Word: jersey
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...Robert G. Torricelli (D-NJ) to drop his reelection bid only 36 days before the general election has made the fight for the U.S. Senate even more bitter. With control hanging on a single vote, each party has an immense interest in the outcome of the New Jersey contest. Unwilling to concede the race, the Democrats have attempted to substitute former Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg for Torricelli on the ballot—a move that outraged Republicans, who challenged the tactic in court. But in this case the New Jersey Supreme Court was right to decide, unanimously, that the voters...
...Jersey Supreme Court rightly decided, election law does not prohibit the replacement of a name on the ballot at such a late date. The law is silent on the procedure for filling a vacancy later than 51 days before the election, which gives the court the right to decide the appropriate procedure. As a result, the court—which includes two Republicans—was right to interpret the election laws liberally in order to create a “full and fair ballot choice for the people of New Jersey.” The entire point...
...There was just one problem: New Jersey state law forbids replacing any candidate fewer than 51 days before the election - by mid-week that count was down to 34. So everybody piled into the courthouse Wednesday to make their respective cases; Democrats arguing that they had a right to put a viable candidate on their side of the ballot, and Republicans insisting that "rules are rules" and that voters need to know those rules aren't bent for anyone...
...Wednesday evening, the court ruled 7-0 in favor of the Democrats, and clerks around New Jersey started putting Lautenberg's name on the November 5th ballot. GOP lawyers appealed to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who has the delightful task of reviewing all appeals out of New Jersey. No word yet on what SCOTUS will do with this...
...Torricelli is gritting his teeth back in the Garden State, as he vows to "find a way" to transfer the contents of his considerable war chest over to Lautenberg's campaign. Elsewhere, Democratic congressional strategists are gleefully calculating Lautenberg's chances over virtual unknown Republican Doug Forrester - and New Jersey voters are praying they've seen the last of this whole mess...