Interim Sen. Jeff Chiesa (R)
At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Gov. Chris Christie
tapped state Attorney General Jeff Chiesa, a fellow Republican, to serve as New Jersey's interim senator, filling the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg's seat. Christie also announced that Chiesa would not run in the special election to be held later this year for the remainder of Lautenberg's term, making him a placeholder. Christie's decision also reduces the Democratic Party's edge in the Senate from 55-45 to 54-46, though with Democrats heavily favored in the special, that change is likely to be very temporary.