Breaking: NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg Dies

Seeing it on the Washington Post home page (here's the story)

Before going all political, we should remember that he was a WWII vet and for all the political disagreements one might have had with him, he lived the American dream.

Frank Lautenberg was born Jan, 23, 1924 in Paterson, N.J. to Polish and Russian Jewish immigrants who had entered America through Ellis Island. As a child, Lautenberg moved often as his parents looked for work. His father Sam worked in silk mills, sold coal, farmed and ran a tavern. Sam died when Frank was in high school, so Frank began working nights to support the family.

After graduating from high school, Lautenberg joined the Army Signal Corps and served in Europe. After World War II, he attended Columbia University on the G.I. Bill and received a degree in economics in 1949.

In 1952, Lautenberg and two childhood friends founded the nation's first payroll services company, called Automatic Data Processing, where he was chairman and CEO. By the mid-1990s, ADP employed 30,000 people and processed payroll for almost 10 percent of private sector jobs in the United States. Thanks to ADP, Lautenberg's net worth is somewhere around $40 million.

Now, on to the political....Who is Christie going to name to replace him? I think (but have to confirm) the state will hold a special election this November (when they vote for Governor) to fill the remainder of the term.

Update: Here's the deal on replacements (pdf)-

Finally, California and New Jersey empower the governor to call a discretionary “quick special election,” depending on the amount of time remaining in the unexpired senatorial term, while also empowering both officers to make interim appointments.

So yeah, it seems likely that Christie will name someone in a few days and then add the Senate race to this November's ballot. The winner will then have to defend the seat in next year's general election for a regular 6 year term.

Prediction on Christie's pick: He wants to pick a Democrat to get the love in NJ but can't annoy national GOP that much. But....if Lautenberg has a son or a daughter he could name to fill the next 5 months or so, Christie can name a Democrat and no one can really complain about it.

posted by DrewM. at 10:12 AM

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