Only one week remains until the people of New Jersey head to the polls on Wednesday, Oct. 16 for a special election, to select the state’s next U.S. Senator, filling the seat left vacant by the death of former Senator Frank Lautenberg.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker is representing the Democratic Party and former Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Lonegan is the Republican candidate.
As of October 1, a Monmouth University poll showed Booker maintaining a 13 percentage point lead over Lonegan.
Booker’s presence on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook has increased. He also entered a burning home to rescue a woman who had been trapped amid flames and acrid smoke have gained him popularity over the last few years.
If elected to the Senate, Booker vows to fight for continued improvements to the healthcare system, to bolster education, to continue advancing the causes of women’s rights, to ensure marriage equality for same-sex couples, and to safeguard the long term health of the environment.
For his part, Lonegan is far from backing down despite facing a clear uphill battle. He recieves support among staunch New Jersey Republicans and Tea Party supporters. However Lonegan’s agenda calls for across the board spending cuts, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, scaling down federal entitlement programs, lower taxes, and reduced federal involvement in the educational system. This may prove too divisive and heavy-handed given New Jersey’s historically blue-state image.
Senior business finance major Adam Sharkey believes that Lonegan’s agenda of fiscal responsibility is precisely what is needed given America’s current economic woes.
Sharkey said, “We need Republicans to step up and reign in the federal government’s excessive and often unnecessary spending. We’ve made virtually no inroads on paying off the national debt, which only continues to grow as a result of continued federal spending increases.”
Sharkey added that Lonegan’s desire to lower taxes “Would give everyone a little more breathing room as most people’s money is rather tight these days.”
As for the election itself, it is unprecedented in New Jersey history. It marks the first time that an election has been held in October as well as on a Wednesday, which adds an element of the unknown with regard to the degree in which New Jersey voters will head to the polls.
Dr. Michael Phillips-Anderson, professor of communication, believes that, despite media outlets allowing the race more exposure given its unconventional timing. The average likely voter is actually paying less attention to the proceedings – he said, “a Wednesday in October makes it harder to get voters, especially non-attentive voters, to the polls,” said Phillips- Anderson.
Dr. Joseph Patten, chair of the Political Science and Sociology Department said that “Voters are understandably confused as to why the election isn’t on the first Tuesday in November like other federal elections,” adding that “the turnout for this race will be extremely low.”
Regardless of who is ultimately victorious on Oct. 16, the result of the special election will not have any immediate national consequences with regard to the balance of power in the Senate, where the Democrats retain a considerable majority.
If Booker should win, there could be farther-reaching implications with regard to the 2016 presidential election. Although Booker has not expressed any intentions concerning further political aspirations,
Dr. Charles Cotton, professor of political science, points out similarities between Booker’s growing presence in the national spotlight and that of President Obama, who, in similar circumstances to Booker, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 before running for President in 2008.
Cotton believes that “a Booker victory might lead to something bigger – perhaps residency in the Governor’s Mansion or maybe even the Presidency.”
Whatever the future holds, the people of New Jersey will first decide whether it will be Steve Lonegan or Cory Booker who will represent the Garden State in the U.S. Senate. Polls open Oct. 16.
