Holt, Ferguson head back to Congress

In a reversal of the usual role, it was an early night for the Democrat

By: Courtney Gross
   If it were another year — one without a war in Iraq — it would have been smoother sailing for Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson and competitive campaigning for Democratic Congressman Rush Holt.
   But for central New Jersey’s incumbents, Tuesday’s midterm election was exactly the reverse.
   As Democrats swept the nation, largely over voter dissatisfaction with the war effort, winning majorities in both chambers of Congress, central New Jersey’s incumbents Rep. Holt (D-12) and Rep. Ferguson (R-7) clinched tickets back to Washington.
   But how those victories were achieved did not resemble races of yore. Tuesday’s election emphasized a national sentiment that trickled into the two Central Jersey districts — a prologue to a very different climate in the nation’s capital when the representatives return to serve in the 110th Congress in January.
   For the first time, Rep. Holt will sit with a Democratic majority, while Rep. Ferguson will be introduced to the minority halls of Capitol Hill.
   Rep. Ferguson faced an unprecedented challenge for re-election to his fourth term in the Republican leaning 7th District.
   In a race targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic state Assemblywoman Linda Stender made a strong showing, leaving the incumbent sneaking by with approximately a 2 percent lead.
   In a very different atmosphere miles away at the East Brunswick Hilton, Rep. Holt greeted family and friends much earlier Tuesday evening having landed an overwhelming victory against Republican challenger Joseph Sinagra, a Helmetta resident who served on its council for a decade.
   The 12th Congressional District, which includes Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, West Windsor and Plainsboro, has been characterized as a more competitive district than the results indicated on election night. In previous contests, such as the 2000 election, Rep. Holt had been sequestered in hotel rooms counting — vote by vote — in tight races with miniscule differences between winner and loser.
   This year, the incumbent carried 66 percent of the vote, according to unofficial tallies by the state Division of Elections, with 115,413 to Mr. Sinagra’s 60,443.
   In an acceptance speech delivered a floor below where his Democratic colleague, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez held his victory extravaganza at the Hilton, Rep. Holt highlighted the hopes he has for the 110th Congress and the shortcomings of the 109th.
   Raising the minimum wage, implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and making college tuition tax-deductible are on his agenda for the next two-year term.
   "It’s a privilege to represent New Jersey’s 12th District in Congress, and I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis with the Democratic majority for a change in course," the congressman said.
   Following an acceptance speech by Sen. Menendez where Rep. Holt joined Democratic colleagues on stage, the congressman walked through the dense crowd, thanking staff and supporters.
   As supporters crowded around him, some tugging at his arm attempting to squeeze through reporters and catch him in a photograph, Rep. Holt said this year’s victory revealed the superiority of his campaign staff and the confidence constituents have in his record.
   "Over the years, I think, I hope I have built a sense of appreciation," Rep. Holt said after complimenting his staff’s hard work. "(I) draw my inspiration and justification from the people in central New Jersey."
   As Democratic victories were tallied across the nation Tuesday, Rep. Holt said he was looking forward to becoming part of the majority party. After 12 years in the wings, he and fellow Democrats will be given control and perks that include committee chairs, and setting the tone and agenda in Washington.
   Rep. Holt, looking forward to the challenge, said Democrats will look toward a more open, bipartisan and civil government in the House, bringing about a change in both mood and procedure.
   "I’ve served eight years in the minority and I look forward to serving in the majority," Rep. Holt noted. "Over the last dozen years the House has been run in a very closed way. … Bills were written by very few people."
   As part of the Democratic takeover and because he is gaining seniority in Congress, Rep. Holt, a Hopewell resident and former assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, said he hopes to retain a ranking seat on either the Committee on Resources or the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, while also lobbying for a seat on the Appropriations Committee.
   On the other side of central New Jersey in the 7th District, considered a GOP stomping ground that sprawls across Union, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset counties, Rep. Ferguson recognized the race’s challenges in his acceptance speech.
   But as incumbent Republicans lost their seats across the country, Rep. Ferguson was jubilant to hang on even with a small margin. Unofficial results give Rep. Ferguson 49.5 percent of the vote and Ms. Stender 47.8 percent.
   The race was one that received national attention, and was considered by Democrats the most likely to change hands in the state.
   It was a campaign that became especially visible to voters through advertisements — especially ads by Rep. Ferguson’s re-election committee calling his Democratic challenger "Stender the Spender."
   Despite his slim margin, Rep. Ferguson said his victory is a tribute to the staff he has, the message he continues to relay and his campaign volunteers.
   In a strained Republican environment and with an unpredictable future, Rep. Ferguson said he would continue to work across party lines and be an independent voice for central New Jersey residents. In his upcoming term, the congressman said he will focus on bringing home funding for security and will keep tabs on taxes.
   "It’s impossible for me to forecast exactly how it will be like," Rep. Ferguson said of a Democratic congress. "It won’t change who I am and the work I’ve done on behalf of the district."
   Although Rep. Ferguson carried the election, Ms. Stender received a narrow 717-vote majority in Union County — where she served as Fanwood mayor and county freeholder — and Middlesex County, according to unofficial results from the state Division of Elections. Rep. Ferguson is a resident of New Providence also in Union County.
   In Middlesex County, Ms. Stender, 55, held a much wider margin, leading the congressman by nearly 5,000 votes.
   Although both candidates received significant support from Union County, the 36-year-old incumbent took rural Hunterdon County by over 5,700 votes and Somerset County by over 3,200 votes.
   The two other candidates, Thomas D. Abrams running on the Withdraw Troops Now platform and Darren Young of the Libertarian party, collectively carried approximately 3 percent of the vote — a number larger than the vote difference between the Republican incumbent and his Democratic challenger.
   Following her concession speech and the tallying of results throughout the country, Ms. Stender said the race was neck and neck and promised to return.
   "Although we didn’t win, the good news is that the Democrats took back the House and the Senate," Ms. Stender said in a prepared statement. "All our hard work helped contribute to a win for our country. I’m not going away. We will be back."