.
The point is that it is a complete waste of money. Christie is a punk who is only interested in Christie.
Rumor has it that Christie didn't want any office/names above his on the ballot. Can we talk about an egotist???
In 2009 he was quoted as saying: "No responsible governor would hold a special election that cost $10 million."
Now, in order to set the stage for 2016, $23.8 million is not to much to spend!
Think of all the good that could be done to restore the Jersey Shore for that kind of money, instead of feeding Christie's national aspirations.
"Think of all the good that could be done to restore the Jersey Shore for that kind of money, instead of feeding Christie's national aspirations."
Instead think of all the teachers' salaries or food programs that would have paid for too.
Sure sounds like HE'S (utterly un) ready to hit the ground running!
You'd think that at least SOME PRETENSE of knowledge of the "issues" would be the MINIMUM qualification for even being considered for a job as Senator.
Well, at least this makes it clear what sort of cronies a "President Christie" would surround himself with!
No one really cares about the cost. New Jersey has the most inefficient government structure in the US, where multiple levels of State and local government burn through millions of dollars daily. If the voters of New Jersey were "cost sensitive," they would have consolidated counties, municipalities, school districts, fire districts, and water districts, years ago. The people of New Jersey are not serious about saving money in government.
The complaint about the cost of the elections is a specious one. Most of the cost goes to election day workers at the polls. These are the local political partisans who can use some extra money. The Democratic Party workers will receive one half of what is spent by the State to conduct the election.
If he harbors any plans to run for the highest office in the nation, he must use moments like this to convince us that he can and will represent all of us. While New Jersey’s Attorney General, Jeffrey S. Chiesa, has no plans to run for Senator, an interim candidate from the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg's party would have made more sense. The beloved Senator Lautenberg was elected five times to the Senate, and it would have been a savvy move to fill his seat with someone who shared the late Senator's political vision.
Christie was calling Obama every horrible name in the book right before Hurricane Sandy. He isn't bipartisan...he just wanted to ride in Marine One! So MUCH cooler than his own private state helicpter.
As an interim only for the NJ Senate seat, can Jeffrey S. Chiesa's name then be on the ballot for another position three weeks later in the general election ?
However, I'm hoping Mayor Booker wins the Senate election. He'll make a great Senator I think; he's compassionate, effective, highly intelligent, and seems like one of the few politicians who went into the game for the best reasons, to try to help people and make a difference. Recall that he once ran into a burning house to save his neighbor, getting injured in the process; really it's hard to top that one.
Many people who follow Booker see the nice personal things such as this, but in a Senator or Mayor you also need to know the public policies which the person endorses before you make up your mind who to support.
Before people make their decision in the primary, they should hear from everyone who is running. In terms of positions on issues, for instance, Rush Holt has endorsed much more progressive public policies.
Perhaps the election is a bit quick, but it may be a blessing that the state won't have to live through a long and drawn out war of words between various political interests.
A process seemingly laconic as the interim Senator. I wish him luck and good judgment.
Blacks, Browns & under age 30 kids out to vote on a Hot August day; easier said than done given the struggle to get them to vote in non-Presidential elections.
To Observer: that is why Booker was not crowned by Christie besides the fact that the National Republicans would go ballistic. Also he leaves the many Republican politicians mentioned in the news an opportunity to run without giving up their office; If the only candidate to run so far--Lonegan-very conservative & no friend of Christie, the Dems should have a huge victory in October.
Christie did his job and promptly appointed the guy he thinks is right to temporarily fill this position.
I don't see the need for a special election, why spent the money.
But the really outrageous cost is to the voters of New Jersey. Voting takes time and effort. The way to encourage the most people to vote is to make it convenient, and in this case that means combining the Special and General elections.
It is outrageous to ask citizens to vote twice within three weeks just so the Governor can hold down the number of people voting in the second election. I hope it backfires on him. So cynical.
So while I'm no fan of Christie, I beg to differ: you don't change the rules of political engagement when they become inconvenient. The waste of $24M is, however, an entirely different story.
The appointment of Ambassador Rice as National Security Adviser is not a position that requires Senate confirmation. So how is President Obama bypassing Congress if he - as well as other presidents - are legally permitted to appoint members of his executive team without Senate confirmation. That's what the law provides and he is following the law.
You also state "he likes to cut corners as well". Rather than making a broad statement, why don't you at least provide one concrete, specific example of your statement to back it up.
But I agree with you that Governors of one party typically - if not always - appoint a member of their own party as a replacement, even if the one replaced was an elected member of the other party. So Governor Christie's appointment of Jeffrey Chiesa is quite normal and I'm not offended or up in arms over it. At least Chiesa has vowed only to serve only until the special election is held.
That he didn't pick someone who had already declared for the Republican primary just shows you the kind of person he is. This really is an interim pick (unless of course the Atty Gen reconsiders).
How about his major victory over the unions that they finally have to contribute something towards their benefits like the rest of us who didn't work for the state? I'm fairly confident that news even made the Times. That was even done with bi-partisan support. Next, caping property tax increases at 2%. Next, reducing the size of NJ government and closing a massive deficit without raising taxes.
I don't wish to run down Mr. Christie but the things you cite seem askew. Public employees always contributed towards their benefits in more ways then one, with actual contributions and by accepting lower salaries. Capping property taxes benefits the wealthy and does nothing for renters and in the process does nothing to address the inequities in education. By itself it is one sided. With other actions it would have been more meaningful. And as for a surplus, which has proven to be far less than expected or hoped for, I guess would be a better term, has more to do with what Christie has not done than anything he has done. He certainly has done nothing to improve the jobs picture in New Jersey, which, for sure, would do more for everyone and yield an even higher surplus in the final analysis.
It won't make any difference in the outcome for Governor Christie, which has been cited as his reason. People are hungry, need jobs, need help with rebuilding after Hurridane Sandy - & NJ is going to waste money on a special election - that's enough for me not to vote for Governor Christie for a 2nd term!
So, your argument is void..
The race on both the Democratic and Republican side is now wide-open.
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