Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who recently suggested that Newark Mayor Cory Booker deserved a “spanking” for openly coveting his Senate seat, told National Journal that he finds Booker’s performance as mayor wanting.
“He’s got a lot of work to do — a lot of work that should have been done and hasn’t been done,” Lautenberg said.
Lautenberg described Newark as a “city in desperate need of attention,” adding that “maybe if the mayor can solidify the fact that he wants to improve Newark by being there, things would be different. But he’s free to do as he wants to do.”
Booker has formed an exploratory committee for a potential run in 2014 and may challenge Lautenberg in a Democratic primary if the 89-year-old senator decides not to retire.