Especially since the senator has been ill. There was ample time for his replacement to be vetted.
RIP Senator Lauhtenberg...the last WWII Vet and "Greatest Generation" in Congress.
(damn...I'm feeling old now)

much in school.. There was a chapter at the end of the book, but WWI was covered scrupulously

Our teacher got suspended for showing us reels of film his brother sent him from Viet Nam..

So, it would be Corey Booker vs . . . Corey Booker?

Unless I'm misreading this, the longest anybody Christie appoints can serve is through Nov. 2013 at which point they'd have a special election to fulfill the term.

http://www.ncsl.org/legislatures-elections/elections/vacancies-in-the-united-states-senate.aspx

and even short-time incumbency sometimes works to their advantage..

she was appointed to replace Hillary, had to run to fill out the term, and then ran again in the regular election.

She is now unbeatable.

NJ has a (2) after it - here is footnote (2.

&quot 2) If the vacancy occurs before a specified date preceding the regular primary (HI: 60 days; MN: 6 weeks; NJ: 30 days; NY: 59 days; VA: 12 days), the election is held in the following November; if the vacancy occurs within the specified period preceding the regular primary, the vacancy election is held at the second November election after the vacancy occurs."

This vacancy is no 6 weeks before the PRIMARY, so I think the second condition applies. The language there could be clearer.

Incidentally, I like the Hawaii condition 3 that they put in someone of the party of the person who leaves. That honors the intent of the electorate.

If the vacancy occurs more than 30 days before a primary, the first condition applies. If the vacancy occurs within 30 days of a primary, the second condition applies.

I assumed they meant the primary for that race...if they mean any statewide race primary, that's the gubernatorial primary tomorrow. I don't know. I'm going to wait for someone to tell me the right answer before I presume anything else.

I initially was thrown because they don't even discuss AFTER the primary until I realized that in that case - ie had the primary happened last Tuesday - the "next" primary would be the 2014 one.

...is to avoid being partisan. The late Senator's term expires next year and whomever is selected will probably be a "caretaker" with no ambitions of running for the seat full time. This would make Christie look the "bipartisan" leader he wants to portray. I wouldn't be surprised if he selects a Democrat (is Jon Cornine doing anything for the next 18 months??). This allows the rushpublicans to have a cleaner shot at having someone ride along with Christie's coat tails rather than stirring up any controversy. It also clears the field for Corey Booker who I'm betting is going to run for the seat.

...and I would suspect a lot has to do with how the state selects a replacement. Some states require an appointment to be approved by the legislature while others give the governor the power to pick who they chose (I think that's how it played out in South Carolina). We live in such partisan times...especially on the state level where there are fewer and fewer divided governments like their is in New Jersey.

These are the times for Republican overreach, but I don't think he's the crazed partisan to do it.

He'd have the base cheering if he did, however.

it will be a moderate, but next year Booker will be our newly elected Senator.

Then the state of my birth can kiss my ass. Hello, ask your relatives in Florida what the GOP plans for your state!