A battle of words is breaking out between veteran New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Newark Mayor Cory Booker who wants to replace him next year.
Lautenberg, who turns 89 this month, is the oldest member of the Senate but he has denied reports that he plans to retire rather than face re-election in 2014.
And his staff is slamming Booker's decision to run against him as a betrayal of Democratic Party principles. "The guy is self-absorbed and disrespectful," a senior Lautenberg aide told
Politico.
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Booker had long been seen as the Democrats' best hope to run against Republican Gov. Chris Christie. But he filed papers this week instead for a Senate challenge.
By backing out of a race against the popular Christie and heading straight for Lautenberg's seat, he's avoiding a challenge against a Republican to take on “a long-serving, loyal Democrat,” the adviser said.
Lautenberg sat in the Senate for a little over 18 years, from 1982-2001, before he retired. He then ran again in 2002, and has been in office since.
But with his advancing age, many Democrats in and out of the state worry that if the seat becomes open, Christie, as governor, could name a Republican successor.
Booker told CNN he's been trying to meet with Lautenberg, and he'd like to allow him to decide on his own future — statements that infuriated supporters, who took them as a sign he is pushing Lautenberg out of office.
Lautenberg, though, has plenty of money and backing to mount one more campaign, and even though Booker is a popular politician who polls say could win the Senate race, he may have difficulty getting Democratic party backing when running against a incumbent party member.
Booker has a double-digit lead over Lautenberg, according to a poll about the upcoming Senate race. USA Today is reporting Booker is favored by 42 percent of Democratic voters, with Lautenberg trailing with a 20 percent ranking. And with the primary still a year away, Booker has time to gather even more supporters.
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