Dobbs in the "process of evaluating things"

by: Jason Springer

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 04:00:00 PM EST

Dobbs' spokesman, Robert Dilenschneider, said: "He's in the process of evaluating things. He's been approached [about politics] but he's also been approached by other media. There are a lot of people talking to him right now."

"Lou Dobbs would certainly be an early front-runner" for the nomination if he ran, said Patrick Murray, a polling chief at Monmouth University in New Jersey.

But Dobbs' key issue -- his calls for strict controls on US borders and the tightening of rules for illegal aliens -- could be problematic in a state with a high immigrant population, said Murray.

"One out of five New Jerseyans were born outside of this country. That's a lot of people," said Murray.

Menendez, the Senate's only Hispanic member, has already taken a shot at Dobbs by calling his departure from CNN "addition by subtraction." His office did not return a call for comment yesterday.

Updated by Jason Springer: The NY Times Caucus blog has more on this with a comment saying that Menendez is focused on jobs, not Dobbs:

"Senator Menendez has his nose to the grindstone to help create an economic recovery for New Jersey families and will not be distracted by an election three years away," said the spokesman, Afshin Mohamadi. "I'm sure that he would relish eventually having an opponent from so far out of the mainstream and who has never done a thing for the hard-working people of New Jersey, but the senator's focus is on jobs, not Dobbs. The senator has developed a record of delivering job-creating programs and tax relief, and as he builds upon it, 2012 will in large part take care of itself."