Chris Christie Appoints Jeff Chiesa To U.S. Senate

pavpatel · 06-06-2013, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Gov. Chris Christie (R) has appointed state Attorney General Jeff Chiesa to fill New Jersey's open U.S. Senate seat, he announced at a news conference in Trenton Thursday afternoon.

Christie said that while he made the final decision this week, he had been considering his options for the Senate for awhile.
“I’ve been thinking about it on and off for a period of time," Christie said. "I started thinking about it in earnest on Monday morning when I got the news of Senator Lautenberg’s death.”

Chiesa, a registered Republican since 2000, would not be a candidate in the primary or general election, said Christie.

"This is an incredible honor for my family and I," Chiesa said, noting he will use his "best judgment" in the Senate.

Christie's pick is a surprise since Chiesa was not mentioned as a Senate appointee prior to Thursday. At the same time, Christie has long favored members of his inner circle for top appointments.

"It was unexpected for sure," Chiesa said, adding that Christie first discussed the appointment with him on Monday.

He thanked Christie for his posts in Trenton and now the Senate. "I have had these opportunities because of the governor," Chiesa said.

He identified border security as one of his top issues as senator, when questioned about the immigration bill pending before Congress, and plans to meet with other senators to discuss immigration and other issues when he arrives in Washington. "I am a conservative Republican," Chiesa said. "I don't want to get into a litany of issues."

Christie noted that he trusts Chiesa, but also said that Chiesa would operate on his own as a senator. Chiesa has filled the role of telling the governor bad news and no, Christie said. "There are very few people in my life who I know better than Jeff."

The governor's appointment comes as New Jersey politicians scramble to enter a special election for the seat, left vacant after the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) on Monday. Christie set an Aug. 13 primary and Oct. 16 general election to find a senator to finish Lautenberg's term, which expires in January 2015. Candidates have until 4 p.m. on June 10 to file with the state Division of Elections to run in the primary.

On the Democratic side, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Rep. Rush Holt and Rep. Frank Pallone have indicated that they will enter the August primary; state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) is considered a potential candidate as well. On the Republican side, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, the state director of Americans for Prosperity, is the only announced candidate. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., and state Sen. Joe Kyrillos are potential Republican candidates.

Christie found himself under fire for his decision to call for the August and October special elections, which will cost the state a total of $24 million. He said Thursday that his decision to hold the October special election is "consistent" with the state Constitution and that despite the cost he believes it is needed. He also said that if he held the election in November, he would have insisted on a primary to pick party nominees, which would have cost $12 million. New Jersey law dictates that state party committees choose the nominee absent a primary election.

If Christie called the election for November, when the governor's seat is up for grabs, it left open the possibility of him and Booker appearing on the same ballot. While Christie leads Democratic gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono by 30 points in recent polls, the popular Booker's presence on the ballot could have helped Buono. Booker on the November ballot also could have helped Democratic candidates for the state Legislature, potentially hurting Christie's goal to flip the Legislature to GOP-control. Christie has said politics did not play a role in his decision.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...tml?1370540828

FUCK.

Task_1539 · 06-06-2013, 02:37 PM

Unfortunate.

bertdude7 · 06-06-2013, 03:13 PM

That's probably another No for CIR, sad day.

Lost Generation · 06-06-2013, 03:24 PM

We're down to 51 now need 9 republicans, if 4 from the 8 gangs vote for it that'll make it 55 Collins plus some lady from Colorado 57, this is a close one.

CIR_DREAM2009 · 06-06-2013, 04:14 PM

His position on immigration is a big question mark.

Quote:

“It was unexpected for sure,” Mr. Chiesa said. He declined to detail his views on specific policy issues, including immigration, saying only that he wanted to be sure the nation’s borders were secure. He described himself as a “conservative Republican.”

I bet he's just going to follow whatever the minority leadership in the Senate says. Not exactly happy with Gov. Christie right now. The people of NJ elected a Democrat and he should have honored that in an interim replacement.

Swim19 · 06-06-2013, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CIR_DREAM2009

His position on immigration is a big question mark.

I bet he's just going to follow whatever the minority leadership in the Senate says. Not exactly happy with Gov. Christie right now. The people of NJ elected a Democrat and he should have honored that in an interim replacement.

I completely agree that he should have appointed a Democrat. As much as I liked the way Christie handled everything after Sandy, overall I don't like him.

pavpatel · 06-06-2013, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lost Generation

We're down to 51 now need 9 republicans, if 4 from the 8 gangs vote for it that'll make it 55 Collins plus some lady from Colorado 57, this is a close one.

at this point, i dont think we can even count rubio's vote so take one off.

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Chris Christie Appoints Jeff Chiesa To U.S. Senate