How Chris Christie’s Plan To Replace Senator Lautenberg Will Waste Millions In Taxpayer Dollars

By Adam Peck/Think Progress

Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) announced on Tuesday afternoon that New Jersey’s special election to fill the seat vacated with the passing of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) will take place on October 16, three full weeks before the state’s general election and his own re-election.

The decision to hold the election at the earliest possible date instead of delaying it to take place on the same day as the statewide general election in November will cost the taxpayers anestimated $12 million in additional spending. That is a hefty price tag for a state that has endured sharp cuts to programs like tax credits for low-income families and women’s clinics.

Last year, Christie used his line-item veto authority to slash some $86 million from the budget that was passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature. Among the cuts were $6 million slashed from medical day care services, $2 million from Work First NJ child care, and $2.2 million from nursing care for the elderly. All three of these cuts could be undone for the cost of this special election.

During his remarks on Tuesday, Christie initially claimed that he was bound by state law from holding the special election on the same day as the general election, on November 4. This is a highly questionable reading of New Jersey law, however. Although state law provides that the date of a special election primary “shall be not less than 70 days nor more than 76 days following the date” of the governor’s proclamation calling the election, and the election itself shall be held within a certain number of days of the primary, it appears silent on when the governor needs to issue his proclamation setting the election date. That means Christie could have waited 18 days to issue the proclamation and hold the special election on the same day as his own re-election, thus saving the state millions of dollars. Historically, special elections also see far diminished voter turnout as compared to regularly-scheduled general elections.

Christie told reporters that the financial factors did not come into play when he was making his decision. “I don’t know what the cost is, and frankly, I don’t care,” he said.

UPDATE

The Weekly Standard dug up a bill passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Christie last year that sought to save local communities money by allowing school districts to move their school board elections to November, consolidating them with the general elections.

Tagg Romney Declines Senate Bid in Massachusetts

Why didn't they ask me?
Just look at me.

By SARAH WHEATON/New York Times

The possibility of a new Romney campaign was dashed on Monday evening when Mitt Romney’s oldest son, Tagg, announced that he would not pursue John Kerry’s now-vacant Senate seat in Massachusetts.

“The timing is not right for me,” Tagg Romney, 42, said in a statement, making him the latest high-profile Republican to decline a bid. On Friday, former Senator Scott P. Brown said he would not seek to return to the chamber.

Tagg Romney has not ruled out running for office at some point, but he said in October: “I’d be really surprised if I did. It’s a really horrible process, and honestly I just don’t want to go through it, and I don’t want to put my family through it.”

The younger Mr. Romney’s full statement:

I have been humbled by the outreach I received this weekend encouraging me to become a candidate for the U.S. Senate. I love my home state and admit it would be an honor to represent the citizens of our great Commonwealth. However, I am currently committed to my business and to spending as much time as I can with my wife and children. The timing is not right for me, but I am hopeful that the people of Massachusetts will select someone of great integrity, vision, and compassion as our next U.S. Senator.

Fox News psychiatrist offers to run for Senate if he doesn’t face a primary

By Eric W. Dolan/Raw Story 

Psychiatrist Keith Ablow, a Fox News contributor, on Monday said he would run for the Senate seat being vacated by John Kerry (D-MA) if he didn’t have to a face a primary challenger.

“We face an unprecedented assault on the Constitution and our individual liberties,” he said in a statement. “If the Republican Party in Massachusetts and the Republican National Committee ask me to run at this time, and offer their support in that effort, I will run. If they support another candidate, I will work hard to elect that candidate. If that candidate should lose, I will, in all likelihood, again offer to be a candidate for Senate from Massachusetts in 2014, under the same conditions.”

“The Party can’t afford to spend precious resources on a divisive primary,” Ablow added. “If all the leaders of the Party united around me – to preclude a primary, I would run. Such unity looks improbable at this time.”

Ablow has a history of making incendiary comments about LGBT people. He also frequently attempts to pathologize his political opponents. Ablow recently said Obama favors gun control because he was “abandoned” as a child.

Ablow isn’t the only Fox News personality who is mulling a Senate run. Geraldo Rivera said last week he was considering running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in New Jersey.

Democratic Candidate Files to Run in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District Special Election

From Michigan Democratic Party

Effort by Local Democratic Activists Generates 2,000 Signatures in Five Days

LANSING – Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer touted a strong grassroots effort by local activists that generated 2,000 signatures as candidate Dave Curson filed today to run as a Democratic candidate in the 11th Congressional District special election, which was prompted by U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter’s abrupt resignation on July 6.

“It’s a testament to the strength of our local grassroots organization in Wayne and Oakland counties that the Michigan Democratic Party collected more valid signatures in five days than Thad McCotter managed to come up with in five months,” said Brewer. “The enthusiasm is so high that we had voters actually seeking out Democratic Party volunteers and staffers to sign a nominating petition to get our candidate on the ballot. We plan on sustaining that enthusiasm the whole way through November.”

Curson is a resident of Belleville, a Marine Corps veteran and a longtime labor and community activist.

The special election will select a representative to serve out the remainder of McCotter’s term for the old 11th Congressional District. If more than one Democrat and one Republican files to run for the seat, the special primary election will be Sept. 5. The special general election will be held concurrently with the Nov. 6 presidential election.