2002 NJ Senatorial Election

The Return of Lautenberg! The 2002 New Jersey Senate election, which saw former Senator Frank Lautenberg unretire two years into his retirement - defeating South Jersey Businessman Doug Forrester in the process showcasing a sortied tale of New Jersey's backroom wealing and dealing

At the start of the 2002 Election season, things looked up for incumbent Bob Torricelli, His strongest opponents all forwent running, frm. Gov Tom Kean Passed, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman was appointed to the EPA, and Essex County Exec James Treffinger was under investigation

In addition, he was a strong fundraiser, a strong partisan with an ocasional popular bipartisan vote, and the NRSC was unlikely to attempt to take him on because of how it's incredibly expensive to run a campaign in NJ.

But even as that was the case, Scandal was looming over Torricelli, and in May 2002 an assosiate of Torricelli's was charged with $53,700 in illegal contributions to the 1996 Torricelli Senatorial Campaign.

The full scope of the public allegations, which did not result in Torricelli being charged, was that the Senator had received gift's in echange for advancing his assosiate's business interests in South Korea

(Note: Torricelli had extensive experience in foreign policy in South Korea due to representing heavilly Korean areas in the Palisades.)

all of this resulted in the Senate Ethics committee heavily admonishing the senator after he admitted he received the gifts

Republican Nominee Doug Forrester utilized Torricelli's scandals to great effect, saying on the stump that he was "the guy running against Bob Torricelli"

Torricelli was further harmed through continuing repurts on the scandal, such as reports of the gifts arriving at his house, and the unsealing of a memorandum where prosecuters alleged that Torricelli had accepted 'tens of thousands of dolars in gifts' from his associate

All this had a severe effect on the Torricelli campaign and on September 28, 2002 an NJ Star Leger poll showed Torricelli losing to Forrester 47%-34%; and as a result his campaign was over.

Torricelli would not go on to lose the election, because after the horrible poling NJ Democratic leaders such as Governor Jim McGreevey, and Senator Jon Corzine called Tom Daschle and convinced Torricelli to drop out.

Torricelli said at his press conference dropping out that he "would not be responsible for losing the democratic in majority in the US Senate... [he] would not allow it to happen"

Once he dropped out, NJ Democratic leaders looked to potential replacements, eventually settling on Former Senator Frank Lautenberg whom was evidently missing life in the senate.

Note: While they served in the senate together Torricelli and Lautenberg had a relationship that can be mildly described as openly hostile, so it would be unlikely that Torricelli would've agreed to drop out had he known who'd replace him, and Lautenberg likely delighted in Torricelli's plight.

In any case, the NJ GOP obviously sued but the Supreme court of NJ, unanimously ruled that the Substitution was constitutional, with the stipulation that the NJ Dems would have to pay to reprint the ballots that had Torricelli's name on them

Torricelli, however, once learning of the new nominee refused to lift a finger to help, preventing the 5 million he had in his campaign account from going to Lautenberg (Whom as a self funder, didn't need it)

The candidate swap forced the Forrester to completely reorient his strategy, attacking Lautenberg for being Soft on Terrorism, utilizing his 1991 vote against the Gulf war resolution to do so.

Forrester also took a page out of Lautenberg's 1982 Playbook and critizised the senator for being too old for the job, as he was six years older than when he defeated representative Milicent Fenwick using the same tactic.

But Forrester was too conservative for New Jersey, and Lautenberg's attacks on Social security, Perscription drugs, gun control and abortion, cupeled with a debate where Lautenberg looked up to the job, if a little ragged allowed the former Senator to win a fourth term.

Once in the senate, Generally satisfied, Lautenberg would be disapointed that he did not have his seniority reestablished after unretireing, as senate rules did not permit that.

In his victory, Lautenberg carried 9/13 Congressional districts to Forrester's 4/13, 26/40 LDs to Forrester's 14/40, and 13/21 Counties to Forrester's 8/21.

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