At the beginning of April, New Jersey Democrats were presented with a rare opportunity: Electing one of the most talented and respected politicians in the state to the U.S. senate. When Congressman Rob Andrews declared his surprise candidacy, it invigorated a state party and its grassroots supporters since this definitely did not fit the model of "wait your turn" in N.J. politics, and his candidacy definitely challenged the state hierarchy. The senate primary race between Andrews and 84-year-old incumbent Frank Lautenberg has been framed by the mainstream media as a North Jersey vs. South Jersey battle, but the complexities of this challenge go far beyond regional affiliations, even though New Jersey hasn’t elected a senator from south of Trenton in 60 years.
Andrews is currently my representative in the 1st congressional district. I can personally vouch for how talented, thoughtful, and approachable Andrews is. After writing a few posts in support of his candidacy, I heard personally from Andrews himself via email, when he thanked me for the kind words. One poster on Blue Jersey described Andrews thusly, in relation to his co-sponsoring a bill to create a Department of Peace: "He has always been responsive, concerned, knowledgeable and reflective, even when we have not agreed on issues. Plus, he is not afraid to change his mind, a crucial trait in a wise politician." Andrews grew up in Bellmawr, N.J., in a union household as the son of shipyard workers and has been racking up the labor endorsements in this primary. Two local newspapers, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Courier Post, have lauded Andrews’ work as congressman, with the first one urging Gov. Corzine to pick Andrews, rather than Bob Menendez, as his replacement senator in 2005; and the second, The Courier Post, calling Andrews "one of the best elected officials in a state where there are not enough good politicians." Andrews, who earned his J.D. from Cornell, has quietly been building the Democratic base in South Jersey, getting politicians such as Assemblyman Fran Bodine and others to switch from the Republican to Democratic Party.
On the issues, Andrews has presented an ambitious plan to get U.S. troops out of Iraq, which includes a 12-18 withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq, regional nations contributing to Iraq’s infrastructure and stability, and a 75,000 Iraq force experiment to see if they can govern themselves (see the link below for more specifics). Thus far, Lautenberg has presented no such plan to redeploy American troops out of Iraq, has ducked and avoided debates with Andrews at every step, and decided to go negative early in his campaign against Andrews. The problem with Lautenberg is not his age per se; it is a question of his effectiveness as a senator and his drive to serve New Jersey interests; unfortunately, according to the Tax Foundation, New Jersey ranks dead last in terms of federal dollars returned from taxes sent to Washington, and Lautenberg’s best bills and legislation are years, if not decades in the past.
Pollster Stuart Rothenberg, who worked with Andrews at Bucknell University describes the race as difficult, but achievable: "Lautenberg starts as the favorite. But don’t kid yourself: Andrews is for real, and this is a primary worth watching."
Andrews is absolutely the underdog in this race, but his talent, drive, and ability are undeniable, and state voters would do well with him as their senator. Because of Andrews’ strong record on the environment (fighting to keep a deadly nerve agent out of the Delaware River; a 100% League of Conservation Voters rating; and more), his commitment to middle class issues (expanded health care, keeping private health care for veterans while on active duty, strong support for SCHIP), and his vision on domestic and international issues, I strongly urge all Democrats and Independents to vote for Rob Andrews in the 3 June Democratic primary in New Jersey.
Find more about Rob and his campaign here:
http://www.robandrewsforchange.com/
Sources:
http://www.bluejersey.com/...
http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blo...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
http://www.robandrewsforchange.com/...
http://www.taxfoundation.org/...