New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he wants to hold a special election in October to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Frank Lautenberg’s death on Monday.
He says he doesn’t plan to appoint someone to fill the seat in the meantime.
This is a smart political move from Christie, who's enjoying bipartisan support in his bid for re-election. If he plugged a Republican into Lautenberg's seat, there's a good chance the Democrats would take the opportunity to demonize Governor Christie for politicizing a moment of tragedy. As it is, only hardcore Republicans will be unhappy with Christie, but he already gave up that group when he "lost the election" for Mitt Romney.
