State Sen. Leonard Lance became U.S. Congressman Leonard Lance as he and 53 others from across the country were sworn in as members of the House of Representatives this week in Washington, D.C.
Lance, who is representing New Jersey’s 7th District, won the seat after a hard-fought battle with Assemblywoman Linda Stender. The 7th District encompasses areas of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties. In Middlesex, Lance represents parts of
Woodbridge and Edison townships.
Lance will be one of 178 Republicans, the minority party largely outnumbered by the House’s 256 Democrats. In an interview, however, Lance said he is not concerned about this, noting that he is coming from the state Senate, where his party has been in the minority for years. It’s something he has learned to work through.
“I’m used to being in the minority,” said Lance.
The congressman said he would like to be on committees dealing with budget and finance, citing what he said was his background as a fiscal conservative. During the fall campaign, he personally pledged that he would never support a measure that would lead to increased taxes. He has since been appointed to the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance, real estate and securities. The Financial Services Committee is expected to hold important hearings in the coming weeks as part of congressional efforts to respond to the current economic crisis.
“This assignment will allow me to work immediately as a member of the House committee that will directly address the historic financial crisis facing our country,” Lance said. “I am extremely honored and pleased to be a new member of the House Financial Services Committee, and I look forward to using my experience to advocate for fiscal responsibility in Washington and deliver economic relief and reform to New Jersey’s working families and their counterparts across the country.”
Lance, 57, will be replacing longtime Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson, who decided not to seek another term last year. Lance survived a blistering primary against six other Republicans, all vying to succeed the four-term GOP congressman, before going on to face Stender, whom Ferguson very narrowly defeated in 2006.
Now that he is in Washington, Lance said he would like to focus on matters like environmental regulations, such as stricter fuel economy standards, and budgetary issues, like a balanced budget amendment. In all likelihood, however, he said that the first order of business would be examining the stimulus package that President-elect Barack Obama will soon propose. So far, he has reserved judgment on this matter.
“I want to see the details, and we do not have them. I am of open mind, but I don’t want to say yes or no, because I have not seen the details. I’d encourage the majority to work with us in the minority,” said Lance.
He said his predecessor, Ferguson, had an “excellent” constituent relations office, and Lance said that he would like to continue that tradition. Two offices will be opening, one in Flemington and one in Westfield.
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