Rob Andrews, a congressman who is challenging Senator Frank Lautenberg in the Democratic primary this fall, may have come up with a weapon to beat the system. The weapon is his wife, and she just might enable him to run for the Senate but keep his House seat if he loses.
Mr. Andrews, a nine-term congressman, rocked the party's leadership in Trenton earlier this month when he announced that he would be challenging Mr. Lautenberg, after saying repeatedly that he would not.
Then, just before Monday's filing deadline, Mr. Andrews' wife, Camille, entered the primary to run for his seat in the solidly Democratic First District. Mrs. Andrews, 48, is a lawyer and teaches at Rutgers Law School , but she has never before run for public office. Her last name, however, makes her an almost certain bet to win over a few lesser known candidates.
Mrs. Andrews added to the surprise by telling reporters that if she won the primary, she might quickly withdraw as a candidate for the general election and allow Democratic leaders to pick someone else. Party leaders are authorized to select a replacement if the primary winner steps down.
Mr. Lautenberg's supporters quickly charged in telephone calls to journalists that Mrs. Andrews is simply "keeping the seat warm" for her husband in case he loses in the primary.
Mr. Andrews, who has strong support in his South Jersey base, and is viewed as a real threat to Mr. Lautenberg, denies this. In what many believe is a not-so-veiled reference to Mr. Lautenberg's age - he is 84 and would be 90 at the end of another six year Senate term - Mr. Andrews, 50, says he is running because he feels New Jersey Democrats deserve a more active candidate.
In a phone call yesterday he told us that "win or lose" in the Senate race, he would not run for his House seat.
But Mr. Andrews said he would not run against Mr. Lautenberg either - and then changed his mind. The question Democrats are asking this weekend is whether he wouldn't change his mind once again.
Now these facts are old news to BJ readers; but the Times raises a key question as to whether Andrews can be taken at his word.
