Democratic New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone has officially announced his candidancy to complete the remainder of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s term in the U.S. Senate.
Pallone, who has been in Congress since 1989, declared his candidacy at a press conference Monday afternoon and then delivered the required petition signatures to run to New Jersey’s Division of Elections.
“Today, I am proud to stand here and declare my candidacy to be the next U.S. Senator from the great state of New Jersey,” he said, according to press release. “Although I wish this opportunity to run for the seat vacated as a result of the loss of my good friend and colleague, Senator Frank Lautenberg, had never risen, I am committed to carrying on his legacy of fighting for New Jersey.”
Pallone’s announcement means that three people will be seeking the Democratic nomination: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt and Pallone himself. Today is the deadline to qualify for the Aug. 13 primary. The general election is on Oct. 16.
A Quinnipiac poll released Monday found that in the three-way primary, Booker would receive 53 percent of the vote, Holt 10 percent and Frank Pallone 9 percent. Twenty-three percent of voters remain undecided.
