The family of late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has recently announced they are endorsing Representative Frank Lappone for the senate seat left open in his passing.
In a statement, the Lautenberg family urged voters to "stick with Frank" and said that Pallone was the candidate "ready to continue Frank Lautenberg’s progressive leadership in the U.S. Senate."
"Frank Pallone, like our Frank, will put in the hours and hard work necessary to fight for New Jersey in the Senate," the family said. "And Frank Pallone knows that gimmicks and celebrity status won’t get you very far in the real battles that Democrats face in the future."
Even though this is not a surprising endorsement, it is a pretty big snub of Booker, who is the favorite in this race. Booker made himself an enemy of Lautenberg early. Booker announced his Senate aspirations early in order to clear the way for another Democrat to enter the gubernatorial race against Chris Christie. Many Democrats and Lautenberg thought this move was disrespectful and believed it attempted to push Lautenberg out of office before he had really made up his mind about 2014.
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Many of Booker’s opponents have been sure to comment on, and are critical of his celebrity status. Lautenberg’s family continued by saying:
"While it may not always attract glamorous headlines," they said, "Frank knows that to be effective you must put New Jersey and your principles first, not your own glory."
Although many of Booker’s opponents are critical of his dedication to the Democratic Party, citing a friendship with Republican Governor Chris Christie, he still remains the favorite. Although there is work being done on behalf of Mr. Lappone, he has a long hard fight ahead of him if he wants to take out Newark’s star child, Cory Booker.
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