Shocked.
Former New Jersey U.S. Rep. John Adler has died, according to a state Democratic legislator. He was 51.
Adler, a long-time Democratic senator who lost re-election in November, had emergency heart surgery last month after contracting staph bacterial endocarditis.
Adler only served one term in Congress, winning the NJ-03 open seat in 2008 as part of the Obama wave, then falling to Jon Runyan as part of the 2010 wave, 50-47.
I met Congressman Adler a few times over the past few years, often in informal settings. We certainly had our disagreements -- his voting record was Blue Dog, though tethered to his hadn't-elected-a-Dem-since-the-1880s South Jersey District -- but I always liked him, and not just because he was an alum of my law firm.
It was his demeanor. He looked and sounded a lot like Jeopardy super-champ Ken Jennings, and always made clear that he cared a lot about the details of policy. Even when I thought he was wrong, I didn't think he was being stupid or corrupt; he just came to a different conclusion than I did. Bio:
In 1987, John won a seat on the Cherry Hill Town Council. He wrote Cherry Hill's ethics ordinance during his time on Town Council. He was also committed to strengthening Cherry Hill schools and improving health care while on the Council.
In 1991, John ran for State Senate against a long-time incumbent. That year, he was the only candidate to beat a Republican incumbent in either house of the Legislature. John served in the State Senate for 17 years, and was the Chairman of the prestigious New Jersey's Senate Judiciary Committee. He sponsored vital legislation designed to address key environmental and health related issues, homeland security, ethics reform, reducing auto insurance rates, eliminating municipal and school mandates, and reducing corporate tax on small business.
John wrote New Jersey's law requiring pension forfeiture and mandatory prison terms for corrupt officials. He also wrote the Smoke-Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces.
He leaves behind his wife, Shelley, and four sons: Jeffrey, Alex, Andrew, and Oliver. What a sad loss.