Middlesex Support for Lautenberg

by: kwilkinson

Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 02:51:35 PM EDT

Along with the county candidates, U. S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, Congressmen Frank Pallone, Rush Holt and Albio Sires and Congressional candidate Linda Stender were emphatically endorsed by county committee members.

The Star Ledger reports:

At their convention last month, Middlesex Democrats endorsed Lautenberg, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) and Freeholder Director David Crabiel, among others. All were expected to run together as a slate.  But that was before Andrews entered the race and picked up the backing of Sens. Bob Smith, Barbara Buono and Joseph Vitale and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, all Middlesex Democrats.

"It's all in flux right now," Vitale said last evening. "Leadership hasn't yet decided how the county line will be constructed."

Pallone said he and every Democratic congressman other than Andrews have pledged to run on a slate with Lautenberg -- and he expects to be bracketed with Crabiel and the senator. "If that were to change, myself and all of the congressmen would run with him (Lautenberg) and create our own freeholder line" to run against the endorsed slate, Pallone said last night.

Crabiel, who could find himself in that crossfire, said, "The lawyers are all looking into the legal aspects of it."

They could have at least avoided the legal issues, by delaying the convention, or holding a separate one for the higher offices.

I'm surprised to see that all 4 Dem Senators line up for Andrews (Buono, Smith, Vitale, and Scutari who is mostly in Union), along with Assymn Wisniewski.

With Greenstein, DeAngelo, Vas and Egan supporting Lautenberg, that leaves among the state legislators:

Barnes III, Diegnan, and Chivukula (and  Stender & Green who represent more of Union), still on the fence.