Christie Decisions Clear a Path for GOP's Lonegan

For conservative Steve Lonegan, the U.S. Senate race could not be shaping up better, and he can thank Chris Christie, the man who defeated him in the Republican primary for governor four years ago.

Christie, who decided that New Jersey would pick its next senator in a pair of low-turnout special elections in mid-August and mid-October, followed that up yesterday by choosing Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa to replace the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) on a fill-in basis for the next five months instead of picking a candidate who would take advantage of his newfound incumbency to run for the seat.

For Lonegan, the only declared GOP candidate for the Lautenberg seat, Christie’s choice of Chiesa not only indicates that Christie, one of the most powerful Republicans in the nation, may sit out the Republican primary, but also that Lonegan could actually end up running unopposed -- a prospect that political experts would have found shocking earlier in the week.

“I don’t care who runs,” Lonegan said yesterday. “I’m totally focused on getting my signatures in by Monday and raising money. I was endorsed today by Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin, and that’s my home county and the biggest county in the state. I’m going to galvanize conservatives, Tea Party people, independents, and Reagan Democrats, and whoever runs in the primary or general election, I’m going to beat them.”

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