NJ-03: Saxton has a challenger!

Though it had been rumoured for some time, State Senator John Adler made his official announcement yesterday:

"Last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington that we want a change in direction in Iraq and here at home," Adler said. "Unfortunately our congressman, Jim Saxton, refuses to listen. It's time for a change."

After 12 terms in the United States Congress, Jim Saxton's seat has been targeted for a Democratic pick-up.  Though Saxton defeated his 2006 challenger by a wide margin, his increasing support of the Bush agenda has weakened him, and the DCCC thinks we can take him:

"We believe that Jim Saxton is very vulnerable," said DCCC spokeswoman Carrie James. "He no longer represents the families in his district that he’s out of touch with the families in his district and is continuing down the same old stay the course road in Iraq with President Bush."

The DCCC has also targeted Saxton for his SCHIP vote with a series of radio ads.  His Iraq War votes are going to hurt him, too:

Adler has had his eye on national office for a long while.  He opened his US Senate account in 2003, and had been considering a run for Frank Lautenberg's seat in the event of Mr. Lautenberg's retirement.

Mr. Adler is Chairman of the State Senate's Judiciary Committee, and may have the clout to bring the big bucks needed to unseat this popular incumbent.  He faces a Republican challenger for his State Senate seat in November, but does not need to resign his seat to run against Saxton next year.

John Adler's website does not yet have any information on his campaign, but we should all keep our eyes peeled for a chance to help bring home this important pick-up opportunity.

UPDATE:

Adam B supplied this link in the comments section for John Adler's post on Blue Jersey yesterday.  Thanks, Adam B!

•  Tips for a bluer Jersey!

  by revelwoodie on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 10:51:31 AM PDT

•  Excellent

  Rec'ed for my home state.

  by Roger Fox on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:00:22 AM PDT

  •  If you're in the 3rd district...

    ...I hope you'll be getting a big-ass lawn sign!

    by revelwoodie on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:03:07 AM PDT

    •  NJ~10 here >>>>>>Donald Payne,

      So I drove to NJ~11, I did a lot of work in NJ~11 last year for Tom Wyka. And will do so soon again for '08.

      I'm curious who is going to come out in NJ~5.

      by Roger Fox on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 04:54:26 PM PDT

•  Tags added

  2008 elections, House, New Jersey

  by SarahLee on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:02:27 AM PDT

  •  Thank you...

    ...I'm a lousy tagger!

    by revelwoodie on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:04:38 AM PDT

    •  Right now we are not allowed to

      correct bad tags - can only add good ones, so I highly recommend that you bookmark  this list of Community Approved Tags and try to stick to them if you want your diaries read by those who bookmark or add certain issue tags to their blogrolls.

      by SarahLee on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 02:21:17 PM PDT

•  Adler on Iraq

  As he wrote for Blue Jersey:

  Last November, the American people sent a message to Washington: it's time to change direction and end the war in Iraq.  Now, almost a year later, there are a record number of U.S. troops in Iraq, our troops aren't at home with their families, and our very own Congressman, Jim Saxton continues his blind support of President Bush's failed leadership on the war.

  Earlier this month, Jim Saxton voted against guaranteeing that our troops have the rest they need and time to spend with their families and train for their next mission between their deployment periods in Iraq.  Jim Saxton talks a lot about supporting our troops in the field. Yet he allowed President Bush to send our soldiers into a war without giving them a plan to win the peace. Despite this failure of leadership, our brave troops have been fighting courageously and excellently, doing everything that's been asked of them.

  Our troops need more than empty rhetoric and parades.  Supporting our troops starts with strong, independent leadership that insists they have the best training, the best equipment, and enough rest between deployments to be successful. Both George Bush and Jim Saxton have failed to do this.  Our troops, and their families, are paying the price. It's time for a new direction to the war and new leadership in Washington.

  Every week we see more evidence of the tragic consequences of the President's war without end.  As a husband and a father of four representing families in South Jersey, I can not understand why our President and our Congressman ignore the families in our community and our soldiers fighting this futile war.  It's time to act.  

  I commend our heroic soldiers who are serving in Iraq and the veterans who served before them. Their service is honorable, their courage exemplary. The politicians in Washington dishonor our soldiers' sacrifice by sending them back to Iraq again and again - without a plan to win the peace, without proper rest time between tours of duty and without timelines to push the Iraqis to fight for their own country and take responsibility for their own freedom.

  Jim Saxton's reckless support of President Bush's stay-the-course approach continues unnecessarily to risk the lives of our brave troops in the field.  More than 3,600 heroic American soldiers have lost their lives, including too many from right here in New Jersey. Yet despite the staggering death toll, and no end in sight to the bloodshed, Jim Saxton stands by George Bush with every vote he casts.

  The continuing loss of life is the worst possible consequence of not changing our course in Iraq. But unfortunately, it is not the only consequence. With every vote that Jim Saxton casts in support of continuing the President's approach, he forces New Jersey's taxpayers to continue shouldering the staggering financial burden of the war - having now spiraled to over $10 billion per month.  

  At the end of the day, the funding decisions that we make reflect the values that we hold. Imagine what $10 billion per month could do for New Jersey.  We could hire more teachers for our children, send more aid to our students struggling to pay for college, or make prescription drugs more affordable for our parents and grandparents.

  Jim Saxton continues to ask New Jersey's taxpayers to keep paying for this war in Iraq - $10 billion per month - with every vote he casts to stay the course.  Considering how much middle class American families are struggling to make ends meet, I think that's the wrong choice. Instead we need to better educate our children, make college more affordable, help more seniors afford their medication, and safely bring America's sons and daughters home from Iraq.  

  If Jim Saxton refuses to hold President Bush accountable for his poor decisions on the war in Iraq, then next year, the voters in New Jersey's 3rd congressional district will hold Jim Saxton accountable.

  by Adam B on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:03:24 AM PDT

  •  Thanks!

    I updated the story to include your link.

    by revelwoodie on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:13:00 AM PDT

•  he officially announced

  but

  John Adler's website does not yet have any information on his campaign...

  we are not off to a good start here.

  can't the dccc help him out with that?

  I'm in the third, btw.

  by Marlboro Lite on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:15:46 AM PDT

  •  It concerned me too...

    It means one of two things:

    1. He doesn't have the web side of his campaign together yet.  If that's true, he needs help, and pronto.  Or...

    2. Because he is also running for his own seat right now, he may be planning on launching a different site for his national '08 campaign.  If that's the case, it does make sense.  It might look a little funny to have info on 2 campaigns on the same site.

    Maybe he's going to add the '08 content after he gets through this November.

    by revelwoodie on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:20:45 AM PDT

    •  yeah could be either

      but common sense should dictate that if you've declared you're running for United States Congress in 2008 please have SOMETHING up on the web.

      sheesh.

      by Marlboro Lite on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:33:49 AM PDT

•  Adler is my state senator

  I'm in NJ-01, but right at the edge.  Adler has been a pretty good senator and would be a big improvement over Saxton, to put it mildly.  He is very responsive and communicates well with his constituents.  The one time I tried to get his support (against a shady redev. building deal) he wasn't helpful, but all in all, I don't hold that against him too much.  He's part of the machine here.

  One thing that concerns me about NJ-03 is the big Lockheed-Martin facility in Moorestown.  A lot of people in NJ-03 and NJ-01 work there, and I'm guessing that it influences voters.  

  by joanneleon on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:21:19 AM PDT

•  Wow!

  That is a big deal.  Adler is a heavyweight in the state senate.  Of course, he won't have to worry about giving up his seat in order to run.

  by Paleo on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 11:54:14 AM PDT