The U.S. Supreme Court decided to stay out of the N.J. Senate election yesterday, allowing Democrats to place former Sen. Frank Lautenberg on the ballot.
Republican candidate Douglas Forrester protested the switch of Democratic candidates because Sen. Robert Torricelli dropped out of the race after the Sept. 16 deadline.
However, the N.J. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that having a Democrat on the ballot trumped the deadline. Republicans appealed their case to the high court last week.
New Jersey Republicans repeatedly decried the "Torricelli-Lautenberg" team. State Republican Chairman Joe Kyrillos called the Democrats' actions "underhanded maneuvering."
State Republicans are supporting a separate case in federal court on behalf of two absentee voters. In addition, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, chaired by Sen. Bill Frist '74 (R-Tenn.), is petitioning the Federal Election Commission to bar transferring funds from Torricelli's war chest to Lautenberg's campaign.
Counties began reprinting ballots and informing absentee voters late last week.
Mercer County Clerk Catherine DiCostanzo said replacing Torricelli's name on the ballots would cost her office about $100,000 in reprinting and postage fees.
With the primary legal action concluded, the candidates are trying to agree on a debate schedule for the final four weeks.
"They're in the game again," said Ingrid Reed, a Rutgers University political scientist.
A recent poll by Quinnipiac College shows Lautenberg to have a slim lead.
Torricelli's poll numbers plummeted the week before he dropped out because of continued allegations of ethical misconduct during his 1996 run for the Senate. Unaffiliated voters, the largest portion of the New Jersey electorate, were increasingly breaking for Forrester, whose campaign targeted Torricelli's integrity.
"Clearly Democrats were not supporting Torricelli," Reed said. "They have shifted to Lautenberg."
With Torricelli out of the race, Reed said unaffiliated voters are now open for both candidates to pursue. She added that recent polls have indicated voters are increasingly concerned with the economy and domestic issues.
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