Democrats Select Lautenberg to Run in Torricelli Spot

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Democrats Select Lautenberg to Run in Torricelli Spot

By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI

TRENTON, Oct. 1 — Former Senator Frank R. Lautenberg agreed late today to have his name placed on the ballot, ending a two-day search for a Democratic candidate to replace Robert G. Torricelli in the race for New Jersey's United States Senate seat.

After Mr. Torricelli abruptly announced on Monday that he was ending his bid for re-election because he feared he might cost Democrats their single-seat majority in the Senate, Mr. Lautenberg, 78, who retired in 2000 after three terms in the Senate, said he would run if asked.

But Mr. Torricelli, who feuded with Mr. Lautenberg over matters of personal style and the political spotlight while they served together, vigorously opposed the move, and it was unclear tonight whether Mr. Torricelli would agree to turn over his campaign funds to his former rival. Mr. Torricelli's office declined to comment on the question.

Republicans also said they would oppose the effort to have Mr. Lautenberg's name placed on the ballot this late in the campaign.

The State Supreme Court was scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday morning to decide the issue.

After a day of chaotic lobbying, in which two possible candidates, Representatives Robert Menendez and Frank Pallone Jr., turned down offers to run, Gov. James E. McGreevey and Senator Jon S. Corzine helped achieve a consensus among New Jersey's Democratic leaders during a meeting at the governor's mansion in Princeton.

Their choice was quickly endorsed by the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, who had advised that the abbreviated campaign — there are just 35 days until the election — would favor a candidate with experience, fund-raising ability and name recognition.

"Those of you who were around at the time perhaps remember the slogan that I adopted: `Putting New Jersey first,' " Mr. Lautenberg said at the news conference announcing his candidacy. "This is the state that I want to put first again."

"I want to make sure, for in- stance, that polluters pay for the pollution that they helped develop," he said. "To make sure that Social Security is protected. To make sure that there is sufficient prescription drug availability in Medicare."

"This will be the shortest campaign that I've ever been involved in," he said. "I say to my opponent: I am going to fight just as hard, just as energetically," as his past campaigns.

Mr. McGreevey said this evening, "Senator Frank R. Lautenberg has a long and distinguished record of service in the United States Senate. We're confident, based on his exemplary track record and dedicated years of service to New Jersey, that he will be the victor upon Election Day."

While Democrats were flailing around in search of a candidate, Republicans spent the day preparing a court battle to prevent Mr. Torricelli's name from being replaced on the ballot. New Jersey election law allows parties to change candidates up to 51 days before the election, but it is unclear whether the courts will allow a substitution after that.

Douglas R. Forrester, the Republican nominee, said today that he considered the move a threat to the sanctity of the electoral process. He said he would appeal the matter to federal court if necessary.

"We don't want the political process to be manipulated so badly just because they're behind in the polls," Mr. Forrester said today in an interview on WABC-TV in New York.

Mr. Torricelli dropped out of the race saying that his campaign message had been drowned out by questions about improper gifts that had led to his reprimand by the Senate Ethics Committee.

He said that another candidate would be better able to defend the seat and help Democrats retain their single-seat majority in the Senate. But finding a suitable candidate proved elusive for Democratic leaders in New Jersey and Washington, and with just five weeks left until the election, the situation remained in disarray for much of the day.

After two top contenders, former Senator Bill Bradley and Robert Menendez, took themselves out of the running, Democrats thought they had arrived on a compromise candidate in Mr. Pallone, a seven-term congressman from central New Jersey. After arriving at the governor's mansion in Princeton and being offered the nomination early this afternoon, Mr. Pallone stunned party officials by declining, saying that he did not want to risk losing his congressional seat.

That threw the search process into disarray and forced Governor McGreevey and other Democratic leaders to reconsider other candidates, including Representative Robert E. Andrews and the State Assembly majority leader, Joseph J. Roberts, who earlier in the afternoon issued — and then retracted — a news release saying that he had declined the opportunity to be considered for the nomination.

Mr. Lautenberg was offered the position during a discussion with Mr. McGreevey and other Democratic leaders in the governor's mansion, where the State Democratic Committee was meeting.

Mr. Torricelli had told party leaders that he was opposed to Mr. Lautenberg's entry into the race. When New Jersey Democratic leaders called the Torricelli campaign this afternoon to ask whether he would consider turning over his campaign funds to Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Torricelli's aides said they did not dare even forward the question to him. By early evening, Senator Corzine was trying to mediate an agreement that would allow Mr. Torricelli's money to finance Mr. Lautenberg's campaign.

Now that Democrats have agreed on a candidate, they will need court approval to replace Mr. Torricelli's name on the ballot. The deadline allowed by New Jersey election law for parties to change candidates passed on Sept. 16, but it is unclear whether substitutions are permitted after that. Republicans argue that they are not permitted, because that would not allow time for absentee ballots and military ballots to be amended, and filed court papers to block the move.

At times, the court fight had echoes of the recount battle that followed the 2000 presidential election in Florida. A news conference called by the Republican state chairman, Joseph M. Kyrillos, on the steps of the New Jersey State House was attended by 19 television camera crews, twice the number that covered Mr. Torricelli's official campaign kickoff in June. In Washington, Senator Bill Frist, chairman of the Senate G.O.P. campaign committee, said Republicans would consider an appeal to the United States Supreme Court if the New Jersey court ruled in favor of the Democrats.

"This is a desperate grasp at getting around the law, and the people of New Jersey are tired of having their leaders go around the law," he said.

Some Republicans also said last night that they might ask at least two State Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from the case because they had given campaign contributions to either Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Lautenberg, or both.

But Mr. McGreevey and Democrats argue that the issue is a simple matter of giving voters the chance to choose. Democratic leaders also say privately that if the courts keep Mr. Lautenberg off the ballot, and Mr. Torricelli resigns from his Senate seat within 30 days of the election, Mr. McGreevey could appoint a successor and the election could be postponed. While such a move would open Mr. McGreevey up to fierce criticism from Republicans, the prospect could compel Republicans to drop their court fight.

Mr. Lautenberg said tonight that he was honored to be the nominee, and he beamed as he surveyed the party officials and reporters assembled to hear his announcement.

Although he retired in 2000 because he disliked fund-raising, Mr. Lautenberg said his hiatus had left him refreshed and the truncated campaign would allow him to focus on the issues rather than finances.

"This is a sprint instead of a walk," Mr. Lautenberg said.