Replacement field forming
By Charles W. Kim, Managing Editor
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt’s decision Tuesday to not run for a ninth term in Congress both shocked and motivated regional politicians to action this week.
”It was a shock,” State Sen. Linda Greenstein, D-14, said Tuesday night. “He did a great job as a congressman and will leave big shoes to fill.”
Sen. Greenstein said that although she was surprised by his announcement in an email to supporters around 1 p.m., she started immediately to make some phone calls to test the waters for her own candidacy for the seat.
”I did not want to wait around,” Sen. Greenstein said.
Mr. Holt’s email contained a message to supporters.
”There is no hidden motive for my decision,” he wrote. “As friends who have worked with me know, I have never thought that the primary purpose of my work was re-election and I have never intended to make service in the House my entire career.
”For a variety of reasons, personal and professional, all of them positive and optimistic, the end of this year seems to me to be the right time to step aside and ask the voters to select the next representative.”
Rep. Holt said it has been “an immense honor for me to represent the people of New Jersey’s 12th District.”
He said he believed “government can be a positive force in our lives to build community and to increase individual opportunity.”
Rep. Holt, who was first elected in 1998, said. “After nearly two decades in public life, I believe these things even more strongly.”
The congressman, wrote, “This is not the time to discuss next steps in my career; that can come later. This is not a farewell. My dedicated staff and I remain on the job this year and will work hard with the president and New Jersey’s fine other members of the House and the Senate to continue to advance the public’s interests. The people I am so fortunate to represent should have no doubts that I will maintain the high standards I have set and they deserve and I am confident my successors will do the same.”
Many officials praised Mr. Holt’s service to the 12th Congressional District.
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, speaking to reporters at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, commented on Holt’s decision.
”It’s a huge loss for our district,” she said. “He’s an incredible congressman, and he’s going to be irreplaceable.”
Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes, another possible candidate for the seat, called Mr. Holt “a tireless advocate for his constituents.”
”There are few elected officials who have worked harder than Rush Holt or have served with such dignity, rising above the petty partisan fray that seems to be so commonplace in American politics,” he said. “As county executive, I’ve enjoyed a close working relationship with Rush, who is also my friend, and I’m grateful for and proud of the work he has done for the people of Mercer County and beyond.”
Another potential candidate, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-15, said that he was “interested in testing the waters for a congressional run,” and will consult with family and friends before announcing whether he will run.
” I hope to have an announcement soon,” he said.
He also said he was “saddened” by Mr. Holt’s decision.
”I have faith that he will continue to positively impact our community as he has done for so many years,” he said. “(Mr. Holt) accomplished much in his short time in Congress, even in the minority party. It is unfortunate that the institution has been bogged down in the politics of mass destruction in recent years.”
While several Democrats are starting to evaluate running for the office in November’s mid-term elections, Republicans see the opportunity to gain what had been a stable blue seat.
”Anytime a candidate does not run against an incumbent, you have a chance,” said state Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman, R-16. “(His retirement) opens the seat to becoming a contested seat.”
On the national level, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman U. S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-3 (New York), said his party is confident it can hold the seat as well as another in California being vacated as the party tries to maintain a majority in the U.S. Senate and gain ground in the House of Representatives where Democrats are currently in the minority.
”Today’s two Democratic retirements’ come in heavily Democratic seats that we are confident will elect Democratic problem-solvers in November,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
Candidates from both parties must file petitions with the state by March 31 to enter their respective primaries in June.
Gene Robbins and Philip Sean Curran contributed to this report.