Politics & Government
Rep. Rush Holt Among 6 Running for Open Senate Seat
Holt collected nearly 5,000 signatures in the five days since he announced his intent to run.
Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) secured 4,582 signatures and officially filed his petition to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Frank Lautenberg, the Holt Campaign announced Monday.
The deadline for filing a petition to run in the Aug. 13 primary was 4 p.m. on Monday. A candidate was required to collect 1,000 signatures prior to filing a petition. Gov. Chris Christie announced the primary would take place in August on Tuesday, June 4, one day after Lautenberg died. The special election will be held Oct. 16.
This left less than a week for a candidate to collect 1,000 signatures. Holt announced his candidacy on Thursday morning, June 6, and collected nearly 5,000 signatures over the next five days.
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“The support of so many thousands of New Jersey Democrats has been overwhelming,” Holt said in a prepared statement. “These are exactly the committed, progressive New Jersey Democrats who will vote to choose our next senator in a special election primary.”
Other candidates who filed in August’s Democratic primary include Newark Mayor Cory Booker, State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) and Congressman Frank Pallone (D-6), according to nj.com.
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Conservative activist Steve Lonegan and doctor Alieta Eck filed petitions to run in the Republican primary, according to nj.com.
On Thursday, Christie appointed Jeffrey S. Chiesa to the seat. Chiesa, who served as Attorney General before being appointed to the seat, is a registered Republican. At the time of the appointment, Chiesa said he had no intention to run for the seat permanently.
On Monday, Christie appointed John Hoffman acting attorney general, but didn’t say when he would name a permanent replacement, according to nj.com.
Holt’s campaign said he relied on a group made up completely of volunteers to collect signatures.
“We need a United States Senator who will recommit our nation to progressive values, who will make the investments needed to keep the American Dream alive in the 21st century,” Holt said.
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